Ring Of Fire
by toothlessgolfer
Summary: Hiccup and Toothless left on their little vacation forever, found a place to settle down in peace, and made new friends in a strange world called Middle-earth. However, an ancient menace will send them on an adventure in which their friendship of a lifetime will change the world forever. T-rated. Numerous OCs. LOTR films and books fusion over three volumes. Posting weekly.
1. A Little Vacation Forever

_**Author's Note – I noticed that there are no great LOTR and HTTYD crossovers. These are my two favorite worlds, so I decided to do something about this lacking. You can expect somewhat of a fusion of the LOTR book volumes and Peter Jackson's film adaptation since I think that each one better portrayed certain moments.**_

_**Length and Posting Schedule – This will not be a short story. I estimate that this will be somewhere around 500,000 words. This story is posting weekly on Saturday mornings.  
**_

_**Miscellaneous – The only divergence in background at the start of this story is that Hiccup is a few years older than he was in film I. Basically just shift all the events of film I so that Hiccup is seventeen. Cheers to VigoGrimborne and Blue Dragon's Rider, both of whom are providing beta editing for this story.**_

* * *

Ring Of Fire

* * *

A Little Vacation Forever

* * *

"What... is that?" Astrid gasped, all the while staring in abject alarm and disbelief toward the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself.

Hiccup tried to imagine how this must look to her. The dragon no one had ever seen and lived to tell the tale of was right there in front of her. And it was growling deeply.

At her.

He stepped closer to the Night Fury, put a hand on Toothless's neck, and then gave Astrid a cheeky grin while gesturing toward his best friend.

"Astrid, Toothless... Toothless, Astrid..."

The Night Fury then gave Astrid a very toothy and threatening snarl, as if he was intentionally trying to be as ironic as possible given his name.

Astrid's eyes narrowed on Hiccup, and she shook her head again, still apparently unable to accept what she saw before her. Or maybe she did accept it and saw it as the betrayal of the old way that it was. If her eyes could speak, they would have shouted out that he was totally busted.

She spun around and ran from the cove at full speed, surely off to the village to tell the entire tribe the truth.

Hiccup shrugged his shoulders and sighed heavily.

"Duh dah duh, we're dead."

Toothless then snorted, turned tail on the entrance to the cove, and trotted off to where he had probably been resting in the shade before Astrid's arrival.

"Wha... where do you think you're going?"

Hiccup spun toward Toothless and took a couple steps, wondering how they were going to catch up to Astrid in the thick tree cover. They could fly low, wait for an opportunity in a clearing, and then...

He pulled up and stared aimlessly, realizing in that instant that his thoughts were confused at the moment. He had been determined to leave Berk just moments ago and was now rethinking the entire plan in favor of chasing after Astrid in the hope that... something might change?

He vividly remembered the moment that had forced this outcome of his planned departure from Berk, likely forever.

_"Congratulations Hiccup, ya get ta kill the dragon!" Gobber shouted in acclaim._

_Hiccup glanced around the Kill Ring at all the cheering people. Almost everyone else was celebrating his latest triumph and congratulating him for his prowess in the ring and how he apparently had a way with the beasts._

_He glanced over at the fuming Astrid as she cursed something about a son of a half-troll, rat-eating munge bucket, whatever that meant._

_"Thanks, yeah..." he mumbled._

_He gave his swarm of adoring fans a cheeky grin on his way out of the Ring while waving away their pats on the back._

_"I am so..."_

_._

"_...leaving. You hear that, bud? Looks like you and me are taking a little vacation... forever," he mumbled as he finally entered the beloved cove again._

_He had all his supplies stowed away, was ready to leave, and... Astrid was there in the cove. She was sitting on a rock while sharpening her ax. And she definitely saw that he was there also._

_Hopefully she would believe his excuse that he had been making outfits and training in the woods or something._

_._

Sigh.

It was heartbreaking that had come to this terrible choice, but this was likely the best option for everyone. Staying for his graduation ceremony would mean that he would be forced to kill a dragon or possibly die to that dragon.

He had considered trying some daring stunt in the Kill Ring in front of the entire tribe. They would release the Monstrous Nightmare as planned. He would then surprise everyone by being peaceful toward it, throwing away his weapons, taking off his Viking helmet, and showing the Monstrous Nightmare that he was not going to hurt it. That would surely convince the whole tribe that there was another, better way.

It seemed like a good plan at first. Then he realized that it would be completely stupid when considering how everyone else would probably react. They did not particularly want peace.

What he had been thinking of doing would be a direct insult to the entire Berk way of life, which was everything that everyone knew and had known for several generations. They were not going to listen to him or change everything about what it meant to be a Viking just because he defied their traditions at one of their most important annual rituals.

No, it was more likely that they would just incite a fight between him and the Monstrous Nightmare, possibly by spooking it, just to get a good show out of it. Even if he survived, he would basically be announcing himself as a traitor after that display anyway. They would just outcast him right then, and that would leave Toothless abandoned in the cove without any hope of survival.

He knew what side his father would pick if he was forced to choose between his son and the village. The village was always more important than a complete disappointment.

That is what the choice was.

He had to figure out whose side was on, exactly as Astrid had once told him.

This last encounter with Astrid had finally convinced him. It had given him the choice between his best friend and an old crush who, despite truly trying to protect him as a fellow member of the tribe, had just attacked him, physically threatened him, tried to kill said best friend, and had no intention of listening to anything he had to say. What, was taking her on a peaceful, romantic flight on Toothless going to suddenly undo over a decade of her experience with dragons and all the training she had done to combat them?

Also, while everyone complained about the dragon raids and occasionally mourned a death, there was a significant part of Berk that reveled in the tradition. Fighting dragons and singing songs in the Great Hall about acts of valor and bravery or celebrating those who died before was part of their identity. It tied their fates and struggles together by giving all a common enemy. The family squabbles and disagreements always seemed to fall away during the raids. Everyone on Berk seemed to truly like and find comfort in the us against them thinking.

It was who they were.

All considered, what he had to do was not a hard choice, at least in theory.

He sighed deeply, realizing that he had to let go, painful though it would be.

_What is wrong with me? Why do I care if she knows? I was planning on leaving before she found us here anyway._

There was still a faint pang in his heart, knowing that he was unlikely to ever see his childhood crush again. Or his father. Or Gobber, the blacksmith who had been a teacher and almost a surrogate father when Stoick was away for long periods of time or being a dedicated chief.

_They will know the truth. They will know that I figured out what side I am on. There is that. Maybe they will learn from what I did even with me gone._

Sigh.

_Alright, it is go time..._

"Toothless?"

Hiccup strode over to the resting Night Fury who had just lifted his head and crooned happily at his approach. He gently stroked the great head and stared warmly into the great green eyes in which he saw a soul that reflected his own.

"Hey there bud, how are you doing? Not too spooked by her, were you?"

Toothless rolled his eyes and snorted softly.

"Yeah, didn't think you would be. You are such a brave dragon."

These words were rewarded with a purr of approval. He moved to Toothless's side and worked at the rigging to strap in the supplies he had brought with him. These supplies included the map of the entire Archipelago, his journal, cooking essentials, a few changes of clothes, select tools, some coin, and what for him was a generous supply of food and drink. Then he checked on the tailfin and related pulley, gears, and pedal system one more time to make sure it was in working order. It might be a while before he would ever have another chance to work a forge or see civilization in any shape or form.

It was time.

"Well, this is it. Time for us to take a little vacation forever."

Toothless blinked and turned to look at him, the black dragon's warm croon never wavering. Then the Night Fury stepped forward out of the shade, crouched down, unfurled his wings, and barked softly his direction. Hiccup could not help but grin at how clever his best friend was.

"Bud, you never cease to amaze me. I swear you can understand me."

Toothless looked up at the sky and gave a happy growl.

"You got it!"

Hiccup ran forward, jumped up into the saddle, smoothly strapped himself in, and the pair jumped for the sky an instant later. Dark wings were thrown wide and hungrily ate the sky as they tore higher toward the clouds. It was all instinctive now, his feeling the slight slant whenever Toothless adjusted flight and knowing what position the tailfin needed to be in. Up into the chill wind blowing from the West as they leveled out.

Then they spun in a loop, momentarily feeling the true weightlessness of falling, and Toothless roared with joy to leave the ground behind again.

Hiccup chuckled at Toothless's habit of doing that. Roaring for the simple joy of flight was a very dragony thing to do, so Hiccup roared as well as loudly as he could.

In other words, not very loudly, but he figured that it was the thought that counted.

They leveled off into a steady flight that turned out toward the Southeast and the ocean. Down the forest and out over great cliffs that fell hundreds of lengths straight down into the surf. Between great sea-stacks that they had once struggled to navigate between in their test flight.

He only glanced back at Berk in all of its glory once they were well out to sea. The island where he had been born, had rarely left, and would probably have died on if his life had been normal. As much as he had hope that a better way might be possible, they certainly did not want to change.

This was probably, definitely, for the better.

He did feel bad about leaving Gobber without a proper farewell. The smith had been like a father in many ways to him through the years. Someone completely unrelated to him by blood had been more of a father than his own dad. Gobber had understood that Hiccup's talents were not truly in fighting, but rather in the making of things, such as he did every day in the forge. Weapons, inventions, and anything that was new had to be meticulously planned for, built, and maintained.

Toothless must have picked up on his mood because he warbled sadly.

"Thanks bud, I'm glad you're with me. Not sure what I would do without you. Probably nothing at all."

He patted the dragon's neck.

_I would still be a useless failure to them._

Then he turned his attention to the distant horizon. Hiccup closed his eyes, held out his arms, and enjoyed the feeling of the wind in his face and whipping his hair. He imagined a burden lifting away as he left behind the world he knew. Then he turned his thoughts toward the future.

The plan was twofold and simple. One, fly until they found new land. Two, figure out a plan at that point.

* * *

Watching Toothless inhale fish in the cove over many weeks had made it easy to forget one very simple truth that no one else on Berk would have had a problem knowing intuitively. That truth was something that Hiccup was vividly reminded of at the present moment.

Toothless was a predator.

The way he pounced on the deer, snapped its neck, and then started to feed without restraint was, if not worrying, still a slight shock compared to everything he knew of the dragon. Of course, dragons were natural hunters and had to do what was necessary to survive in the world. Not that he had any fear at all that those teeth would ever be turned on him. Rather, it was simply a stark reminder that behind those wide green eyes and the toothless smile there was a true, dangerous, wild dragon who for some reason had decided to be his friend.

"Hey there bud, wanna save me some?"

Toothless lifted his bloodied muzzle from the fresh catch, licked his lips, and pointedly gave him a nod. Then the dragon bent back down to the carcass, bit off a large chunk of rib meat, got up, sauntered over to him, and dropped the large strip of flesh in his outstretched hand. The hunk of meat was dripping blood and slobber. A lovely combination.

Hiccup held it up and inspected it closely.

"Deeeelicious..."

Toothless purred and licked his lips again.

"Yeah, I'm... just gonna... get some firewood and cook this..." Hiccup said as he set the meat aside, wondering if it would be there when he returned.

He returned later with a pile of sticks in hand and then made a small stack of firewood. His amazingly untouched dinner went on top of the stack after he cleaned the meat as well as he could. Toothless had finished with the rest of the deer and was standing guard over the remaining food.

"Thanks bud, think you could give me some fire?"

A fine stream of purple flame then ignited the stack of firewood. Hiccup speared the meat on another stick and held his dinner out over the fire. Then Toothless stepped closer to him and coiled partly around him and the fire.

Almost absolute silence followed. The crackle of the fire, sizzle of cooking meat, and occasional calling of crickets overlaid Toothless's soft hum, all breaking the otherwise absolute silence. The sun gradually fell lower over the horizon as twilight neared.

Peace and quiet.

The constant bustle and activity of Berk was almost a fading memory by this point more than a week since their departure. Even for a loner in his own tribe, there had always been something going on around him. The clang of a new house going up after a recent raid. The hammer of steel upon steel in the forge. Someone shouting at someone else over something important or not. A drunken contest or just a contest, the two being difficult to distinguish at times.

Civilization, if Berk could be considered that, was constant activity and noise.

The wild out here was natural silence.

Refreshing and imposing silence.

Terrifying silence.

It would have been terrifying if he were truly out here alone. He knew that he would be fine as long as he had Toothless at his side. An overprotective Night Fury was a distinct advantage against the forces of nature or just bad luck.

A soft croon broke him out of his thoughts as he saw Toothless's head at his side. Toothless rearranged himself and lay the singular tailfin across Hiccup's lap. The dragon was inquisitively staring at the meat over the fire.

"Yeah, I need to cook it first. Don't want to get sick."

A soft hum.

"Kinda surprised you don't get it yet. I can't eat like you can, bud."

They watched as the meat cooked and juices dripped into the sizzling fire.

"Or maybe you do get it and just like teasing me."

Chuff.

Hiccup reached up with his free hand and gave the dragon a soft neck rub and scratch. The reward for doing so was more purring and a signature toothless grin.

Toothless alternated between nuzzling his hand and looking out into the darkness.

"Pretty sure that we are alone out here. I didn't see any lights from up above."

A warble of agreement followed.

Hiccup eventually finished the deer meat and then found himself warmly ensconced within a living tent of wing and warm belly. It was completely impossible to remain awake against the overwhelming and comforting purring. Not that he was at all tempted to find any other accommodations.

"Thanks bud..."

* * *

They woke up before sunrise, went through their respective morning routines on their own, and then met up for a deep drink of water from the cleanest source on the large island.

Hiccup pulled out his map and tracked their progress while Toothless continued to guzzle at the clear water.

"Hmm, so we crossed the Desolation Isles, Hopeless Rock, Upchuck Shallows, and Gutsplitter Bay. Vikings have the most vivid naming conventions by the way."

He put his finger on the map, traced their route as far as he knew it had gone, guessed at how far the flight had already taken them, and saw...

"Nothing, there is nothing on the map here. Guess we aren't even in the Archipelago anymore. This island doesn't even exist."

Toothless lifted his soaked head and looked at him.

"The map is useless now."

The dragon looked out toward the Southeast, barked softly, and then returned to drinking.

"Why not? Guess we just keep going and see what happens. Gotta run into the mainland eventually, right?"

The tail started swaying.

_This must be the right direction from what I remember of Trader Johann's stories._

Hiccup then took a long drink as well and refilled his flask. There was no telling when they would find another source of freshwater. He stepped away from the stream and stared out over the ocean.

The distant horizon beckoned as though it were an irresistible summons.

Wanderlust.

It was in his blood, in his soul.

He wanted to explore, see new places, and enjoy total freedom. No one else. Just him and his best friend. They would look out for each other always. Nothing would tear them apart now.

Maybe if things had worked out differently on Berk... he could have helped them map the world after making peace with the dragons. Maybe his dad would have understood him and appreciated him for who he is instead of trying to make him into a true Viking.

Maybe... if only... could have... should have... none of those mattered anymore.

Sigh.

Toothless trotted over to stand next to him and joined him in staring out over the ocean.

"I wonder what we will find out there. If it is a place that has not seen dragons before, then they might be much friendlier to you."

Toothless purred softly at that idea.

"Maybe we can find some new tribe where we can live in peace, explore, and settle down somewhere. It would be good to change some people's minds about dragons. Maybe we will find some other dragons or even other Night Furies for you. There have to be some out there."

Another, deeper purr.

Hiccup gave a weary but hopeful sigh and scratched Toothless's neck.

"We just need to find people who want peace and a simple life. No deep desire to go be heroes by killing dragons or fighting in wars for glory. I wonder if there is anyone out there like that."

Toothless nudged his shoulder and huffed toward the ocean.

"Yeah, you are probably right, as usual. Only one way to find out."

It only took a few seconds to strap everything back onto the saddlepack, and then the pair was airborne again. Their flight took them on an angle to the rising sun, always flying further Southeast.

* * *

This had to be one of the longest flights that he had ever flown. Not that length of flight was any concern to him. His kind was so lean and lightweight compared to other dragons that he could easily fly for a full day without stopping if he was well-rested at the start. Further, he was eager to put his tail to that old world and leave the bad ranges behind him.

The world where dragons and humans fought for generations without end. The world which had fledged him into a nest ruled by a monster Queen. That monster Queen had some power or control over other dragons and forced them to hunt for it. He had always been beyond its power to fully control, but even back then he could hear its twisted whispering that spoke to his soul and told him that he should obey and submit. That he should embrace that ultimate destiny of all dragons.

Obey. Hunt and kill humans. Become great and feared.

Then the human whom he now carried on his back changed everything about his life. Causing him to lose a tailfin and be torn from the skies forced him to come to trust another creature, another person, in a way he never would have normally. It was a trust and understanding that he never had a chance to feel with any other dragon because none of their minds were fully free. And of course none of the other humans had ever had the choice between killing him or sparing him.

He never knew his sire or dam and had always been the only one of his dark winged kind of dragon. That the closest person to him would be a human, perhaps the only human who could have care for a dragon, was almost unbelievable. It was very unlikely that any human could hit him with a thrown weapon in the night. It was even more amazing that he had not died when he fell from the sky.

It was almost as though fate or something else had intervened.

He closed his eyes as they flew onward, his human working the false tailfin that flew in the place of the lost one.

Oneness.

Peacefulness.

They were both flying the nest in a way. Neither of them belonged in the places they had grown up. Knowing nothing of the world they were flying to, they flew anyway. They would provide for and protect each other as long as they could. Always.

He was not sure when it happened, but something changed about the sky itself.

He opened his eyes again while grumbling so softly that his human did not even notice it. There was a very faint song or feeling which was more deeply a part of the world than anything that floated through the air. This was something that he could feel in his soul-fire.

A summons to a gathering.

But the call only echoed from one place up ahead.

There was no land at all anywhere in sight. Nothing was at all except for the endless waters out to the horizon and the occasional cloud high above.

He wanted to investigate whatever was calling to him, and he adjusted his flight accordingly, his human having no trouble keeping up with the minor change in direction.

"What is it, bud?"

He wiggled his ears and also flicked his head in the direction he wanted to go.

"Why not? Lead on."

More flight followed with nothing changing except that the call grew a little stronger. More open skies followed as he gradually ascended toward the clouds. Closer and closer.

Then everything that he thought he knew about the world around him and about flight itself failed him for an instant and an eternity.

The horizons on each side closed on him and fall away at once until existence was only wide enough for the beat of his wings. The sky and waters around spun and warped like a large wave in a storm that spun around him. The sun's light faded while his flight led up into the sky and down toward the waters at the same time.

He was flying into a narrow path.

"Bud, what is going on?"

His human was getting afraid, and he was also. This changing of the shape of the sky had never happened before in all his years of flight.

Then the narrow, straight path before him suddenly erupted into a wide and large horizon. The sky returned to existing above him, the space at each side again stretched out as far as his eyes could see, and the waters were rolling down below again.

Everything was normal.

He remembered to breathe and glanced back over his shoulder toward the skies he had just flown through. They looked normal also.

His human's eyes were very wide and confused as he wildly looked around.

"That was strange, huh?"

He gave his human a worried growl, understanding well the feeling that something was not the same as it had been when he took to the sky this morning. More pondering of what had happened to them followed without any answers flying within his grasp.

"Wait, look!" his human pointed into the distance.

Sure enough, his human was correct. The distant horizon was not empty now. Instead, there was a distant shore far ahead. There were even mountains faintly visible where before there had been nothing. It became clear as he flew closer that the mountains faded away into a very large bay filled with ice.

All of it was very strange since he remembered there not being anything there before.

Still, the promise of finding land at last and being able to rest his weary wings was something he was not going to turn his tail on or snort at. Further, that calling or summons, whatever it was, had vanished completely. There was nothing now except for the open skies, his wings, a new world, and his dear human with him always.

What else could a dragon want?


	2. Gifted

_**Author's Note - Something will happen that will seem very unexpected. I assure you that there is an explanation for this event.**_

* * *

Gifted

* * *

Hiccup frowned as he looked down on the land below. The blue ice bay, the desolate islands, the icebergs, and all the bay's grey surroundings were inhospitable and did not appear to have anyone living nearby. There was what looked like an uninhabited or abandoned village down below near the shore of the frozen bay.

He had no thoughts of stopping there anyway.

The land was very withered and harsh with little except for mosses and shrubbery dotting the landscape. It even looked rougher than Berk in some ways.

Toothless also looked eager to see this new world, given how much he gazed around at the horizons while purring softly.

Hiccup kept his eyes open for any further signs of civilization, such as roads or pillars of smoke, but he saw nothing. It helped that it was a cloudless day, and he could see far. It was also very cool up in the open wind.

_No sign of any people yet. Oh well, it is still cold up here. Maybe there will be people further in._

He glanced toward a range of mountains to the West. Those mountains were very tall and covered in pines and snow.

However, directly ahead off in the South and perhaps an hour of flight ahead was a set of hills that looked distinctly greener. The land definitely looked like it had more trees off in that direction. It was also probably warmer, the thought of which he definitely appreciated after an entire day aloft in the chill wind.

He put a hand on Toothless's neck and gave him a gentle scratch, which made the dragon glance back at him.

"What do you say we keep going?" he pointed ahead.

Toothless grunted and beat his wings faster with apparent eagerness.

They continued on into the South through the rest of the afternoon, only stopping once for necessary rest. Hiccup remained in awe all the while.

_I had no idea the mainland was this big._

* * *

The massive hills that they had flown over for a couple hours eventually rolled off into a plain on their left and a massive lake that hugged the hills on their right. The lake was very deep and clear, definitely a good source of drinkable water, after getting Toothless to boil it for him of course, and possibly even fish for Toothless.

They started flying alongside the shoreline.

Toothless's ears lifted several times when they passed over and startled grazing deer.

They continued on along the lake until Hiccup finally noticed Toothless's flight starting to slow with exhaustion. They had been aloft almost since they left the island shortly after dawn, and evening was finally drawing near with the sun having vanished behind the hills on their right.

He was also stiff and sore. This had easily been the longest flight yet that they had been on together. He gently scratched behind one of Toothless's ears to get his attention.

"Hey bud, what do you say we land down there?"

The dragon yawned widely and looked down where he was pointing.

"Yeah, we could do with some rest."

The Fury warbled his agreement and dove for the shore by the very large lake they were tracking. He threw out his wings, touched down in the long and swaying grass, pranced to a stop, and looked around for a few moments. The thin forest, framed by the tall hills they had followed from above, looked very empty, and there were absolutely no signs of civilization anywhere nearby.

"Looks safe enough out here..." Hiccup mumbled.

Toothless nodded, slowly leaned forward, and gently collapsed into the long grass. The dragon closed his eyes and sighed softly with all his limbs splayed out, wings unfurled, and tail stretched out behind him.

"Uh... bud... you okay?"

Toothless did not respond beyond an indistinct grumbling.

_Great, I've downed the same dragon, again..._

Hiccup unstrapped himself from the saddle, hopped down, and got to his feet. Then he promptly collapsed because his legs were numb from long riding.

"Uh, yeah, really should have thought about that first..."

He eventually recovered use of his legs and got to his feet. Even as he did so he yawned widely and found himself without any willpower to do anything at all strenuous. His eyes started feeling very heavy.

Toothless started snoring.

The dragon's idea was looking better and better the more Hiccup thought about it.

_I mean, I am rather tired myself. Yeah, nothing will bother a dragon in the wild._

He ambled over to Toothless, bent down at his side after retrieving a small blanket, and snuggled into the small space left for him under the outstretched wing. Even while asleep, Toothless curled around him, as if to protect him further from the cold. Despite having flown a significant distance into the Southeast, they were still definitely in the lands where night carried a potent chill.

However, there was no chill when snuggled under a Fury's wing and cradled against the dragon's warm side.

* * *

Motion woke him up instead of any audible sound. He forced open his eyes and saw the slowly-growing morning light from the approaching Eastern sunrise on the far side of the placid lake. A few of the early birds were already singing their songs.

He was not tempted to get up because his present situation was warm, and the purring was very comfortable and relaxing also.

However, Toothless again shifted in place and turned his head to look back at where he lay under a warm wing. The dragon's wide and round green eyes almost glowed with a warm inner light as they always did.

_Alright, time to start another day!_

Hiccup rolled to his feet and stretched his arms while yawning widely. Toothless similarly hopped to his feet and stretched his limbs, wings, and tail and also rolled his jaws for good measure.

"That was a good idea, bud. We needed that after such a long flight," Hiccup mused.

"You are telling me. My wings have never felt that sore before. They still hurt a little," Toothless muttered and flexed his wings a few times.

"Well, have you ever flown that far before in one day?" Hiccup retorted.

"No, I have never needed to. I have not..." Toothless froze, his forgotten wings flopping to the ground at his side.

"What? Bud, talk to me. You have not..." Hiccup froze, his eyes going very wide in shock as he stared into narrowed, green eyes.

They both stepped back several paces and then stared at each other, neither of them able to look away or do anything else. The seconds passed in silence until Hiccup shouted in complete disbelief as everything he thought he knew about life changed.

"You can talk!"

Toothless rolled his jaws and wiggled his tongue while going cross-eyed, as if in surprised amazement of his own at what had just happened.

"Yes, I can!" he barked back.

They both blinked, both of their jaws hanging open in shock.

Hiccup started to feel very light-headed, much as had happened after his first life-changing encounter with the same dragon.

"Uhhhhhnnnnn..."

He slumped in place and knew no more.

* * *

Toothless darted forward the instant he saw something start happening to his human. He gently caught him, carefully let his human down in the grass, and then sat down to wait until his human woke up from this surprise nap from shock.

He softly grumbled to himself while staring at his dear human.

There was still so much for him to think about; such as where the two of them were going to settle down and how they were going to live, what had happened in the sky during the flight over the ocean, and, most twistingly, how he now knew how to talk like a human.

Dragons could talk to other dragons, of course, and he had learned to understand many of his human's words by pairing words to actions that followed. He was a very clever-thinking dragon.

But a dragon talking with human words was completely strange and twisted. He had tried to talk to his human before, on the off-wing chance that maybe his human could hear and understand him, but nothing had come of those attempts at talking. His human had not heard his sounds as words.

Until now.

He had no doubt that his human could understand him because he was also speaking like a human now. The grunts, growls, and warbles that he remembered and which he knew carried ideas and feeling in their claws were now gone from his tongue. They had been replaced by human words.

And he had no idea how that had happened.

"By the skies, what has happened to us? To me?" he muttered to himself and resumed rolling his tongue around in his mouth.

Doing so did not help him learn anything about what had happened to him, so he eventually stopped.

_Maybe I learned after hearing him use his words enough. Maybe that strange thing in the skies did something to me._

Snort.

_I do not care._

Then he lay down on his belly, draped a wing out over his human, and settled into his watch, keeping his eyes on the surrounding lands and hills. There was unlikely to be any threat that would dare challenge him.

Holding his human at his side under a wing was not new to him, but everything felt very different now, knowing that he and his human would soon truly be sharing words. He was not going to question much how they could now talk.

He bent over and huffed into his human's hair while breathing in his precious scent.

_I hope you wake up soon. We have much to talk about._

Then a faint chill circled around his soul-fire as he realized that being able to freely give words would mean certain talks would happen soon. There were some things that had to be said but which carried threat in their claws.

_I do not blame you, my human._

* * *

Hiccup finally awakened and rubbed his temples as he sat up, feeling very well-rested by this point. But it was later in the morning.

_Ugh, why'd I sleep in..._

He noticed that Toothless was sitting alert right next to him. That was not so strange. The Fury was looking at him with a distinctive mix of wariness and eagerness on his draconic face.

That, however, was strange.

"Mid-morning, gods, I must have slept in, huh?"

Toothless deliberately nodded.

That action touched a faint memory of... something. It gave him a tingling feeling all over.

"Bud, I just had the strangest dream..." Hiccup mumbled.

Toothless bent down closer to him, his vivid green eyes just slightly narrowed in attentiveness.

"Yeah, I dreamed that you could talk. Just think about that, a talking dragon. Now that is a good one, huh..." Hiccup nervously chuckled.

"This is not a dream," Toothless sighed.

Hiccup was looking directly at his dragon as Toothless answered, and as a result he saw the dragon's mouth moving as Toothless spoke directly to him.

There was no trick.

It was impossible.

And it just happened.

Toothless the Night Fury, the dragon who he had grounded and almost killed, the dragon who had almost killed him but let him go, the dragon who had trusted him in the cove, the dragon who he helped to fly again, and the dragon who he considered his best and only friend, could perfectly understand him and could now talk to him.

The dragon's voice was deep and very familiar, although he definitely had never spoken aloud in this way in the past. There was also a slight trill in some of Toothless's voice, a faint warble which was a clear sign of the non-humanness of the speaker.

It was also definite confirmation that the dragon was as much a person as he himself was.

He had been suspecting as much ever since he had started getting to know the Fury in the cove, but this realization explained much of Toothless's deliberate actions and his demonstrated intelligence over the last few weeks and months.

But then there was also the question of why Toothless had never spoken to him before.

And the realization that if Toothless was truly a person, then the same must apply to all other dragons.

Which meant that everyone on Berk had been killing people all these generations.

It was a lot to accept at once.

"I knew it... I'm dead..." Hiccup sighed and threw up his arms.

"You do not look dead to me," Toothless snorted.

"But... bud... I do not... what is... hhhhow can you talk now?" Hiccup stammered.

Toothless sat back on his haunches and then raised his forearms, holding them out to his side, paws up in a gesture of not having a good explanation. It was one he had seen from his human several times.

"I do not know. I understood some of your words before, but now I understand them all and I... can make the words also."

Hiccup numbly nodded and then turned away, overcome by feeling and unable to look Toothless in the face. He settled for staring out across the lake toward the horizon.

His heart was completely shredded by this revelation and certain of its painful implications.

Toothless walked around in front of him and lay down while purring softly. His laying down put them on the same eye-level.

"What is wrong?" Toothless asked.

Hiccup's lip quivered as he almost said something but settled for staring at the grass. A long silence took them as neither could apparently say anything else.

Then Hiccup lifted his head and took a deep breath, finally meeting Toothless's gaze.

"Toothless, I am... so sorry..." he warily broke the silence.

.

.

"Toothless? What is that?" Toothless asked.

That caught Hiccup off-guard.

"Uh, wait, what? That is you, bud."

Toothless blinked in surprise.

"You named me 'Toothless'? I thought you named me 'bud'."

"Oh... Yeeeeahhhh, no, sorry about that," Hiccup groaned.

Toothless chuffed and laughed openly, his throaty peals carrying on the morning breeze.

"Toothless? Is that for the no-teeth-showing smile I did after the sharing of fish?"

Hiccup only nodded in confirmation.

"Of all the names you could think of... you picked Toothless?" the dragon stared back with a neutral expression.

"Alright, that's my fault..." Hiccup groaned again.

"You said the same thing when you were fouling our first shared flight," Toothless pointed a paw at him.

Hiccup reluctantly grinned at that. Then he very quickly looked crestfallen again.

"Did you have another, better name before... me? You had to, probably. Something much better than a stupid name like Toothless..."

"No," Toothless shook his head with a sad warble, "I did not have a name. What is your name?" he eagerly asked.

"Hiccup," Hiccup answered.

Toothless hummed softly in thought.

"Does it mean something? I do not know that word."

"It's not a great name. It means..." Hiccup groaned, realizing the best way to explain it, "do you remember that time we were playing in the cove and you tickled me so much that I started coughing and laughing together?"

"Yes, that was fun. You were easy prey," Toothless grinned.

Hiccup scoffed at that.

"Thank you for summing that up. Anyway, yes, my name means mistake. It is a terrible name, but there are worse!" a finger was indignantly pointed.

Toothless snorted in confusion. Something about human naming customs did not make sense to him.

"Why do you have a terrible name?"

"Because Viking parents think that a hideous name will frighten off gnomes and trolls," Hiccup explained.

"Gnomes and trolls?" a dragon eyeridge lifted.

"Yep, as if our charming Viking demeanors would not do that."

They stared silently for a moment, neither of them blinking. Then they both laughed openly, Toothless with his tail thrashing wildly and Hiccup with his arms clutched to his sides.

It was the first time that true, hearty laughter had taken them both together.

Toothless recovered himself first and gave a curious warble.

"I do not know about those beasts, gnomes and trolls."

"Nor do I. They probably don't even exist!"

"How would the gnomes and trolls know the Viking's hideous name before attacking? Why would a name scare them away?" Toothless wondered.

Hiccup prepared to answer but found himself baffled at the lack of an answer. That particular detail of the tradition had never been shared with him. Probably for good reason.

There was no answer.

"Wow, way to destroy hundreds of years of tradition in one moment, bud."

Toothless grinned again and then suddenly averted his eyes. His ears and frills also fell slightly.

"You did that also when you let me live," he whispered.

That comment thoroughly destroyed the moment and reminded them both of the obvious, unspoken issue between them. It was the matter which had to be brought up eventually and which might threaten to tear them apart or break something tenuous. If this latest revelation that they could speak freely was not going to do that anyway.

"Do you know why you... fell from the sky long ago?" Hiccup eventually whispered while staring most intently at his shoes.

"Yes," Toothless hummed while looking down at his paws.

"It was me. I shot you from the sky."

"I know. Only the Viking who shot me from the sky would have been looking for me."

"I broke your tail... I am why you... cannot... fly on your own."

Toothless stepped closer, lifted a paw, and gently nudged Hiccup's hung chin. He noticed that Hiccup was crying softly, a fine stream of tears leaking from his eyes. There was also a hint of fear in the small green eyes that he usually found so powerful and filled with warmth.

"Hiccup, it was in fighting. You were fighting for your nest, just as I was fighting to protect the other dragons. You did not try to be bad and break my tail only to hurt me."

"But I did..."

Toothless hummed softly, stepped back from Hiccup, and sat down again, his tail slowly swaying as he thought.

It was true that Hiccup was responsible for shooting him from the skies, but it was chance, good or bad, that he had lost the tailfin in the fall.

"No. I would say that the tree I fell into did that more than you did. I... what I most want to know is... is..." Toothless sighed softly and paused, not sure what to say.

.

"Why did you not kill me? You could have, but you did not. Any other Viking would have killed me," he eventually finished his thought.

Hiccup wiped away the tears from his cheeks and took a deep breath while gathering his thoughts. Toothless patiently waited for him to speak, knowing that this was an important moment for both of them.

"I wanted to kill a dragon to be just like everyone else there. To prove myself. I thought I wanted to be one of them, just like my dad. I wanted to make him proud of me."

"To show yourself that you were a Viking?" Toothless whispered.

Hiccup gave a pained grimace.

"Yeah, and I thought you were a monster from the raids. But monsters are not afraid, and you were afraid. I saw that. You looked trapped in a life of fighting that you did not want. Just like me. I looked at you and I... saw myself. I had to choose then to become a killer or not. Kill you and make my tribe like me, maybe even get a date, or let you go and remain a failure to them."

There was no sound for the longest time between them except the whistle of the wind.

"Why... why did you not kill me after I let you go?" Hiccup softly asked.

Toothless got to his feet, paced for a while, glanced up at the sky, and then again took his place before Hiccup. He carefully reached out with a paw and rested it on Hiccup's shoulder.

"I wondered that myself for a long time. Part of me wanted to kill you because that is what dragons and humans do to each other. That is the natural way. But you showed me that you are not a killer. You are not one of them. You let me live, so I let you live. That was fair."

"Was the roar really necessary?" Hiccup warily grinned as Toothless stepped back from him.

"Definitely, I was not happy about being shot from the sky and being trapped," Toothless huffed.

"I... cannot blame you for that. What about in the cove then?"

"What about it?"  
"Well, what were you thinking?"

Toothless rolled his eyes and snorted.

"I could ask you the same question. Why did you, a small human, walk into a place that had a hungry dragon trapped in it? Especially when you only brought one fish with you!"

Hiccup groaned at the reminder of being made to take a bite from the raw fish.

"Well, you looked hungry, and it didn't look like your fishing was working out well. Yeah, I probably should have brought you more fish the first time."

"That would have been better. Instead, I had to wait until you came back the next day."

"Was it truly necessary to share half of the first fish after you ate it!" Hiccup blanched at the memory of that shared fish.

Another toothless grin followed.

"Yes, that is what dragons do to family. They share the catch from their bellies."

"To family?" Hiccup gasped.

Toothless crooned softly and looked out over the large lake. His ears fell, and his strange and familiar voice had a distinctly solemn warble when he spoke.

"Looking back over my tail now, it was strange of me to do. You are the first person, dragon or human, who truly cared about me or tried to help me. I never knew my sire and dam, and the other dragons were mostly slaves. Some of the other dragon dams helped raise me."

"Mostly slaves, what do you mean?" Hiccup wondered.

Toothless shivered in place and failed to fully restrain a faint growl.

"Imagine a dragon so big that its teeth are bigger than a human male. That thing, that monster, is the reason why dragons attacked your old island. They had to take prey animals for the big dragon to eat, or they would be eaten instead."

Hiccup held a hand to his head in amazement at this news. He had just learned something about what happens in the dragons' nest. It made perfect sense in a way, except that there was one inconsistency with the story.

"But why do they not just fly away?" he asked.

Toothless gave a pleased growl that he thought to ask about that

"They are not free to fly away. The monster controls their thinking and makes them attack to provide for itself. It even makes them feel good about attacking, as if they did a good thing by bringing back food for it."

"So the raids would stop if we kill that monster!" Hiccup exclaimed, connecting the dots.

Toothless barked in surprise and looked around at him. His backswept ears and twitching tail showed that he was not impressed by the idea.

"Maybe. I have no idea how to kill it. Do you see that white rock down the shore?" Toothless turned and pointed with a forepaw.

Hiccup spun around and looked at the distant outcropping.

"Yeah."

"If the monster's nose is where we are standing now, that rock is where its tail starts."

"That is... impossible!" Hiccup gasped in disbelief when he realized how large the creature must be.

"Even if all the dragons in the nest were to turn against it, it could kill them all," Toothless sighed.

"There must be a way," Hiccup protested.

A paw gently rested on his shoulder a moment later.

"Hiccup, there is nothing that we can do to kill it."

"But..."

"And if I did fly near it," Toothless continued, "it might try to control me and make me... drop you."

"What?" Hiccup exclaimed in horror.

"Even I can... could hear and feel it trying to control me. If I ever looked into its eyes, I might... try to... hurt... you..." Toothless weakly whispered.

Hiccup eventually relented with a sigh of resignation.

"Well, okay then. I still feel like we should do... something. What if my old tribe finds that nest? They will not know what they are up against!" Hiccup objected.

Toothless snorted in amusement and stepped back from him.

"They cannot find that island and nest without a dragon to lead them through the mist. They will never think to try that."

Only an instant of thought was needed to confirm that obvious truth.

"No, you are probably right about that."

"I know that I am right. It is also a very old monster, and it will die eventually. The other dragons will be free then," Toothless smugly purred.

That mention of the other dragons reminded Hiccup of something he had to know.

"Toothless, do the other dragons talk?"

"Yes, they talk mostly to their own kinds. Most of them use fewer words and talk more with body-talking. None of them talk with human words."

"And you could not before?"

Toothless sigh-snorted and flicked his tail.

"No, I tried talking to you with my words, but you could not hear me."

"And I am glad that I can now," Hiccup whispered.

Toothless stepped forward and gently nudged Hiccup's forehead with his nose.

"So am I," he hummed.

Then they both looked out over the water toward the distant shores and a strange speck of white far off on the other side of the lake.

"I will relieve myself. Do not go far!" Toothless explained as he turned away and bounded toward some trees.

Hiccup went the other direction and similarly got his day started.

They met up a few minutes later where they had parted.

"We should go fly now," Toothless beckoned with a nod.

"You got it."

Hiccup approached to get on Toothless, but he paused when he noticed the artificial tailfin. He could not tear his gaze from it for the longest time.

It was probably a silly fear, but he felt that he should ask anyway.

"Toothless, you don't mind me flying with you, do you?"

Toothless looked over at him while giving him a grunt and an expression of total confusion.

"I mean, of course you need me to help you fly, but..." Hiccup continued.

Toothless slowly turned around as if to start toward the water. Then the tail swung to the side and slapped him in the cheek with the single natural fin.

"Ow, why would you do that?" Hiccup held his stung cheek.

"Because you are being tail-twisted. No, I do not mind you being on my back. That makes it easier for me to protect you. I like having you with me. When have I ever done anything to suggest otherwise?"

"How about when I first gave you the tailfin? You threw me off into the pond in the cove."

Toothless looked up at the clouds and snorted once alongside a guilty half-grin.

"Ignore that one. I was... very excited by flying again, and it would have fouled my flight to have you on my tail!"

"Well, if you had waited a moment longer I would not have been on your tail!"

"You try not flying after being grounded for many, many days. And it is easier to keep you safe when you are flying with me."

"What? Keep me safe?"

Toothless gave him another of his gummy smiles.

"Great, thanks a lot, really feeling the vote of confidence there," Hiccup groaned.

"Just get on," Toothless crouched down to help him on.

Hiccup did so, though far more gingerly than he had in the past.

This time taking flight was no different at first, but he knew that everything was very different now because of how he could freely talk to Toothless. Of course, he knew that Toothless had understood a lot of what he had been saying before, certainly far more so than any clever beast could.

But he now knew beyond any possible doubt that Toothless was as much a person as he was. It was humbling that Toothless would not mind carrying him. However, it was also something that gnawed at his conscience since he would always remember that, despite Toothless's own words to the contrary, he was the reason why Toothless was grounded on his own.

On the other hand, he knew that had everything played out differently, if Toothless had not been grounded and forced to get to know him, they may never have become friends at all. What happened to Toothless was bad, but good had come from it in the end.

That still felt like an excuse.

* * *

_**Author's Note – How many of you saw that twist coming? I wonder if any of you can guess the location.  
**_


	3. Middle-earth

Middle-earth

* * *

"Alright, I've never seen anything like that before," Hiccup said in awe.

"Is it safe?" Toothless warbled back, his ears flattened to his head in slight worry.

"Probably, it looks completely abandoned."

The massive city, which more than dwarfed the village of Berk by many times, had fallen into complete disrepair. Collapsed spires lay throughout the city. What looked like the ruins of a stone Great Hall lay on an island with a bridge leading to the fallen structure. It had once been a truly great city to have so much of its construction done from solid rock.

They glided over the ruins and saw no motion at all within.

Toothless dove and landed on one of the remaining standing walls. He shuffled on the ledge for a moment before finding his grip, his tail hanging off the side over the water.

"This was a very big nest," he remarked.

"City. It is called a city," Hiccup explained.

Toothless then hopped and glided down into a clearing that was apparently once a main road.

Hiccup dismounted and started walking, Toothless staying close to his side. Large, fallen chunks of white rock lay around them on the road. Other types of debris and even a few abandoned weapons lay around the ruins.

The air itself was filled with memory and decline.

"I had no idea that people build cities this... big," Hiccup looked around in amazement.

"How many Vikings lived here?" Toothless wondered, twitching his tail slightly.

"I don't think these were Vikings. We... they do not build like this."

"I suppose there would be more types of humans than only Vikings," Toothless muttered after a moment of thought.

"Yeah, we have flown very far from them. These people loved to build. I wonder what they were like?" Hiccup sighed.

They paused in front of the ruins of a large wall that was collapsed in several places. Hiccup took a moment to appreciate how fine the construction was. The perfectly carved and fitted slabs of rock were especially impressive.

However, while the place was filled with many feats of ancient engineering, he also started feeling uneasy about something the longer they stayed there.

"I'm not sure why, but I really don't want to stay here."

Toothless stepped up next to him.

"Why not?" he warbled.

Hiccup again looked around at the ruins, seeing nothing that looked suspicious out in the open.

"I don't know if we are alone here."

Toothless shuffled on his feet and looked out over the lake through the largest collapse in the wall. Hiccup joined him in staring out over the blue vista framed by the massive hills on both sides.

"There is no smell of any other humans here. I would know."

"I didn't think there would be..."

"But you need to find other humans eventually to know where we are," Toothless gently nudged his shoulder.

"Yeah, that would help a lot. I wonder why this city was abandoned. We can probably find cities near water, like this was once," Hiccup explained.

Toothless then pointed a paw at a far side of the calm lake which reflected the blue sky.

"I saw a river flowing from this lake over there. We could follow that and maybe catch some fish also."

Hiccup sighed and chuckled with amusement.

"Bud, you ate almost a whole deer just a couple days ago."

"There is always more room for fish," Toothless casually explained while flashing his teeth.

Hiccup laughed freely and rubbed the Fury's neck after vaulting into the saddle.

"If I had any doubt that you are a true dragon..."

Toothless laughed deeply and spread his wings. They jumped from the ruins, dove toward the lake while spinning freely, and were rapidly flying across the water moments later. Their flight was so fast that Hiccup saw a wake forming behind them as they flew low above the surface.

While looking back, Hiccup spared one final glance at the ancient ruins.

_I wonder what happened there._

* * *

Hiccup idly poked a stick into the small fire crackling before them, and then looked up at the stars. They were completely strange to him, and none of the shapes looked anything like what he remembered in the skies over Berk.

The only sounds were his and Toothless's regular breathing, the crackle of the fire, and the babble of the nearby river.

Night had long since fallen, and they were both settled down to rest.

"Toothless, you said that you never knew your family."

A solemn warble followed from next to him where the Fury lay with his head on his forearms.

"What about others? Did you ever know any other Night Furies?" Hiccup continued.

That got the Fury's interest, judging from his lifted frills and very wide, eager eyes.

"Night Furies? Is that the name Vikings use for my kind of dragon?"

"Yeah, it is. Your dark color is perfect for hiding at night, and you can be very... uh, furious."

Toothless only snorted and tilted his head slightly in thought.

"Night Fury. I like it. It is a good name for my kind. And no, I never saw another of my kind in all my years," he sadly added.

"I cannot imagine what that is like, bud," Hiccup gently patted Toothless's neck.

Green eyes that reflected the fire flicked over to him even as a wing rearranged itself partly over his back.

"Can you not? You are different from all other Vikings."

Another solemn silence followed between them until Hiccup shrugged.

"I suppose I have always been... different. I was always terrible at being a Viking. Not big enough, strong enough, or brave enough. One of them even told me to stop trying to be something I was not. Good thing I learned that lesson."

A moment of peaceful silence followed.

"Hiccup, I remember seeing your sire many times in the fighting. He is very big. What about your dam?"

"My mother. She... she was taken by a dragon when I was only a baby."

Toothless moaned softly at that.

"My dad never talked about what happened, but I heard that she was like me. Trying to be peaceful toward dragons and get Vikings to try another, better way. She wanted change. She was a voice for peace. And then there was an attack at night... a dragon broke into the house... and she was... gone... carried away..."

"Sorry," Toothless whispered.

"Don't be, Toothless. You didn't do anything wrong to her or me."

"But a dragon did hurt you by hurting her. You said that she was a good Viking. She did not deserve that. And no hatchling should be left without its dam or sire. I know that."

"One more way we are similar," Hiccup whispered.

He was about ready to put out the fire and go to sleep when an unfinished question came back to mind. Since learning that he and Toothless could talk together, there were so many questions that he had asked, been asked, and had thought to ask but had not yet.

"What were you thinking in the cove? We didn't finish that talk."

Toothless sighed and shuffled in place to find a more comfortable position.

"What do you want to know?"

"Anything. Why did you trust me? What was the picture you made? Why were you chasing the light I was shining on the ground? Anything..."

"I was... wait.. the light-spot? That was you!" Toothless narrowed his eyes with a grumble.

"Uh... maybe..."

Toothless snorted.

"I might toss you in the river for that. You need a bath also."

"My hygiene is perfectly fine considering that I am living out here in the wild, thank you very much mister fish breath!"

"I smell normal for a dragon!"

"Yeah! I know! At least you know how to keep yourself clean..."

"Of course I do! Are you sure you do not want me to lick you clean?" Toothless grinned.

"No! I am not your hatchling! I'm perfectly capable of washing myself!"

They glared at each other, their narrowed eyes eventually softening as a pair of chuckles burst from them.

Afterwards, Toothless sighed and again lay his head on the ground.

"What was I thinking? I knew that you were the same human that let me go before and which I saw looking down at me. You brought a weapon and a fish with you. That was strange, as if you were not sure what you were doing. Then you threw away your weapon. That was good, but I thought you were still dangerous even without your weapon."

"What? How?" Hiccup chuckled with amusement at the idea of him being innately dangerous.

Toothless grimaced slightly.

"Looking back over my tail now, my thinking that does look twisted. But I have seen many dragons killed or grounded by humans' paws only or small weapons. None of the humans ever give fish. I..."

A long pause followed.

"I saw that you were different from the others when you got rid of the weapon and gave me the fish. But I did not like you trying to touch me."

Hiccup grinned and rolled his eyes, remembering very well the dragon's reluctance in that first peaceful meeting. He also reached over and gently scratched Toothless's neck.

"I figured that out quickly. Why not?"

"Because touching is a type of bonding and trusting. Dragons touching or grooming each other trust the other to not hurt them. That trusting had never happened between a dragon and a human before, I am sure. I also thought that, just like Monsters have power in their eyes, you might have power in your paws."

"Huh? What?"

"Yes," Toothless hummed, "it is your paws that make things like your dens and your false-claw weapons, true?"

"Yeah, but we don't have any magic or anything like that," Hiccup frowned as he held out both his hands.

Toothless freely leaned over and nosed at the hands.

"All dragons know that the most dangerous part of a human is the paws. Those let the human be strong and make things. We dragons cannot do those things with our paws."

Toothless sighed softly and continued.

"You made a picture of me in the dirt, I could see that, so I tried to make a picture of us. Did it look good?"

Hiccup winced slightly at the Fury's eager expression.

"Uh, Toothless, I can definitely say that it didn't look like us or anything else I could see. I'm sure it was great, whatever it was..."

Toothless huffed heavily in Hiccup's hair. Then he sat back on his haunches and grumbled, deep in thought and planning.

"I am throwing you in the river later..."

"Great, bath time. Love it. So... moving on from that..." Hiccup mumbled.

Toothless nodded and then continued, apparently forgetting his frustration.

"I still was not sure if I could trust you after you danced through my picture. You held out your paw to me while looking at me. You still wanted some control then. But... you... did it again while looking away. You trusted me completely."

Toothless looked up at the stars and closed his eyes.

"You let me choose if we should try to fly the winds of life together, dragon and human."

"Toothless..." Hiccup whispered with a tear on his cheek.

"I knew in that moment. I had enough of the way the world was, and I wanted to change it! So I did."

A long, poignant silence ensued.

"And I'm glad you did, bud," Hiccup whispered as he put a hand on Toothless's neck.

Hiccup noticed a slight shine near Toothless's visible eye. He could not be certain about it, so he said nothing of it as he put out the small fire.

Neither of them said anything else before they fell asleep under the strange, unfamiliar stars and the bright moon.

* * *

"That looks promising," Hiccup mused.

They looked down together at the distant signs of civilization. They were up in the clouds and surely out of sight of any eyes.

A very long road running East to West crossed a prominent bridge over the river they had been following through the morning. A path on the Eastern side of the river ran along the water and led into a distant green country with several towns throughout. All was framed to the far East by a thick and wild forest.

They wordlessly adjusted their flight to carry themselves over that deep forest where they could pass unseen. They flew out over the edge of the forest, dove, and landed, and Toothless darted into the relative darkness. Hiccup then hopped off and retrieved some of his supplies from the saddlepack.

"That worked. No chance anyone saw us."

"Now what?" Toothless wondered.

"Now you stay here out of sight, I go visit these people, and we figure out where we are and where to go."

Toothless paced and chuffed.

"Do you think they will trust me?"

Hiccup nervously bit his lip.

"Maybe not at first, but we can show them that you are not a monster if we plan to stay here. It would definitely help if they have not seen dragons before. They won't have any bad stories of you."

Then Hiccup frowned at a recurring thought that kept bothering him.

"Speaking of that, you haven't seen any other dragons yet, have you?"

Toothless sadly warbled and gently shook his head.

"No, I have not."

That was spoken very evenly, but Hiccup could feel the sadness in the now very familiar voice. For Toothless to possibly be the only living Night Fury or even the only dragon in these lands was very strange and discouraging to think about. The thought also reminded him of something that both of them definitely had to do in the future.

"Toothless, I promise you that we will go look for other dragons eventually. There have to be some in hiding somewhere."

"I would like that."

"Me too. I will try to be back before sundown."

"Be careful, Hiccup."

Hiccup threw on his traveling cloak, made sure that he had his bag of coins, and grabbed a small knife. He would be worse than useless in any kind of fight, but simply having some protection helped him feel a little better.

He glanced back at the thick forest once he was out of shouting distance and finally on the well-maintained dirt road. There were no green eyes or any shadowy figures visible among the trees.

_He knows what to do._

Still, it was his first real separation from Toothless since they both fled Berk a few weeks ago. While he did not like admitting it to himself, he relied heavily on Toothless's prowess at hunting, ability to keep him warm, and general protectiveness.

And he was now walking toward an unknown people, far from home, in a place where he might not even be understood, with no protection beyond a simple hunting knife, and no Toothless to protect him.

"This is stupid..."

His confusion only grew greater the closer he came to the village and the strange people, although that feeling was also mingled with relief. The relief was because of the peaceful lives these people evidently enjoyed. Many of them were farmers, ferrying cattle here and there and tending to the fields and gardens. Children laughed and ran all around in play and games. The green fields on the way into town were filled with people tending crops and grazing livestock.

More confusing was that there were two different groups of people living peacefully here. One group of people would have been entirely at home back on Berk, except that this group of humans had a relative lack of very long beards and general, ax-wielding craziness. The other group of people was far shorter, and they would barely reach up to his chest. They looked like children in some ways, but in other ways they looked like adults. They were all well-dressed for work, many wearing suspenders, and none of them wore shoes.

"And I thought I was short..." he mumbled under his breath.

Another surprising and very reassuring discovery was that he could understand everything they were saying. Everyone here spoke Norse, or he spoke whatever language they spoke. He would not have questioned how he understood them before, but the revelation that Toothless could now speak with him left him uncertain about what he truly knew about this world. More than once on the way into town he had passed roadsigns that were completely indecipherable to him, but he could speak with anyone here.

_Maybe I can learn these runes eventually._

He continued on along the path toward what looked like the main establishments, or at least toward the center of town.

If there was any remaining doubt that this was a peace-loving people, that doubt was thoroughly banished when he saw all the stalls set up in the town marketplace. Farmers were selling crops or livestock. Craftsmen were marketing their wares. Smiths were showing off their tools.

There were no weapons anywhere in sight beyond maybe a pitchfork.

"This is definitely not like Berk."

Several of the natives, both the short folk and the tall folk, nodded politely to him in passing. He thought it was odd that no one noticed him as being a foreigner.

_Maybe they see a lot of travelers here and don't find me that strange. That would be reassuring. Okay, we need information. Where do I go for information?_

He realized that it was a very easy question to answer. Every town had one such place where people gathered to talk and probably would not mind or question a new face. A few minutes of walking followed, and then he saw what he was hoping he could find.

Hanging over the entrance to a large, wooden building was a sign displaying the establishment's logo and apparently its name, which of course he could not read.

He approached the nearest man he could see.

"Excuse me, sir. What is the name of this place?" he pointed to what had to be this town's mead hall or great hall or something like that.

"Not from round here, eh. That there is our tavern, The Tipsy Cow. Wally's a good old bar-tend, an' he'll do ya right, if ya got the coin."

Hiccup politely thanked the man and then strode with a muted chuckle toward The Tipsy Cow.

_Well, now I know that Vikings are not the only people who have issues naming things. Not that I am one to talk about that..._

* * *

Toothless prided himself on never being snuck up on or surprised by anything. Not even Hiccup in their most serious play-fights had ever managed to tag him or hide from him for long.

Every one of his senses was alert to the feeling that something was not normal about this old forest. For it was very old. The trees were twisted and gnarled in many places. No clear human paths ran through the forest.

That was all the better for him because it made his discovery less likely.

Still, as he swished his tail behind him and listened carefully to all the sounds of life around him, he could not escape the feeling that he was being watched. More than once he got to his feet, aimlessly walked under cover of the trees, and felt a small twig fall onto his head.

That was very bad luck the first time it happened.

By the third time, it was an indication of some foul purpose.

Then he started catching flashes of motion out of the corner of his eyes. There was never anything hiding behind the trees, nor was there any recognizable scent on the air.

_What is going on?_

He flamed a patch of ground on which he then curled up in warmth. No sooner had he done so before he heard the trees themselves start groaning. Some of them even had their leaves and branches start swaying slightly in the wind.

But there was no wind.

It took a few moments before he realized that the trees were almost moving on their own.

He flew to his feet with a soft growl and narrowed eyes. It felt like there were tiny bugs crawling all over him and trying to get under his hide. There were no bugs on him.

_Good thing Hiccup is not here to see this._

He huffed at himself and strode closer to the edge of the forest. It was getting closer to sunfall, and Hiccup should be arriving soon.

Until then, he planned to remain low to the ground and attentive while throwing the occasional glance back over his tail. He did so while snarling softly.

The old forest did not like him.

The feeling was mutual.

* * *

The tavern was surprisingly busy despite it being still only the afternoon. Although, even the Great Hall on Berk always had someone in there drinking, reading the Dragon Manual, cleaning up, fighting someone, or doing something else. Maybe these people also took pleasure in their ales and meads early in the day.

Hiccup found himself an empty table in a corner of the building. Taking that seat gave him a very good view of everything else going on.

This Hall-tavern had rows of tables, a few of which were occupied by large men and many empty mugs and a few tables which were filled by the smaller folk. The smaller people tended to be smoking something in pipes while talking much among themselves. They also liked propping up their hairy feet on the tables themselves!

They all lived a very slow pace of life.

_If only Berk were more like this._

Then he spied the barman and waved him over. The man, Wally apparently, was probably in his sixties, had a kind smile, and reminded him of a thinner Gobber who still had all his limbs.

"Yer' not from 'round 'ere, eh?"

"No, I'm not. Where is here?" Hiccup asked.

"What, ya don' know where ye are? That's a problem fer after ye've had yer drinks," the barman was either suspicious or amused.

"I, uh, lost my map a while back. I know where I'm trying to go, but I'm not sure how far it is now."

The barman grumbled at the explanation.

"I'll tell ya', but I only answ'r questions from payin' customers. Jus' good budiness."

Hiccup pulled out and handed him a single small coin, which the barman then inspected.

"What will that get me?"

"Nev'r seen one of these before. Where did ya' say ya' was from?"

"I didn't say. I'm from far up North. How much will that get me?"

Wally bit at the golden coin to test it and was apparently satisfied.

"A hot meal, an ale, and all questions answered."

"Done."

Hiccup had a pint of ale, a loaf of warm, fresh bread, a bowl of soup, and a hearty helping of chicken before him shortly thereafter. It looked like a true feast, especially after a couple weeks of roughing it in the wild with almost nothing but flamed fish.

His stomach began protesting its emptiness.

"Thank you, this is a... lot of food."

"Jus' good budiness, Mister... eh, I never got yer' name."

"Haddock."

"Mister Haddock. Wallace at yer' service. May I say that yer' Common Tongue is mighty strange. Where ya' from?"

"Up North," Hiccup muttered past the spoonfulls of warm vegetable soup.

It was the first time he had soup that was not tasteless.

"I see. Well, Mister Haddock, yer' never goin' ta' find warmer welcome than right here in Buckland, Newbury ta' be precise."

Hiccup was too busy with the freshly-baked bread to reply for a moment. The bread was warm and not very tough at all.

"So, this area is Buckland?" he mumbled past the bread.

"Yes sir, everythin' East o' the Brandywine River an' West o' the Old Forest. If ya' don' mind me asking, are ya' young to be traveling alone, Mister Haddock?"

"I'm not alone. My friend could not come here to eat with me, that is all. This might sound strange to you, but what is this place called?" Hiccup asked.

"Buckland, as I said."

"No, not just this place here. I mean, what is the mainland called?" Hiccup explained.

Wallace twiddled at his beard in thought.

"I don' understand tha' question."

"Have you ever heard of the Barbaric Archipelago?"

A head-scratching by a confused barman was the only reply he needed to see. Wallace had never heard of it.

"Nope. Never did hear o' such a place in all Middle-earth, and I've had guests from all over tell o' their venturin'," Wallace answered.

_Middle-earth, is that another name for Midgard or something?_

"Nevermind then," Hiccup turned his attention to the chicken.

Wallace left to attend to some other people, mostly to refill some mugs, and then returned to him.

"Say, Mister Haddock, ya' wouldn't be headed fer the Shire now, would ye?"

_Shire? What?_

"Why do you think that?"

"Oh, just that there are a lot o' folk headed that way these days. Some big party o' special magnificence is what I have heard. Several groups o' Dwarves have come through here recently with a bunch o' supplies."

Hiccup almost choked on the chicken and passed it off as a coughing fit.

_Dwarves? What in Thor's name...?_

Something very strange was going on. He decided to play along and took his time with the chicken and ale. This was a very good opportunity to learn as much as possible.

"Yep, I'm headed to the Shire."

Wallace chuckled to himself and slapped his expansive belly.

"Ha! Knew it! No other reason ta' pass through about now. Those Shirefolk sure have it good, even greener fields than we have. They're more peace-lovin' an' lazy than us here! Course, we had ta' fight way back when and there's that Old Forest ta' worry about, but no matter. Hobbits will be Hobbits."

Hiccup frowned in worry. That news about the forest, vague though it was, was mildly troubling. What if there was something dangerous about that forest after all? Sure, Toothless was a Night Fury, but these were strange lands for him too.

"Hobbits? Who are they?"

Wallace again looked confused at his apparent lack of knowledge.

"They're the halflings, the little folk in the Shire, same as my guests over here."

Wallace gestured toward the small folk at one of the main tables. They were still smoking their pipes, reclining, sipping their ales, and talking about gardening.

"Very sturdy folk fer their size. To tell the truth, they're not the greatest warriors or counted among the wise. They spend most of their time smokin' their pipeweed, drinkin' their ales, havin' many meals, and tendin' their gardens."

_That sounds very nice._

"Kinda surpris'd ya dinna know them since you're going ta the Shire..."

"Eh, we call them something different up North. What is the fastest way there?"

"Ya' head North out of town ta' Brandywine Bridge and go West on the East Road. Biggest bridge over the river. Ya cannot miss it if ya stay on the road. Who knows who ya' might run into on the road going there these days!"

Wallace was then beckoned away on more important missions to refill emptied mugs.

Hiccup took his time to finish off the rest of the meal and casually listen in on all the conversations he could overhear. Everything was gloriously mundane: bemoaning recently escaped farm animals, talking about problems disciplining a rebellious child, gossiping about who fancied whom, complaining about long work hours, laughing about how many hours during the day were spent not working, and singing of songs brought on by too much ale.

The little that he knew of this Shire place was very appealing. It was a place of peace. Further, everyone was going to be extra happy following whatever festival or special party was being planned. The time after the feast could be a perfect opportunity to introduce these Hobbit people to himself and to Toothless and start a new life of peace.

_What timing. This just might work._

However, on his way out of town he saw something that made him stop and stare. He saw two people, likely a father and son, walking out of the fields where they had been working together. They were both sweaty and exhausted. The father had an arm around his son's shoulder and was proud of something while the son held his shoulders high.

Hiccup sighed, turned away from them, and continued on out of town.


	4. The Wizard

The Wizard

* * *

Hiccup continued on out of town, Buckland specifically. Or was it Newbury? Either way, he walked the couple miles toward where he had parted with Toothless at the Old Forest, as it was called.

_I really hope nothing happened out here._

It was very unlikely that anything had happened. Toothless was a smart Night Fury, and the dragon certainly knew how to stay out of trouble.

Maybe he was just too used to thinking of the worst that could happen.

His pack he carried with him had three fresh fish bought in the market before he left town. He suspected that he probably did not get the best deal since he was using foreign coin, but he didn't really care. Just as he had a hearty meal, it felt considerate to bring something for Toothless since it had been a few days since they had caught anything substantial.

It was a refreshingly calm walk through the countryside, knowing that this was a land at peace and that the greatest problems were normal family squabbles and the search for the occasional escaped farm animal.

_If only Berk was more like this. If more people valued a home over glory, who knows how good the world would be?_

He finally arrived at the outskirts of the Old Forest perhaps an hour before sundown. The shadows of the trees before him were almost threatening since he had no way of knowing what was within. Well, he would have probably been afraid if he did not know in advance who was somewhere nearby.

"Toothless!"

Sure enough and to his great relief, a dark shape sprang out from behind a small mound a few seconds later. He ran over to where Toothless lay in hiding and then gave his friend's head a big hug when he got to him.

"Hiccup," Toothless happily rumbled.

"Good to see you too, bud. Can you guess what I brought?"

"Fish," Toothless's ears lifted.

"You smell them, huh?" Hiccup chuckled.

Toothless huffed and chuckled.

"I am a dragon. I know the smell of fish."

"Fair enough. No need to share any with me this time. I already ate."

All three fish were gone moments later, and then Toothless lay down in the shade of the tree they were under.

"Now what do we do?" Toothless asked.

Hiccup explained everything he knew about where they were and the Shire place he was told about.

"It sounds good for us. A place with no fighting and with many people who like peace," Toothless admitted after a brief consideration.

"My thoughts exactly. What do you say we fly there tomorrow?"

"Do we have to stay in this forest for now?" Toothless hissed.

"It's probably best, yeah," Hiccup shrugged.

Toothless growled softly at the nearest trees.

"What is wrong?" Hiccup asked.

"I do not like this place."

Hiccup gave him an incredulous look.

"You do not like the forest?"

Toothless huffed and swished his tail in annoyance.

"You are staying close to me, that is all. It feels like we are not alone here."

They looked around at the darkest shadows and saw nothing there. But there was a certain air of just-barely-wrongness about the forest and the trees which Hiccup could not place but could definitely feel.

"I will not argue with you on that, bud."

* * *

Toothless tried to wake Hiccup before dawn. They both knew that made for the safest travel since it was most unlikely that they would be seen.

Hiccup, however, had other plans that did not involve waking up.

"Hiccup, get up..."

A paw-nudge in the side did not wake him. Neither did huffing in his face. There was another thing he could do and which was more likely to work.

He bent down and licked Hiccup's face, getting as much drool on him as possible.

That worked.

"Ugh! Toothless!"

Hiccup frantically wiped his face clean and then flicked the drool back at him. Toothless lifted a paw and grumbled softly as he wiped his own face clean.

"Do you know that does not wash out?"

"No? Now I do!" Toothless happily chuffed.

Hiccup groaned as he got to his feet. He also muttered under his breath something about a useless reptile.

"No, that was very useful. You woke up."

More grumbling followed.

"Thanks, dad..." Hiccup muttered.

Toothless almost chuckled, but he noticed that something about that felt wrong. Hiccup had not spoken with the same honor and well-thinking that an offspring should feel toward their sire, even though he himself obviously was not Hiccup's sire. There was probably something twisted in Hiccup's thinking here.

So he spun on Hiccup and stared at him.

"Hiccup, is there something you want to talk about?"

"What? Nothing."

"I think there is. Tell me about life before... us. What was your life like in your nest-city?"

A great, weary, and pained sigh followed.

"I'd really prefer to not talk about it."

"If you cannot talk about it with your... best friend... then who can you talk about it with?"

Hiccup paced in frustration for a while before answering.

"I am useless," he eventually answered.

"Useless? What?" Toothless exclaimed with a flash of anger.

"Yeah, look at... all this," Hiccup held out his skinny arms, "I am so small! I cannot do anything right! I am... useless..."

"Hiccup, why do you think that about yourself?"

"Because I am! I couldn't do anything right back in my tribe! I cannot..."

Hiccup was carefully shoved to the ground and gently held down by a paw to the chest. Toothless glared down at him and growled softly.

"What is it you were trying to do?" Toothless hissed.

"I... what are you doing..."

"Making you talk. You said that you could not do something right. What would doing it right have meant?"

"Well, really helping my tribe... making my father proud of me."

The paw gently pressed against him.

"By doing what? It sounds to me like you are saying it was a mistake to not kill me."

Hiccup froze and heard Gobber's words echoing again in his memory.

_'Stop tryin' ta be somethin' yer not...'_

_'I just want to be one of you guys...'_

There were tears in his eyes when he looked back up at Toothless's soft expression.

"Hiccup, you are not a fighter. That is truth. You have a different strength. You knew that you could not be one of them when you spared me. You should stop thinking that you need to make your sire-father... proud of you."

"That is easy to say..." Hiccup sniffled.

Toothless stepped back from him and let him get to his feet.

"You are not useless to me, Hiccup."

"Only because I hurt you..."

Toothless didn't know what to say about that. It was true that he definitely needed Hiccup around for him to be able to fly. What else did they have between them? Would they even know each other if he had not been grounded and unnaturally forced into knowing Hiccup? That possibility that things could have turned out very differently was not something he wanted to consider.

He sat down on his rear and stared at his friend.

"Hiccup, it does not matter if you hurt me before."

"It matters to me," Hiccup muttered.

Toothless purred softly and waited until Hiccup looked up at him.

"You need to talk more about your past. You already told me about your dam. Talk. I am listening."

Hiccup sighed in resignation. He was also secretly glad to have someone else who understood him and was willing to listen.

"Well, you know that I was the worst Viking ever. Many years of it. Even the other kids in my year were not very friendly. One was too obsessed with statistics, one was a dumb bully, the Twins were plain crazy, and Astrid, well, you know her."

"The ax-carrying female who attacked you?" Toothless clarified.

"She was protecting me from you, or so she thought. She was... is the best Viking of the group, a true natural at fighting. Anyway, I kind of like her..."

Toothless snorted with amusement.

"Did you ever mate her?"

Hiccup's eyes went impossibly wide as he was struck dumb at the mere thought of... that!

"Toothless! How could you say that?"

The Fury must have picked up on his obvious discomfort because he pressed the issue further.

"Because you... like her and might want her. Is it normal for a human female to hit the male in a mating ceremony?"

"Toothless! Stop!"

Toothless gave a wry grin and chuckle.

"Sorry, I do not know much about those human ceremonies."

"No, you do not," Hiccup fretted.

The dragon's amused grin faded as he stared off into the distance.

"I do not know anything about my kind in that way either. I saw that life-ceremony among other kinds of dragons. But not other Night Furies. I was always alone," Toothless groaned.

Hiccup's awkwardness melted upon seeing Toothless's melancholy at the idea.

"Sorry about that, bud. I only remember the stories telling about one Night Fury. I did not know that there were others. Of course there would be, but it must be terrible to not know either of your parents or to not have the chance of... having kids."

Toothless stepped closer and gently nudged his shoulder.

"If there is ever anything else about your old life that you want to talk about, let me know. I will be here for you, definitely," Toothless hummed and nodded.

Hiccup rested a palm on Toothless's neck, taking comfort from the reassuring purr he received in return.

"Thanks, Toothless. You do the same if you ever feel like you are on your own. I really don't know what that is like to maybe be the only one of your kind."

"I will. We should fly now."

They took to the sky and gained enough elevation that they should appear indistinguishable from a bird at first glance. Their flight took them along the Brandywine River, up to the bridge and the East Road, and then West along said road.

Hiccup was again struck at how green the world was and how many trees there were. Berk had several different shades of grey, depending on how gloomy the gods were feeling on that day. Here, it did not snow nine months out of the year and hail for the other three, slight though that exaggeration was. The plants and food that grew here were most definitely not tough or tasteless. Neither were the people.

Definitely not Berk in any way.

* * *

Hiccup stood at a crossroads where four paths branched out in each direction. He stared at a sign by the side of the road. However, what any of it meant was completely unknown to him because he couldn't read the runes. There were probably the names of towns and numbers to show distance to the towns. There was also a large brightly-colored poster that had been recently nailed to the sign.

He glanced again at the slight hill behind which Toothless was presently hiding.

_Maybe it would be better to just keep flying. No chance we miss an entire village. What are they going to do? Build their homes underground?_

He was still trying to decipher anything of the sign when the sound of singing met his ears. The clip-clop and creaking of a horse-drawn wagon followed moments later.

A very strange-looking man sat in the seat of the wagon where he held the horse's reins. The old man, for he looked very ancient, was very tall, was garbed entirely in grey robes and a silver scarf, and wore a very large, blue, pointy hat. A gnarled walking staff was stashed behind him among his supplies in the wagon. He also had very bushy eyebrows that almost stuck out past the brim of his hat. Most impressive about him was his grey beard that fell down to his lap.

The beard would have been the pride of Berk. The man would have also easily passed as an Elder.

"...where many paths and errands meet... and whither then I cannot say... The road goes ever... woah, woah..." the old man cried.

The wagon stopped some ten paces away from him.

The stranger stared at him in clear surprise while puffing his pipe. His eyes were narrowed in consideration, but they also were as deep springs of memory and mirth. The man was very ancient given the number of winkles on his face and the color of his beard.

"Greetings, good sir. No Hobbit, Dwarf, or Elf are you. You must be a Man then, but where hail you from?" the elder asked in a gruff but also cheerful voice.

Hiccup blinked for a moment at the mention of Elves and Dwarves. Dwarves he had heard of in his time in the tavern, but Elves?

_Elves and Dwarves? What is this world?_

"Far from here. Maybe sharing names would be good first," Hiccup answered.

"Yes, my apologies, Master..."

"Haddock."

"Master Haddock, a pleasure. Surely you must have heard of me? I am very famous or infamous in these parts, depending on who you ask," the stranger frowned slightly.

"Ah, not really, I only just got to these lands."

"I see. Well, I have had many names across the lands and through the years. The Grey Wanderer, some call me. Olorin and Mithrandir also. You may call me Gandalf the Grey."

"Gandalf the Grey, a pleasure to meet you, sir."

Gandalf laughed softly at that.

"You clearly know nothing of my reputation then."

"Why do I think I will find out eventually?" Hiccup grinned.

"You will if you are heading where I think you are going. The Party, I assume?"

Hiccup thought to play along with it.

"Is there any other reason to head to the Shire right now?" he laughed.

"Indeed. Bilbo's friends truly do come from all over. An incredible Hobbit. They are an amazing people once... stirred to go on an adventure," Gandalf chuckled to himself.

"This is kind of my first time going on an adventure myself," Hiccup admitted.

"Is it? You cannot be more than twenty years of age, I would guess. What are you doing all alone, if I may ask?" Gandalf wondered.

"I'm actually not alone. My friend is nearby, and I am traveling with him. I cannot read the sign here since I don't know these runes."

Gandalf pointed ahead along the East Road.

"Hobbiton is about four miles ahead. You are welcome to travel with me if you would like," he gestured to the empty seats next to him.

"Thanks. About that, I cannot really leave my friend," Hiccup answered.

"Well, tell him to come with us too. It would be a merrier gathering."

"Uh..."

He was stumped and was not sure what to do at first.

_Gandalf is like a nice old man. And we are on our own out here. There may be no better time to introduce them._

"I don't know about that. You, everyone else, might not like my friend at first."

"And why would that be? I have no great dislike for anyone of goodwill in Middle-earth," Gandalf objected.

"Yeah, but you've probably never met anyone like my friend before."

"Oh, really?" Gandalf's impressive eyebrows lifted, "Try me. I am older than I look, if you can believe that, and I have seen things you probably could not imagine."

Hiccup shuffled on his feet for a while, struggling to make up his mind. Gandalf's warm demeanor and grandfatherly temperament won him over after a few moments of consideration.

"Alright, my friend is a... you see, he is... uh... a dragon."

Gandalf blinked and frowned.

"A dragon?" he questioned.

"Yeah, he is very friendly and he can talk too!"

Gandalf's warm smile froze and turned suddenly wary.

"Do not jest with me, Master Haddock. Dragons are no laughing matter."

"I am not lying to you, Gandalf the Grey. My friend, his name is Toothless, is a dragon. He is hiding just over that hill there," Hiccup pointed at the grassy hillock off the road.

Gandalf did not move for a long moment. The old man's eyes never left him. There was an odd power in the man's eyes, something far different from wisdom of old age. Or maybe it was just the evident skepticism of an old man hearing something he definitely thought was impossible and crazy.

"Is that so? Well, how about you take me to this... friendly dragon?"

Gandalf then grabbed his walking staff and, with surprising grace for a man of his advanced age, jumped down from the wagon. Hiccup took the lead.

"Follow me. He will not hurt you. You don't need to worry."

"I will be the judge of that," Gandalf muttered.

They ascended the slope together.

Hiccup glanced back at the old man plodding along after him, seeming to have little trouble with the steep slope. He grinned to himself, imagining how this meeting would have gone back on Berk. It probably would have involved a hammer, shouting, a glorious charge, and lots of fire in self-defense.

Probably blood and tears also.

_No chance that dad would have let this happen. Gandalf seems far more reasonable. Toothless knows what to do. What could go wrong?_

They finally arrived at the top of the ridge and saw what was on the other side.

"Toothless, there you are!" Hiccup announced himself and started down the hill.

The black dragon's head lifted from the grass where he had been crouched low in hiding.

Hiccup took a few steps forward and then was driven to the ground by an unseen force that struck him like a punch from behind.

"Hiccup!" Toothless shouted.

Hiccup rolled over, feeling something very strange holding him down, and saw something impossible and terrifying.

Gandalf still stood at the top of the ridge, but the old, robed man looked very different now. He held out his staff in front of him like a weapon. His formerly gentle eyes were narrowed as he stared toward them, and a phantom wind whipped his grey cloak around him.

Then Gandalf spoke in a booming voice that echoed from the air and rumbled from the ground.

"Begone, fell creature!"

His voice was one of power and command completely unbecoming of an elderly man. It was almost as if the man could summon strange powers.

Which he most definitely could.

"No, stop!" Hiccup shouted in fear.

Everything took a turn for the worse when a glowing plasma blast flew at Gandalf and appeared to strike him in a massive explosion not unlike those that had destroyed towers at night long ago.

The strange force that had been holding Hiccup down vanished.

He pushed himself to his feet and barely had an instant to look around before Toothless jumped up next to him. The dragon looked very dangerous now with his bared teeth, smoking maw, and narrowed eyes.

"Toothless! What did you do!"

"He was attacking you!" Toothless growled back.

Neither of them had any more time to say anything because the smoke cleared and revealed Gandalf still standing at the top of the ridge, his staff still held out before him like a weapon. The blast had not ended him after all.

"Stop this! Both of you!" Hiccup shouted.

"Get away from that monster!" Gandalf commanded in the same voice of power.

"No, he is not a monster! He is not dangerous!"

"Not dangerous?" Gandalf exclaimed in disbelief.

"I am very dangerous!" Toothless growled back.

"Not helping, bud..."

Toothless stepped closer to Hiccup and then spread his wings wide while growling softly, partly putting himself between Gandalf and Hiccup.

"Stay with me, Hiccup. I will protect you."

Hiccup put a hand on Toothless's neck to give them both some reassurance and also to keep Toothless from doing something regrettable. Then he looked back up the slope at the very strange man.

Gandalf was now staring at them both with clear disbelief in his eyes. He kept his hold on the staff before him.

At least he was not doing whatever the unnatural thing was that he had been doing before with his staff.

The silence stretched out between them until Gandalf spoke in a normal but skeptical voice.

"How about you tell me what is going on here, Haddock?"

Hiccup levelly stared back at the strange old man who was far more than he had appeared at first.

"This dragon is my best friend. His name is Toothless."

Toothless snarled softly with all his teeth fully bared. Hiccup then groaned and flicked the dragon's nearest ear.

"Not helping, bud! We need him to like you!"

"He tried to hurt you!" Toothless snarled, his eyes still narrowed on Gandalf.

"I did no such thing!" Gandalf protested.

"You hurt him by pointing your stick-thing at him!" Toothless pointed a paw at the old man.

"I was protecting him from you and your snare!"

"Snare? What?" Hiccup exclaimed in confusion.

Gandalf looked at him with pity.

"You have never heard of the dragon-spell? They can control your mind if you look into their eyes!"

Hiccup blinked in surprise.

"No! I do not believe it!" he protested.

Oddly, Toothless hung his head slightly, showing his first sign of any weakness in this encounter.

"Hiccup, it is true. Remember that the monster I told you about could do that to other dragons."

Toothless then looked up again and snarled at Gandalf.

"But I cannot do that, and I would never do that to him even if I could!"

None of them moved for a very long time until finally Gandalf stepped forward several paces, slowly descending the slope. He still kept his strange staff extended toward them.

"Why are you protecting this man, dragon?"

Toothless snarled again.

"My name is Toothless!"

"Toothless? I can see the irony of that," Gandalf briskly answered.

"Uh, he has retractable teeth," Hiccup explained.

Toothless did not deign to demonstrate and instead rested his chin on Hiccup's shoulder while breathing heavily and glaring at Gandalf.

"Why am I protecting him? He saved my life when he could have killed me. He is important to me," Toothless explained.

He swept out his tail and lifted it, wiggling the one remaining natural fin.

"I also cannot fly without him."

"You need him around because he is useful to you?" Gandalf clarified.

"Yes, he is. And he is my friend."

A long silence followed between the three of them.

"I see that there is much about you two that I do not know. Do you two care to explain this to me? Gandalf asked.

Hiccup was about to answer when Toothless spoke up first.

"Why do we have to explain ourselves to you?"

"Toothless, we can tell him. It's fine."

Toothless growled softly and snorted.

"He attacks us first, and we must answer to him? No. He must earn our trust!"

Gandalf chuckled at that.

"As cunning as any dragon, indeed. If you must know, I am what the common folk call a Wizard. I work to protect Middle-earth from the forces of evil."

"Forces of evil?" Hiccup exclaimed in confusion.

"Many of the powers of the Enemy still remain in this world."

That mention of an enemy was vague. Maybe he could ask what it meant later, assuming that this misunderstanding got resolved.

"But if you are a Wizard, then you must have... magic?"

Hiccup put his arm out around Toothless's neck for reassurance. He had always assumed that magic was not real, but the last few minutes had thoroughly shattered that idea.

Gandalf grumbled while fingering his staff.

"That is a rather crude way of putting it, but yes, I have magic. I cannot use it freely, and most of my power is... veiled while I dwell in Middle-earth. I can, however, use my power in times of great need, such as when facing monsters like dragons."

Toothless snarled softly, and Hiccup sighed in dismay.

"Not this again. You sound just like everyone back on Berk."

"Berk, is that where you are from?" Gandalf asked.

"Yes, it is far to the North off the mainland."

Gandalf frowned and muttered to himself.

"I did not know that there were any islands out there. I am certain that there are none anymore. But you know dragons from there."

"Yeah," Hiccup groaned, "they raid the island and take livestock. Toothless said that they do that to feed another, bigger dragon that controls them."

"A big dragon, you say?" Gandalf looked at Toothless.

The Fury blinked and remembered to glare back at him.

"Yes, it eats other dragons that do not bring back food for it," Toothless explained.

"Evil consumes itself in the end. It cannot make anything that can endure. It can only mock and pretend. That is how dragons were created," Gandalf said.

"What?" Hiccup and Toothless both exclaimed.

"Dragons were mockeries made by the Great Enemy. All dragons are descended from his evil. They all carry his corruption in their souls."

"What do you mean, his corruption?" Toothless asked in curiosity.

Gandalf was amused by the question and leaned on his staff.

"Tell me, dragon, do you not want a gold hoard of your own?"

Toothless blinked.

"A gold hoard?"

"Yes, some great cave filled with gold, precious jewels, and the bones of your enemies."

Toothless sighed and looked up at the clouds.

"Why would I want to sit in the dark on a pile of shiny rocks when I could fly with the clouds and my friend?" he whispered.

Gandalf smiled for the first time in this meeting.

"My last encounter with a dragon was hardly so peaceful. The great fire-drake Smaug lived far to the East in the ruins of Erebor, a Dwarf kingdom. I helped get Smaug killed some sixty years ago. What do you say to that?"

"You are a dragon killer. Why?" Hiccup exclaimed.

Gandalf sighed and appeared very tired or stricken in that moment.

"Because Smaug killed or ate hundreds of innocents in his life and destroyed the entire city of Dale. He also burned Lake-Town and killed dozens more before his death. There were other reasons also, but those are the ones you need to know about."

Toothless and Hiccup glanced at each other.

"If that is all true, then I say that dragon, Smaug as you called it, was a monster and deserved to die!" Toothless growled.

"Toothless would never do anything like that. He proved to me that he is not a monster when he let me go," Hiccup added.

"What?" Gandalf exclaimed in genuine surprise.

"Oh yeah, well, the first time we met I kind of could have killed him, but I let him go free instead. And he did the same for me when he could have killed me," Hiccup sheepishly explained.

Gandalf fixed Toothless with an intense and scrutinizing gaze.

"Why did you do that, Toothless?"

"Because he looked as afraid as I had been. It did not feel good to hurt him when he let me go. He is all that I have now," Toothless solemnly replied.

Gandalf inhaled and looked away from them both after hearing that answer. A long and poignant silence followed as the Wizard stared off along the road.

When he finally looked back at them both, it was with a strange, considerate look in his eyes. His voice was also far more inviting when he spoke.

"I once told another person that true courage is not in knowing when to take a life but rather when to spare one."

He lowered his staff.

"Your story is most incredible and I must hear more of it, but I believe you. Something in my heart tells me that you are not a monster, Toothless."

Toothless huffed and rolled his eyes, but he did lower his wings and sheathe his teeth.

"Very kind of you to tell me that I am not a monster," Toothless grumbled.

"It is more than I ever imagined could be said for any dragon," Gandalf answered.

An awkward silence followed between them all.

"If you will excuse us, we need a moment to ourselves," Hiccup interjected.

He and Toothless stepped aside down the slope to speak among themselves. Gandalf stayed at the top of the ridge.

"Well, that went well," Hiccup grimaced.

Judging from his drooping ears and sad warble, Toothless still felt disturbed by something.

"Talk to me, bud, what is wrong?"

"He does know dragons. He knew about what the monster in the nest could do to other dragons," Toothless moaned.

"Okay, but what is really bothering you?"

Toothless warily looked up at him.

"What about the rest of what he said? About dragons being bad creatures from the start? He truly believes that."

"I do not believe it, Toothless. You are not a monster. Even he agreed about that."

"Maybe," Toothless warbled.

"He trusts us now. We should tell him that we were planning on going to the Shire to live there."

Toothless nodded in agreement.

They turned together and approached Gandalf. He was patiently waiting for them both at the top of the hill while leaning on his staff.

Hiccup started to explain their situation.

"We were going to the Shire because we heard that it is a peaceful place. We left Berk because Toothless would be hunted there, and no one was going to listen to me."

Gandalf, deep in thought, stroked his massive beard.

"You wish to bring a friendly dragon into the Shire? Hobbits are indeed peace-loving folk. But I do not think that they would like seeing a dragon in their world."

"But surely they will give him a chance. Toothless has done nothing wrong," Hiccup objected.

"No, but it would be major disturbance for them. They also like to keep to themselves, in case you have not noticed. Sometimes too much even," Gandalf explained.

"Couldn't you say something to them?"

Gandalf laughed heartily at that suggestion, again showing the mirth that had been in his eyes at their first meeting.

"My speaking in his favor would not help you much. I am not favorably thought of by most of the Hobbits. At least not the older generations."

Gandalf then turned to Toothless.

"What is it that you want, Toothless?"

"Hiccup. Flight. Fish. Peace. Other dragons like me," Toothless immediately answered.

"Hmm, all good things to want, I suppose. I would add that there are other options for you both even if you cannot stay here in the Shire," Gandalf mused.

"What do you mean?" Hiccup wondered.

Gandalf waved his staff toward the horizons.

"I mean that Middle-earth is very wide and has many important powers, good and bad. You could both make a difference in the world."

"Make a difference?" Toothless rumbled.

"Yes, you certainly could. I believe that some of the Elves would be willing to give you both a home once they hear your story. My word carries weight with them all. For now though, I have an old friend's birthday party to attend. Hiccup, would you ride with me and tell me more about your story? Toothless, you should come with also, but do try to stay hidden. I would not want to scare the Hobbits without reason."

Toothless laughed his deep, throaty laughter.

"I am a Night Fury. I can avoid being seen if I need to stay out of sight."

"Night Fury?" Gandalf's eyebrows lifted in amusement.

"Yeah, that is what we called his type of dragon back on Berk. That and the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself," Hiccup explained.

"Really? I did not know that," Toothless lifted an eyeridge and chuckled.

"Yep, I have no idea where that title came from either. Do you?"

Toothless shook his head.

"How curious. There is more to you both than meets the eye. Well, shall we?" Gandalf gestured toward the road.

"Toothless, stay close will you?" Hiccup whispered to him.

Toothless nodded and tapped him with a wing.

"I will. We can trust Gandalf, but I will stay near you as long as I can. Oh, one more thing, ask him about the fire on his finger."

"Huh? Okay, I will," Hiccup agreed.

The three of them made their way down the slope toward the road. Hiccup was about to object that Toothless would probably scare Gandalf's horse when the Wizard strode up to the horse, gently held its proud head, and whispered words in its ear.

"Uh, Gandalf, what are you doing?"

"Telling the horse that she does not need to fear the dragon."

Hiccup held a palm to his brow in total confusion.

"How is that possible? Do horses talk here too?"

"No, but many of them do understand the language of the Elves."

The mare looked over at Toothless, whinnied softly, and settled down, now entirely unconcerned with his presence.

Hiccup was helped up into the carriage and took a seat next to Gandalf. The horse started walking without any prompting after another glance at Toothless. Toothless started following alongside the road so that he could disappear into the trees at a moment's notice.

Hiccup sank into his seat with a weary sigh and stared up at the passing clouds.

_Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, and Wizards. What is this world?_


	5. Party Business

Party Business

* * *

There was an awkward silence as Hiccup sat on the carriage and looked around at the passing countryside. Gandalf held the horse's reins in one hand and a pipe in the other. The Wizard kept bringing the smoking pipe up to his mouth and breathing out fine rings of the fragrant smoke. It was something that no one on Berk ever did, but there was something calming or relaxing about it.

Hiccup twiddled his fingers while observing the lands around him. Everything looked very green, warm, and idyllic. There were a number of fields filled with different crops and pastures filled with grazing livestock.

_This is definitely not Berk._

"So, Master Hiccup Haddock, care to tell me more of your story? Both you and Toothless of course?" Gandalf coughed softly through the smoke.

"Uh, what do you want to know?"

"I have never heard of this Berk place you are from. What are people like there?"

"Vikings. They are big fighters and they have stubbornness issues."

"Stubbornness issues?" Gandalf chuckled.

Hiccup grimaced and bit his lip.

"Yeah, seven generations they have lived on Berk and fought against dragons. Rebuilding homes that burned down. Fighting against the raids. Sailing the seas to find the nest and try to take it. Laughing about the fights later on over ales in the Mead Hall."

Gandalf grinned.

"It sounds like they, the Dwarves, and the people of Rohan would get along well together."

Hiccup shrugged, not really knowing anything about those two peoples.

"You think that they would just leave and go somewhere else to get away from the dragons. Nope. They are staying put. Truly charming Viking demeanors."

"What was your place in the people?"

"Son of the Chief, Stoick the Vast. I'm not so vast, in case you couldn't tell."

"I see that. You strike me as more of an inventor, a creative type."

Hiccup blinked in surprise.

"How did you know that?"

"Toothless's tailfin. An impressive creation for someone of your age. That is something the great Dwarven smiths could appreciate for its craftsmanship."

"Yeah, I had to make things to do what I... cannot do. I was training with the blacksmith and know my way around a forge pretty well."

"Do you? Well, there is always a need for smiths and people who can work the forges. You should have no trouble making yourself useful somewhere."

"You think so?"

"Indeed. I think you have a strength in you that could easily go unnoticed."

Gandalf pointed his pipe at him.

"I was thinking about where you must be from. It must be cold that far to the North. It sounds like you both flew here over the Bay of Forochel."

Hiccup shrugged, having no map to go on.

"I guess so. Berk is very cold. We say that Berk is twelve days north of Freezing to Death and solidly on the Meridian of Misery. It snows nine months of the year and hails for the other three, and the only food that grows there is tough and tasteless. The people who grow there are even more so. That is all only a slight exaggeration."

The Wizard heartily chuckled at that.

"And the dragons up there. What are they like?" Gandalf wondered.

"All different sizes and colors. Most breathe fire. Toothless is a smaller one. He is the only one of his kind. We call him a Night Fury, as I said earlier."

"Night Fury. I can see how he would be fit to strike from the shadows," Gandalf mused.

Hiccup frowned.

"One thing I don't understand is that Toothless started talking when we got here, but he could not before."

"No?"

"He said that he basically understood me but couldn't talk using our words. Do you know why he would be able to talk now?"

The Wizard puffed his pipe for a long time in solemn thought.

"That is most strange. Dragons have always been clever beasts and have speech like any of the great creatures, but you say they cannot speak where you are from?"

"No, they cannot talk to us."

"Curious. Well, I am afraid that I have no answers to that question right now. Maybe with more time and pipeweed an answer might come to me. Hopefully the correct answer too," Gandalf gruffly answered.

Hiccup sighed and looked away from the wagon, a terrible question bothering him again.

"Is it true that dragons are seen as monsters in Middle-earth?"

Gandalf looked down on him and kindly patted his shoulder. The Wizard again had his understanding, grandfatherly appearance.

"Every one that we know of in history. Glaurung, Ancalagon the Black, Scatha, Smaug the Golden. Many more in the ancient War of Wrath in the First Age."

"Smaug, you mentioned that name before," Hiccup observed.

Gandalf frowned and puffed his pipe for a while.

"Smaug was the last great fire-drake we knew of. He fell some sixty years ago."

"What about Ancalagon the Black? What was that dragon? Was it like Toothless?"

The Wizard laughed at that.

"Definitely not. From nose to tail, Toothless would be smaller than one of Ancalagon's teeth, if the legends are true."

Hiccup gaped in complete disbelief at the thought of such a dragon.

"Whaaaa..."

"It is said that when he fell Ancalagon shattered three of the greatest mountainpeaks that were raised in all of Middle-earth."

"I... wha..."

"It is possible that story has been... slightly exaggerated over time, but every great story deserves some embellishment," Gandalf chuckled.

"Uh, I suppose so."

_That might explain some of Gobber's crazier tales..._

Hiccup glanced toward the trees bordering part of the road. The cover was growing thinner and more difficult for Toothless to continue sneaking along as he surely was. It was still difficult to imagine a dragon as big as... mountains.

"Toothless told me about a very big dragon that commanded others, but even that one is not... that big."

"Yes, it may be that dragons where you are from are very different from those here in Middle-earth. However, there are some similarities even with those differences."

Hiccup thought about it. At least one thing, that mind- or thought-control, was similar. And dragons were also definitely not liked here in Middle-earth, which was definitely unfortunate for him and Toothless.

"Gandalf, is it dangerous for him here in the Shire?"

"For him, no. If anything he will probably scare everyone here."

"But why? He is not dangerous!"

Gandalf blinked and gave him a knowing look, his impressive eyebrows lifted with amusement.

"Well, not unless provoked," Hiccup hastily clarified.

"I shall endeavor to not provoke him then!"

"Yeah, he is very protective. I don't think I want to see what he would do if I was in real danger. I am... useless at protecting myself."

Gandalf looked him over and blew a smoke ring his direction.

"You may yet surprise yourself, Hiccup Haddock. True, you do not have the... stature of a fighter, but there is more than one kind of strength."

"I'm not sure what it is. Gandalf, there is something else."

"Certainly, you may ask me anything, although I may choose to not answer."

"Toothless wanted me to ask you about a fire on your finger. Not sure what he means by that, but..."

Gandalf stiffened and gave him a very wary glance. The Wizard stared long until he felt uncomfortable under the old man's penetrating gaze.

"Did he? Well, I suppose that dragons are very... perceptive. Think nothing of it, a peculiarity of a Wizard."

Something about the way Gandalf said that was definitive. Hiccup knew that he was not going to get anything else from the Wizard on that question, so he did not bother asking.

* * *

Night Furies could be very sneaky when they needed to be. Keeping low to the ground and slinking along like a living shadow was natural to him. The shade of the trees helped a lot in staying unseen. He never stepped on a twig or made a sound.

But it was getting harder to reliably stay unnoticed.

He swished his tail to vent his frustration and then grumbled to himself as he looked ahead toward the wagon in the distance.

_This is twisted, me having to sneak around._

Still, he understood that a dragon, and especially one as impressive as himself, could be terrifying to other people who did not know him. Further, the people in these lands were much smaller than Vikings and could probably scare a lot easier. He had no desire to scare them without reason, especially since they looked like people who did not want to fight anything.

There was a certain freedom in running along through the trees, the long grass, and under the warm sun on his back. He greatly wanted to stretch out his wings, lay down in the open sunlight, and take a long nap in the sun's warmth.

Sadly, doing that would definitely be a bad idea because he might be seen. Maybe if he were beyond the clouds...

He looked up at the distant clouds high above and felt a wistful longing. It was not good or natural for a dragon to be limited to the ground as he was. He could still attempt limited flight since it was his wings that gave lift and the tailfins that gave stability to flight. Any such flight missing one tailfin would be so unstable that he could not reliably stay aloft, but it might be possible to fly for a very short time.

There was no reason to think that his tailfin would ever grow back.

His thoughts on that issue were flying into two different skies. Losing the tailfin had led to him coming to know Hiccup when he likely never would have any other way. He probably would have flown away back to the nest after being freed by Hiccup and then sparing him. Being forced to need Hiccup for flight was unnatural. If there were a way to have gotten to know Hiccup without losing a tailfin... without losing the ability to fly on his own...

He shook his head and growled softly at himself.

_Thinking about that will not change anything now._

* * *

Hiccup still could not believe how calm and peaceful everything was in the Shire. The wagon was currently trundling up a narrow, grassy path flanked on both sides by thick forest.

"Gandalf, the Shire is so beautiful."

"It is. These are the Eastfarthing woods. I would not be surprised if we run into... nevermind."

Hiccup observed the green trees and the long grass all around.

"This is so different from Berk. Berk was grey and cold, but this is green and warm."

Gandalf chuckled warmly although with a solemn glint in his eyes.

"The Hobbits have lived in peace for many generations, scarcely knowing any of the comings and goings of the wider world beyond. They can live in peace and concern themselves with their gardens, farms, ales, and pipeweed because of those they never see. Those who protect their borders from... fell creatures."

A dark shadow clouded his features for a moment.

"But those people who protect the Hobbits are willing to do that. To live a rough life and protect these good, simple folk from the wider dangers in the world. It is rewarding to know that one's actions protect those who need protection."

"What are those fell creatures?" Hiccup warily asked.

"I pray that you never need to find out," Gandalf answered.

The Wizard puffed on his pipe and said nothing more. He did not look like he wanted to talk about that.

They continued on in relative silence until Gandalf began humming a familiar tune, the same one which he had been humming upon their first meeting.

"The Road goes ever on and on... Down from the door where it began... Now far ahead the Road has gone... And I must follow, if I can... Pursuing it with eager feet... Until it joins some larger way... Where many paths and errands meet... And whither then? I cannot say. The road goes ever on and on... down from the door where it began... now far ahead the road has gone... and I must follow if I can..."

"You're late!" a new voice called out.

Hiccup started in surprise and looked over to see a new Hobbit standing on a slight ledge next to the road. The Hobbit had his arms crossed almost in a pout. He also had curly locks of dark hair, brilliant blue eyes, blue overalls, and suspenders. He also wore no shoes and had very hairy feet, just as the Hobbits in Buckland had.

Hiccup was again amused that he stood easily a couple feet taller than the Hobbit.

Gandalf slowly looked up and over at the Hobbit.

"A Wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to!" he gruffly answered.

Frodo and Gandalf stared each other down for several long moments, neither of them looking away or giving any reaction.

Then a grin gradually broke out on both of their faces even as they tried to stifle themselves. They both failed to maintain the ruse and began chuckling and even openly laughing. He could not resist their merry mood himself.

"It's wonderful to see you, Gandalf!" Frodo shouted.

Then the Hobbit jumped from the ledge into Gandalf's wide open arms. Gandalf embraced the Hobbit while laughing warmly. Then he released him and ruffled his hair when Frodo sat down next to him.

"You didn't think I'd miss your uncle Bilbo's birthday?"

"Definitely not," Frodo then turned to Hiccup and held out a hand, "I do not believe that we have met. Frodo Baggins at your service, friend."

"Hiccup Haddock," he took the offered hand.

It was a very strange feeling to not be the shortest person in the company. Still, Frodo's being out here could be a problem.

"Are you alone out here, or are there any more Hobbits in these woods, Frodo Baggins?" Hiccup asked.

"Just me, I'm afraid. I'm not a normal Hobbit. I like to get out and wander more than most Hobbits. And any friend of Gandalf's is a friend of mine. Where are you from, sir, pray-tell? Arnor, Gondor, Rohan?" Frodo eagerly asked.

"Uh, I'm from up North."

"North? Ancient Arnor? You must have many stories you could share. You are here for the party, yes?"

Gandalf answered for him after puffing on his pipe.

"Indeed we are. How is the old rascal? I hear that this will be a party of special magnificence."

Frodo grinned and gave Gandalf a knowing look.

"You know Bilbo. He has the whole place in an uproar."

"Well, that should please him..." Gandalf huffed.

"Half the Shire has been invited, and the other half will turn up anyway," Frodo chuckled.

Then the Hobbit frowned slightly and looked ahead down the road.

"To tell the truth, Bilbo has been a bit odd lately, well, more than usual anyway. He spends hours pouring over old maps when he thinks I am not looking. He is up to something. I know it."

Gandalf kept staring ahead and puffing his pipe even after Frodo turned and faced him down for several moments

"Fine then, keep your secrets," Frodo huffed.

"What?" Gandalf sputtered.

"I know you have something to do with it," Frodo cheerfully accused him.

"Oh, gracious me..." Gandalf huffed.

"Before you came along we Bagginses were very well-thought of."

"Indeed?" the Wizard seriously nodded.

"We never had any adventures or did anything unexpected," Frodo explained.

"If you are referring to the incident with the dragon... I was barely involved. All I did was give your uncle a little nudge out of the door," Gandalf gruffly defended himself.

"Incident with the dragon? I assume you mean Smaug," Hiccup interrupted.

Frodo nodded in understanding.

"Yes, indeed. Whatever Gandalf did and has done since then, he has been officially labeled a 'disturber of the peace'."

"Oh, really?" Gandalf's eyebrows lifted in amusement.

"Most disreputable and suspicious. A blight upon the peace. Flee on sight," Frodo continued.

Hiccup snorted in amusement and had to restrain a chuckle. Frodo and Gandalf looked at him in bemusement.

"Sorry, my people had a different saying that... nevermind..."

"What news of the outside world? Tell me everything!" Frodo then eagerly implored Gandalf.

"Everything? You are far too eager and curious for a Hobbit. Most unnatural."

Gandalf sighed softly and looked toward the distant fields.

"Well, what can I tell you? Life in the wide world goes on, much as it has this past age. Full of its own comings and goings. Everyone scarcely aware of the existence of Hobbits. For which I am very thankful," Gandalf finished with a very wary glint in his eyes.

Hiccup stared off at the fields in the distance.

_Hmm, I wonder what he is worried about out there in the world._

* * *

Hiccup noticed that they were finally getting closer to Hobbiton, the main village in this area. He glanced over at the trees and could barely make out a black shape that was barely out of place given that he knew to look for it.

_This could be a problem._

"Gandalf, do you mind if I... take a moment," he nodded toward the trees.

"Certainly," the Wizard nodded, "I could use a moment to check on my fireworks before we get to Hobbiton anyway."

Hiccup hopped down from the wagon, but then he paused in slight confusion.

"Fireworks? What are those?"

"You've never seen Gandalf's fireworks? You are in for something special, Mister Haddock!" Frodo eagerly exclaimed and laughed.

"Yeah, I'll be right back!"

He took off toward the forest without looking back. He ran behind a large patch of bushes well removed from the road and was promptly tackled to the ground by a dark blur.

"Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile."

"Useless reptile? That is a new one," Toothless chuckled.

"Not really, I have used that one before, and you just had to attack me, huh?"

Toothless lifted himself up, raised a paw, and went on the offensive even as Hiccup batted back the attacks with his hands.

"And it is ugly! Dragons and Vikings... er, dragons and humans, enemies forever!"

The battle ended very quickly when Toothless fell forward and pinned him to the ground.

"Ugh... you win bud, as always."

Toothless purred his triumph and then got up.

"Now what?" he asked.

"I should probably go with Gandalf and Frodo, the new Hobbit. Do you think you can stay here?"

The Fury's ears fell very quickly with the suggestion.

"Yeah, I don't like it either, but it might be best for now," Hiccup groaned.

They both sighed.

"Do I always have to stay hidden?" Toothless asked.

"I hope not. You're not that far away. We can see Hobbiton just ahead and over a few hills."

Toothless did not look pleased with the idea of more forced separation.

"Toothless, I will come back here before the evening. I might be able to bring some more fish for you too."

"That would be good. We could also go flying tonight!"

"Yes, we will. I promise."

Hiccup held out his hand and smiled as he gave Toothless a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Then Toothless spun in place and curled up on the ground, his head vanishing under a dark wing.

"I'll be back," Hiccup whispered.

Then he returned to the wagon and vaulted back up into his place at Frodo's side.

"Very good, Master Haddock, is everything in order here?" Gandalf asked.

"Yes, the, uh, dragon that was sneaking after us has been dealt with. Punched it with my fists."

Gandalf and Frodo stared at him as he held out both his clenched fists and punched at the air.

"I might want to come back this evening to make sure it is still out," he cheekily grinned.

They all started laughing heartily, and he was pleased to see that Gandalf subtly nodded to him in understanding.

* * *

Just when everything seemed like it could not get any stranger, it did.

"You build your homes underground?"

"Oh yes, it's only natural. Warmer in the winters and cooler in the summers. What kind of holes are these? They are not nasty, dirty, wet holes, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell. Nor dry, bare, sandy holes with nothing in them to sit down on or to eat. No, these are Hobbit holes, and that means comfort!" Frodo explained.

"And headaches," Gandalf groaned.

"That is because you are too big for our homes, not that we build underground," Frodo chuckled.

Gandalf was about to protest but was preempted.

"Hey look, it's Gandalf!" "It's Gandalf!"

A gaggle of Hobbit children ran up behind them, all of them shouting variations on one thing.

"Fireworks!" "Show us the fireworks!" "Fireworks, Gandalf!"

Frodo and Hiccup shared a glance as they saw the Wizard's willpower and determination. He did not intend to indulge them in an early display of fireworks.

The children kept clamoring.

A series of small, festive explosions erupted moments later from the back of the wagon. The sparks and blasts created took on familiar shapes of flying creatures as they spun through the air.

The Hobbit children cheered loudly their happiness at the display. Gandalf could not hide his wide grin and chuckle at their pleasure.

_So those are fireworks. Very impressive. I had no idea that sparks and explosions can look like they are alive. It's probably magic._

Then Frodo swung out of the wagon.

"Well, I'm off to find Sam. Gandalf, I'm glad you're back."

"So am I my dear Frodo, so am I."

"Master Haddock, a pleasure to meet you."

"Same to you, Mister Baggins."

Frodo then left them and ran off. Gandalf whispered some words, and the horse took off again at a steady pace.

"Frodo is a special lad. He was orphaned as a lad. His uncle Bilbo took him in. Bilbo is the one whose party we are attending, if you did not notice already."

"I did. How old is he?"

"One hundred and eleven."

"What! How long do Hobbits live?" Hiccup exclaimed.

"Usually not that long for sure. It has been a while since I've been back here, so I am very eager to see him again. He must look more ancient than me by now. And how is master Toothless?"

"Master Toothless? Oh gods, I do not need him hearing that one. He will wait back there for me this evening."

Hiccup frowned and looked around at the Hobbit holes, the farms, and the fields around them. There was a slowly-spinning water-wheel, likely milling grains. Most distinctive about the surroundings was the very large tent going up in the open clearing. Many people were working around the tent and moving supplies in preparation of the party.

"He does not like being kept in hiding all the time," Hiccup sighed.

"It is for everyone's good right now. It is certainly not dangerous for him, in case you are worried. There are no hunters or rangers within the Shire itself," Gandalf reassured him.

"That is very different from Berk. Everyone else on Berk would have tried to kill him. That's why we left. Someone found us and would have told on us."

He felt a sting at the memory.

Then Gandalf lay a hand on his shoulder.

"You left your home behind to help keep your friend safe. That is very brave of you, Hiccup Haddock. Not many people know how to let go like that, especially at your young age. And here we are... Bag-end..."

The wagon rolled to a stop on the road next to a particular underground home. Gandalf hopped down and paused with his hand on the door to the very green yard.

"No admittance except on party business..." Gandalf muttered.

"I cannot read these runes," Hiccup grumbled.

"You are a clever lad and can learn them with time. But for now it is time to go meet the one whose birthday we are here to celebrate."

Gandalf strolled up the green path with Hiccup following behind him. The Wizard raised his staff and rapped on the green and amazingly circular door several times.

A very muffled voice answered from within.

"No thank you! We don't want any more visitors, well-wishers, or distant relations!"

"And what about very old friends?" Gandalf shouted back.

A moment passed before the round door was unlocked and swung open. The old Hobbit within, who Hiccup thought looked very young for his apparently advanced age, stared out with wide, disbelieving eyes. The Hobbit had curly hair and a red jacket with bright, golden buttons.

"Gandalf?" he gasped.

"Bilbo Baggins," Gandalf smiled and leaned on his staff.

"My dear Gandalf!" Bilbo stepped forward out of his house and embraced him.

"It's good to see you... one hundred and eleven years old... and it looks like you haven't aged a day..." Gandalf frowned and then chuckled at Bilbo's expression.

Bilbo then turned to Hiccup.

"And who is this, Gandalf?"

"Hiccup Haddock, sir," Hiccup answered.

"Rather skinny for a man lad. You could do with a good meal, with several of them. You're certainly in the right place for that!" Bilbo chuckled.

"My family called me a fishbone," Hiccup grinned.

"But," Gandalf interrupted, "we all know that there is more to someone than what meets the eye. I remember a certain Hobbit who absolutely did not want to leave the comfort of his own home."

Bilbo then started in surprise.

"Oh gracious me, would you look at the time. Afternoon-tea! Come on, come in, both of you! I insist! Welcome! Welcome!"

Bilbo then went back inside and held the door open for them.

"This is most unusual, Gandalf. Though, usual and Gandalf do not go together at all! We both know what happened last time that you showed up bringing guests from afar! Most welcome to have you here, Mister Haddock!" Bilbo exclaimed.

It was the most amazing house on the inside. Despite being built into the hill itself and mostly underground, it was not dark inside in the least. It was filled with wooden furniture, books and scrolls, and family mementos.

Bilbo took Gandalf's staff and hat and sat them aside.

"You've caught me a bit unprepared, I'm afraid! Tea, or maybe something stronger? I have a few bottles of the old vineyard left. Twelve ninety-six. Very good year. Almost as old as I am!" Bilbo chuckled.

"Just tea, thank you!" Gandalf answered from down the hall.

"With me then if you please, Mister Haddock," Bilbo continued.

Hiccup found himself eagerly following after Bilbo toward the kitchen.

Gandalf groaned something from the main entrance.

"What shall we get you?" Bilbo kindly asked.

"Uh, I'm not too picky. The food where I am from is tough and tasteless, so anything you have will be better."

"I see. One moment then. Feel free to look around."

Bilbo spun around and departed for the pantry. Hiccup glanced inside the pantry and gawked in amazement at how much food was inside. Hobbits certainly enjoyed their meals, given the abundance of cheese, vegetables, and breads he could see inside the pantry.

_That doesn't look tough or tasteless at all._

Hiccup then took the opportunity to look around the house as he was invited to do. There were books and random oddments strewn about on the ground. It looked like Bilbo had been doing some packing and sorting through his possessions.

_Everything is so warm, but there is also something sad about this Bag-End. Almost like it is too quiet._

Only a moment of reflection was enough for him to realize what it probably was.

_Bilbo has no family of his own. It looks like he never married or had kids. Frodo must be like an adopted son to him._

Hiccup turned aside from the living room and started for the kitchen where Bilbo was working. On the way he passed a table on which were several large, old parchments. Curiosity dragged him over to inspect the papers as Gandalf was also doing.

The one on top had many runes that he could not decipher, but it also had ornate drawings on it. Above a solitary mountain peak was an image of a large dragon, similar to a Monstrous Nightmare in appearance.

Gandalf noticed his interest.

"That is the land of Erebor, and that is a very rough depiction of Smaug. Bilbo had the distinct pleasure of speaking with that dragon before its death."

Hiccup started in surprise at hearing that detail. To think that this simple, unassuming Hobbit had once spoken with a great dragon was amazingly unexpected.

"I can make you some eggs if you'd like," Bilbo blinked in surprise at seeing him in the study with Gandalf.

"Just tea, thank you," Gandalf answered.

"Right. Oh, Mister Haddock, here is some bread and cheese for you," Bilbo handed over a large plate with half a loaf of freshly-baked bread and a hearty block of dry cheese.

The Hobbit kept the other half of the loaf for himself.

"You don't mind if I eat..." he muttered.

"Uh, not at all, it's your house and food and..." Hiccup answered.

"BILBO BAGGINS!" a new voice called from outside the front door.

Bilbo gasped, his eyes impossibly wide in terror, and slunk against the wall.

"Lobelia Sackville-Baggins... I'm not at home..." he whispered.

Hiccup and Gandalf shared an amused glance. The three of them remained silent until the unwanted guests departed. Then they followed Bilbo to the kitchen. The Hobbit was very cautiously glancing out of the windows to see if it was safe.

"I have got to get away from these confounding relatives! They never give me a moment's peace! I want to see mountains again, Gandalf, mountains, and then find some place quiet where I can finish my book... oh tea..." Bilbo retrieved the teapot.

"You mean to go through with your plan then?" Gandalf inquired after sitting down at the table.

"Yes, yes, everything is going according to plan. All the arrangements have been made."

"Frodo suspects something," Gandalf conspiratorially whispered.

Bilbo looked pleasantly amused.

"Of course he does. He's a Baggins, not some blockheaded Bracegirdle or Hardbottle..."

"You will tell him the truth, won't you. He's very fond of you..."

Bilbo shrank slightly and sighed.

"I know. He's probably come with me if I asked him, but I think that in his heart he is still in love with the Shire. The woods, the fields, and the rivers."

The hale Hobbit wandered over to the window and stared out it, lost in reflection upon something.

"Mister Bilbo, can I ask you a question?" Hiccup wondered.

Bilbo turned around and solemnly smiled at him.

"You just did, so I would say yes, you can. You may ask another."

Hiccup eagerly sat down.

"Gandalf said that you met a dragon once. Smaug. What was he like?"

Bilbo's gaze vanished from the present and went back to that meeting long ago.

"What was Smaug like? An odd question. Where to begin? He was larger than anything you can possibly imagine. Very clever as all dragons are. Loved riddles too. His eyes were very powerful. He struck a very impressive figure, sitting on a mountain of gold as he was. But I will always remember seeing him flying over Laketown off in the distance. Raining fire down on those fishermen and putting the entire city to the flame..." Bilbo sadly said.

"But why would he do that?" Hiccup gasped in horror.

"He thought those people... conspired with Dwarves against him... and because he is a dragon. Kill, burn, plunder, and hoard is what dragons do."

"I..." Hiccup paused when Gandalf put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a knowing look.

"Perhaps we should talk of more pleasant matters."

"No worries, Gandalf. There is a part of me that does like to think back to those good old days. That unexpected adventure of mine, all your doing I might add," Bilbo chuckled and pointed a finger.

"You signed the contract!" Gandalf protested.

"And you did warn me that I might not be the same if I did come back..." Bilbo sighed.

Gandalf sipped his tea, Hiccup worked on the bread, and Bilbo looked out the window again. The moment of silence built until Bilbo had enough of it and gave a heavy sigh.

"I am old, Gandalf. I know I don't look it, but I'm starting to feel it... I feel..." Bilbo put a hand in his pocket and started to pace, "thin. Sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread. I need a holiday, a very long holiday, and don't expect to return. In fact, I mean not to," Bilbo darkly added.

Then he noticed his two guests again.

"Ah, don't mind me," he dismissively waved a hand, "no reason to spoil the party!"

"Uh, excuse me Mister Bilbo, but is there a place where I could get some fish?" Hiccup asked.

"Fish? Gracious me, did you not get enough to eat just now?" Bilbo exclaimed in surprise.

"Let's just say that I really like fish and might want to get some while I'm here visiting. Is there anyone in the market I could go to?"

"The Boffins usually have a good haul. Cannot make any promises now with the party going on and all, but you might have some luck with them."

"Well, I'll be off to the market then," Hiccup announced.

"If anyone starts giving you trouble or asking too many questions, just say you are with Gandalf and Bilbo. They will let you have your space; no one will want to bother you then. Hope to see you at the party this evening," Bilbo chuckled.

"I'll see you to the door, Mister Haddock," Gandalf stood up with him.

The Wizard subtly handed him a small pouch once they got to the door.

"What is this?" Hiccup wondered.

"Some coin. You might have more need for it than I do. That should be sufficient for you to get enough fish to feed even a small dragon..." Gandalf smirked.

* * *

He was watching the swarm of dragons returning to the nest through the massive entrances. Dragons of all sizes and colors were flying back with their catches in mouth and claw. Four-legged cattle, large fish, the occasional dead human, all were food for... it.

The six-eyed monster reared up out of the gloom and darkness, its maw stretched wide to receive the food. All in the nest knew the routine. Drop a satisfying catch, and no harm will come to that dragon. Failing to bring back a sufficient catch would make the hunter into the catch.

He never brought back catches for the monster. Instead, his role that he gave himself was to protect the other dragons during the attacks from the humans' defenses. Destroying their rock-throwing thing so that more of the dragons live was what his kind was best at.

The monster looked over at him with its cruel eyes shining brightly.

_Dark one, where is my tribute? You must provide also._

He snarled softly, but then he decided against openly defying the monster. Giving up his catch this time would mean that he could probably keep the next few to himself.

His flight was quick as he carried his catch in his claws and flew out over the monster's wide maw. It was better to get this over with as soon as possible. He released his catch and strangely felt his gaze being drawn toward the monster, where he then saw...

Hiccup was falling into the monster's wide open maw... down... down...

He had dropped, abandoned, thrown off, and betrayed his dear Hiccup...

His own flight was fouled as his tailfin fell apart, sending him spinning uncontrollably toward the sharp rocks down below.

Empty.

Falling.

Screaming.

Alone.

He bellowed in fear and jumped to his feet, wings held aloft and teeth bared in defense. His breaths were very heavy, and his heart was racing as though he had just flown a full sprint.

But he was very far from that place. He had not turned on Hiccup or dropped him to his death in that monster's maw. None of that was real.

"Only a bad dream..." he whimpered and settled back down.

His tail would not stop nervously twitching. A few very short human-Hobbits eventually passed along down the road, and he remained motionless as they walked by. None of them had a chance of seeing him.

The sun continued on its flight through the sky while he waited all alone. There was nothing to do but wait, watch the clouds, and think.

_We cannot live in the wild. Hiccup needs to be around his own kind. But will any humans give me a chance?_

Grumble.

_Maybe he will have a better idea if these small humans will let me live here._

Motion eventually caught his eye, and he threw a glance down the path. A warm croon of relief followed when he saw who it was.

"Hey Toothless," Hiccup ran up to him as he hopped up to his feet.

"Hiccup, I thought you had forgotten about me," he huffed.

"Forgotten about you? Impossible. Well, I brought dinner. Hope you are hungry."

Hiccup then brought several fish out from his basket. The fish were securely tucked away in a welcoming belly a few wingbeats later. He thanked Hiccup with a brief head-nuzzling and purr.

"Thanks, bud," Hiccup chuckled.

He sat down with his head on his paws as Hiccup did the same across from him.

"Hiccup, tell me everything."

It was just after nightfall when Hiccup finally finished talking. It was all very interesting to learn about an entirely peaceful nest... city of small humans who were entirely content to live these simple lives. Learning about the very large and very bad fire-breathing dragon named Smaug was both good and bad. Bad because of the death that the dragon had caused. Good because it was definitive proof that other dragons did exist in this world.

"Did you find out if there are any other Night Furies?"

Hiccup groaned.

"Sorry, I didn't ask. They seemed to think that Smaug was the only one."

That was slightly discouraging and made his ears fall slightly.

"Ask next time please. I think we both want to know that."

Hiccup eagerly nodded in agreement.

"You got it, bud. I know what we should do now."

"What?"

His dear human's wide grin gave away what he was thinking.

"It has been too long since we went flying for fun," Hiccup explained.

He hopped to his feet and stretched his wings.

"Yes, and it is dark enough that we can fly without anyone seeing us," he observed while Hiccup hopped up onto his back.

"Oh Toothless, I forgot to ask. The saddle doesn't itch or anything if I leave it on, does it?"

He craned his neck around and intensely stared at the saddle. Then he rolled his shoulders in a shrug.

"Only a little. It is better to leave it on so that we can leave quickly if we must."

Hiccup still looked unhappy about something.

"Hiccup, we can talk later. Let us fly now."

"Yeah, you're right, bud."

He stalked out from the cover of the trees, found the nearest opening, and waited as Hiccup took his place. They launched himself skyward a moment later. His dark wings carved through the calm, dark sky with each beat that carried them both away from the ground. It was a cloudless sky on a warm night.

How they flew together was simple. A slight tilting of his wings and lean of his head indicated which direction he wished to fly. Hiccup knew what that meant for the tailfin, and he had no difficulty following along. It probably happened without any thought by now. It was as if Hiccup was not simply riding on him but instead was truly part of the flight.

There was something else that caught his attention. Far away and towards where Hiccup had gone during the day, there was a very bright gathering of the Hobbits outside. There had to be hundreds of them gathered in the same place.

He angled to glide with the wind to allow them to talk.

"What are they doing?"

"They are having a birthday party for Bilbo."

"Birth? You mean hatching?"

A finger flicked one of his ears.

"Silly. Humans and Hobbits do not lay eggs," Hiccup chuckled.

That knowledge almost made him fall from the sky in shock.

"No eggs? Where do hatchlings come from?" he warbled in confusion.

"They, uh, come out of the... mom's belly... no egg needed," Hiccup stammered.

_Hiccup, you are very silly sometimes. And about that..._

"We should find a female for you, Hiccup."

"What?"

Hiccup forgot to attend to the tailfin for a few wingbeats and almost fouled their flight.

"Yes, you find one, impress her, take her as your mate, and make her a... dam."

"Toothless! No! That is not... how it works..."

"That is exactly how it works," he grinned back over his shoulder.

"Thank you for nothing! You useless reptile!"

He tucked his wings in tightly for a spin. The world had whipped around them more times than he could count by the time he threw wide his wings again.

"Why... would you... do that..." Hiccup groaned.

He only laughed a throaty laugh, one which Hiccup eventually echoed. They were both feeling the pure joy and freedom of flight.

Then the night sky became filled with bursts of light which drew both of their gazes. Bright flashes of colored fire appeared over the party and were followed by loud, crashing bangs moments later.

"What are those?" he wondered.

"Those are called fireworks. Gandalf makes them from rocks that turn into fire in the sky, or something like that."

He shivered at the mention of that man-thing, Gandalf. Humans did not have strange powers. Anything that had unnatural powers, such as knocking someone down by pointing a big stick at them as Gandalf had done with Hiccup, was suspicious. However, Gandalf had shown that he could be trustworthy and did not seem to have any rotted thinking.

Another of the fireworks exploded high in the sky. But something very strange happened with this one. The fire that appeared in the sky came together into a shape... with wings!

He blinked and stared in wonder until the dragon made of living fire turned in the sky and dove toward the Hobbits. He was not sure what to think about that.

"Hiccup, should we do something?"

"No, I'm sure this is also Gandalf's doing."

They watched together until the fire-dragon dove down over the Hobbits, sending many of them visibly tumbling to the ground in likely alarm. Then the glowing shape spun wildly, flew out over the water, and exploded in a series of bright flashes.

"Wow! That was amazing!" Hiccup shouted.

Toothless purred in approval and roared softly. They were still far enough away that there was no chance Hobbits would hear it. Then he had an idea.

"Some dragonfire can do that also! Like mine!"

He then fired a glowing shot ahead of himself.

Hiccup watched the blue ball of fire that soared ahead and then imploded on itself.

_Toothless, what did you just do?_

The shot exploded in a bright flash which they both flew through in the next instant.

"Toothless! Why did you do that? I'm not fireproof like you!"

Toothless stiffened under him and glanced back at him with a wry grin.

"Sorry, I forgot that you are not a dragon..."

Hiccup brushed his hair to make sure it was not on fire. Then he checked to make sure that he still had his eyebrows. He did.

"An easy mistake to make, I am sure. Well, I hope they didn't see us."

Toothless nervously chuckled.

"They would probably think it was another firework or something," Hiccup added.

* * *

Hiccup leaned back against Toothless's warm side, partly sheltered under a wing, as they both watched the distant festivities. They were resting on a grassy ridge far from Hobbiton. The party tent and lights in the party tree were brightly visible, as were all the tiny, moving figures at the party. The distant drone of voices was barely audible to them both.

Toothless purred softly in contentment while watching the distant activity.

"I still think you should go join them, Hiccup."

"Nah, I'd rather be here with you, bud. I'm not hungry, and I'd only be a stranger to them right now. And..."

A brief silence followed.

"And what?"

Hiccup sighed.

"We will find out what our place is in this world eventually. Hobbits look like people who keep to themselves and do not care much for strangers. Not like they are violent, no, they just like the quiet and simple life."

"That is good of them," Toothless agreed.

Hiccup reached up and rested an arm on Toothless's neck, which he then gave a gentle scratch.

"As nice as they are... none of them are like my family."

"Family," Toothless hummed softly.

"Yeah, I never had a real family either. No brothers or sisters. Mom was taken by a dragon when I was a baby. Dad lived for the tribe once I turned out to be small and such a disappointment. I was alone in the middle of an entire tribe."  
Hiccup sighed and closed his eyes.

"But you gave me a chance after our first meeting. All the time playing down in the cove together, our forbidden friendship. Those days look so different now, knowing how smart you are and always were, even if you couldn't talk back then. That you are so like me..."

"What do you mean?" Toothless softly asked.

"I mean," Hiccup sighed, "playing rough like we did in the cove and teasing each other, that is something that family does. Something that brothers do."

Toothless looked down at his paws and hummed into the resulting silence.

"Brothers... I like that... I was always alone in the nest," he whispered while Hiccup rubbed his neck.

Both pairs of green eyes found each other.

"Never again, Toothless. Brother?"

Hiccup held out a palm toward Toothless's nose as he did months ago. Toothless leaned into the gesture with a soft purr and no hesitation.

"Always."

Neither of them said anything else as the evening continued. They rested together in warmth while observing the festivities far away. Hiccup fell asleep at some point, being very tired after a long day.

Toothless was entirely content to hold his human... brother close. It was still a good but strange idea. Nestmate brothers learn about life from the other and make each other stronger. But they were slightly different because they both need the other now and probably always. Hiccup would always be smaller than other humans, and he himself would need Hiccup to be able to fly at all.

Not to mention they were different types of life.

_Hiccup, I do not think anything like this has happened before._

He closed his eyes with a soft sigh.

The warmth of night and the distant sounds slowly faded, leaving nothing else behind except a faint whispering.

He was unaware of lifting his head with a soft growl and staring down the ridge toward where all the Hobbits were gathered.

A calling...

A neediness...

Something wrapping claws around his heart...

Something wanted to bring him there...

It was a place he had to go right now...

To be bound in the darkness...

To find what was precious...

Precious...

Precious..

He shuffled in place, ready to get up and answer the calling when he felt Hiccup shift at his side.

He blinked.

Hiccup?

His best friend?

His brother?

What was precious?

Who was precious?

Precious.

He blinked in surprise, shook his head, and focused on Hiccup's calm breathing under his wing. That faint whispering faded and then vanished entirely, leaving only the warmth of night and the distant sounds from the gathering of Hobbits.

"That was... strange," he softly grumbled.

Something about what had happened, whatever it was, felt familiar but also not. He could not place that strange feeling before the peace of sleep came over him.


	6. Under Hill

Under Hill

* * *

A loud clip-clop sound echoed through the night, breaking the quiet and peace. Toothless lifted his head in surprise, blinked away the sleepiness, and looked toward the road where a shadowed figure was approaching on horseback.

_Who would... that looks like the Wizard..._

He barked loudly enough to be heard. His suspicion was confirmed when the man stopped his mount, hopped down, and started toward them.

He bent down under his wing and nudged Hiccup awake with his nose.

"Hiccup, wake up."

"Hrmnnnn... Toooothelless... why'd ya wake me up?" Hiccup yawned widely and batted at the offending nose.

"Get up. Gandalf wants to see us."

Hiccup seemed to better wake up at that. They both got to their feet and stretched. All the while Gandalf strode toward them quite quickly, his robes swaying about him in the gentle breeze.

"There you two are! I hoped I would find you here," Gandalf muttered as he came to stand beside them.

"We didn't think we'd see you out here," Hiccup yawned.

"My apologies for waking you, but... there is something..." Gandalf muttered and went silent.

He seemed very disturbed by something as he stared back across the fields toward the party tree and the tent. Most of the Hobbits that had been down in the party had left, and most of the lights had faded.

The silence stretched out between them.

"So, Gandalf, how did the party go?" Hiccup eventually asked while leaning against Toothless's side.

Gandalf merely stared at them for a long moment. Then he seemed to remember who he was with.

"The party... gracious me, yes, the party was more eventful than I thought it would be. Bilbo's speech was... let's just say that it was not so clear what he was trying to say at times... and he was quite transparent... at other times."

The Wizard chuckled to himself, sighed heavily, and leaned on his staff.

"They will be talking about that one for generations, I am sure. But I wanted to talk to you both before I leave."

"You are leaving, but you only just got here today!" Hiccup objected in surprise.

"Yes, and I must leave now. There are... questions that need answering."

"I... don't understand..."

Gandalf chuckled at that.

"Frodo said the same thing. Actually, if you would both be willing, would you stay here for now and... keep an eye on Frodo for me?"

"Frodo? The Hobbit I have not met?" Toothless wondered.

"Yes, you don't need to worry about him either. I told him a bit about you, Master Haddock, and that you have a friend whom he might want to meet. That this friend has wings and a tail will be a surprise to him, but you should have no problem with Frodo. He is a bit different for a Hobbit, as you may have noticed. Somewhat of a dreamer at heart."

"Is there any reason why you want us to keep an eye on him?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes, there is," Gandalf gruffly answered.

The Wizard then stared at him without saying anything else.

"Alright then, so... uh, I guess we will be sticking around here for a while. In secret, probably."

"That would be for the best, yes," Gandalf agreed.

"When will you be back?" Toothless then asked.

"That I do not know. It will be several weeks at least. Just stay here, both of you, try not to draw attention to yourselves, unless it is good attention, and keep an eye on Frodo for me. Bilbo has already left to stay with the Elves. Frodo can explain more. And Toothless, I do want to speak more to you in the future."

"Me too. I have many questions for you, Wizard!" he answered with his tail tapping impatiently.

Gandalf then spun away from them and strode with haste back to his horse. He jumped with surprising grace up onto the horse, which then sped away through the darkness and was gone.

"What was that about?" Toothless hummed in confusion.

"No idea. Wizard things?"

Toothless shrugged.

"What do we do now?" he asked.

Hiccup started pacing, now fully awake despite how late it was.

"I think I should go talk to Frodo. Maybe he will tell me a bit more about what is going on."

Toothless then crouched down and expectantly looked at him.

"I will fly you there."

"Uh, we don't want you getting seen, bud."

Toothless gave him a withering glare and then laughed.

"Hiccup, what am I?"

"Hungry for fish?"

"Yes, but not that..." Toothless blinked.

"Sleepy?"

"Hiccup, I am a Night Fury... a Night... Fury..."

Dark wings spread wide and seemed to meld into the surrounding darkness.

"Oh, right, how could I forget?" Hiccup sheepishly grinned.

Toothless huffed in amusement.

"I know how to never show myself and to not be seen in the dark. You just tell me where to go. Actually..." he grumbled as Hiccup climbed on his back.

"How did you see me when you shot me down?"

Hiccup winced at yet another reminder of that.

"I, uh, it was more that I heard you making that shriek you make on an attack..."

Snort.

"Most humans run away screaming when they hear that," Toothless grumbled.

"Yeah, yay for me. Anyway, I was waiting for the gods to give me something to shoot at, heard your attack coming, saw the tower you were going to hit, and then I saw your shadow in the sky. I guess it was just luck that I hit you."

"Good luck, I say!" Toothless huffed.

They took to the dark sky a moment later. The few lights of Hobbiton still burned brightly in the darkness, likely from the little continued merriment following the party or maybe from the cleanup. Many fields of green plants and grazing or dozing animals passed underwing.

"There, that one," Hiccup pointed toward Bag-End after a short, peaceful flight.

Toothless took a moment to inspect the underground den while circling above. It was dug somewhat under a hill slightly away from any other columns of smoke or faint lights. Isolated. That was good. There was also a tree that cast dark shadows on the ground above the den. The tree had thick branches. That was also good.

"I can hide near it while you go in the den," Toothless rumbled back.

"Alright, remember that Gandalf said I should bring Frodo to meet you? He is the same Hobbit who was on the wagon."

Toothless's ears lifted in eagerness.

"That would be good. I have not met a Hobbit."

Toothless tucked his wings and dove toward the hill. He threw wide his wings and touched down almost silently on the darker side of the hill away from the front door. Then he crouched down low and went still as Hiccup hopped off.

"Alright, stay here. I'll bring him to see you soon."

Toothless nodded and purred softly as he leaned into Hiccup's hand. Then he spun away and trotted up the slope toward the large tree. Hiccup then went around Bag-End to the front door, savoring the quiet and peace of night as he did so.

_Alright, time to see what all the fuss was about..._

He knocked on the green, circular door a couple times and then waited. There were lights within, so it seemed that Frodo was still awake. The door swung open inwards a moment later to reveal Frodo himself, looking quite confused at something but also pleased to see him.

"Mister Haddock, there you are. I was wondering when you might show up. Gandalf said he was going to go looking for you before he left. Please come in."

He did so and joined Frodo in the living room by taking a spare chair in front of the crackling fireplace. Frodo strolled over and took the chair nearest the chest in the foyer.

"I did not see you are the party, Mister Haddock."

"Yeah, I had something else to do this evening. How was the party?" Hiccup tried to deflect the question.

"Very eventful. Plenty of dancing, drinking, eating, and one... special speech. I... don't know how he did that or if it was a trick of the light. Anyway, I hope you did not come here to see my Uncle Bilbo. He has left to go to Rivendell to stay with the Elves. Bag-End and everything in it," Frodo paused and frowned with a glance toward a chest, "is mine now."

"That is very good of him. Yeah, I did know. I ran into Gandalf on the road as he was leaving."

Frodo nodded, got up, and brought back a couple cups of warm tea, one of which he handed over. Then the Hobbit addressed him.

"It is a pity that Gandalf needed to leave so soon. I have heard it said 'Never meddle in the affairs of Wizards', but something that Gandalf said to me was most odd. He said that you have a friend whom I would especially want to meet."

"What did he say?" Hiccup was curious to hear exactly what Frodo knew.

"He told me that I can trust you and any traveling friend of yours. He also said that I should give you accommodations as long as you stay here in the Shire, which I am more than pleased to do. He specifically said that you have a secret companion who is, and I quote, 'not as toothless as he seems'.

Hiccup burst out in laughter and clutched his sides in mirth.

_He really said that? Gods, he has a sense of humor._

He eventually got himself under control, though Frodo was looking at him in clearly amused confusion.

"Is that all he said?"

"The only other thing he told me is that I should not be afraid and I should trust you both. What is going on, Mister Haddock."

Hiccup took a long drink of the tea while considering what to do and say. Frodo was a kind soul, seemingly older and far more mature than his thirty-three years implied, and definitely would enjoy meeting Toothless. He settled on the simplest and most direct answer: the truth.

"Alright, fine. I am traveling with my best friend. Yes, he is a dragon. No, he is not like Smaug or any of the other dragons that are... bad."

Frodo's eyes seemed to grow quite wide at that answer. The Hobbit mouthed wordlessly for a moment.

"Truly? You have a dragon for a friend?"

Hiccup wryly chuckled and grinned.

"Well, I could call him a winged salamander, except he probably would not like that. Though, calling him that instead of a dragon might have helped the Vikings trust him more. My people were not the smartest in the world. Let me see: he can fly, and he has fire-breath, big wings, a tail, and a hide like soft scales. Pretty sure that makes him a dragon."

"How big is he?" Frodo eagerly asked.

"He's actually not that big for a dragon, but he's big enough that I can fly with him. You should come meet him."

Frodo seemed to pale at the suggestion.

"I don't know about that..."

"He is sitting in your backyard right now."

The teacup in Frodo's hand shook before being set down.

"There is a real dragon... here in Hobbiton? Right now? And it is a good one?"

"Yep, that pretty much sums it up. Are you ready to go meet him?" Hiccup cheerfully answered.

Frodo immediately got up from his chair and started toward the door. He was clearly very eager.

"Absolutely! You have no idea how many times Bilbo has told me the stories about his meeting with Smaug. Even if your friend is very different..."

"Oh, yeah. Toothless is nothing like that one. This is a bit strange for me too. Back where I am from everyone would try to kill my friend rather than give him a chance."

"Why would they do that?" Frodo seemed aghast as he shut the front door behind them.

"Well, things are not very peaceful back there. Trust me, you are better not knowing how bad it was there. Let's go meet my friend."

They started on the path that led around back toward the hill. The warm darkness was filled with the chirps and calls of the creatures of the night. The moon was visible high above and cast its pale blessing all around.

"Does this dragon have a name?" Frodo asked.

Hiccup was glad it was so dark that his slight blush was not visible.

"Yeah, I named him Toothless. To be fair though he has retractable teeth, so it does make sense."

"You named a dragon 'Toothless'?" Frodo huffed and crossed his arms.

"I know! I know! Not my proudest moment, but he has taken to the name. I would not give him another, as if he would accept one."

Frodo only shook his head in exasperation. Then they started up the hill toward the tree. The night was very dark, which was good because it helped Toothless stay hidden.

They walked out under the tree and looked around. There was apparently nothing there.

Toothless could hide very well when he wanted to.

"Alright, bud. Where are you?" Hiccup implored.

Again, there was nothing visible around them. Several seconds of silence passed with nothing happening. Hiccup then spun around in confusion and faced Frodo.

"He is here somewhere. I know it. He does like to tease me."

* * *

Toothless dropped out of the tree and fell to the ground without making a sound. He only did so after Hiccup had turned around to talk to the new Hobbit.

"He is here somewhere. I know it. He does like to tease me."

_You know me well, Hiccup._

"I swear, he must be here somewhere. It's not like him to just wander off..." Hiccup muttered.

He continued on through the grass, sneaking up behind Hiccup through the shadows. Then he was able to see Frodo's face over Hiccup's shoulders and head. The Hobbit's eyes went very wide as they apparently fixed on him.

"Frodo, what is the matter?" Hiccup asked.

It was a perfect opportunity with Hiccup unaware of him being there. He stretched his neck out and opened his maw, only a paw's length away from Hiccup's head. Then he paused, ready to strike and quite amused by Frodo's confused expression.

"He's right behind me, isn't he?" Hiccup groaned.

Frodo worriedly nodded.

Hiccup turned around.

He licked Hiccup across the face, getting as much drool on him as possible. Then he sat back on his rear and purred with satisfaction.

"Why... did you... do that?" Hiccup exclaimed.

"To make a good first impression," he huffed.

"By licking me?"

"It also amuses me," Toothless grinned.

"Really, bud?"

"Really..."

"Hopeless..."

"Yes, you are..."

"You could just talk like a person..."

"Boring..." Toothless waved a paw.

Hiccup waved a paw his direction and turned back to Frodo, all while wiping the drool from his face.

"Don't mind him. He is the craziest, silliest dragon I know."

He huffed indignantly, lifted a paw, and gently beat at Hiccup's head for his saying that.

"I am the only dragon that you know..."

"That too," Hiccup groaned and rolled his eyes.

Frodo erupted in laughter, a light and hearty laughter of one feeling deep amusement. Toothless could not help himself and let out a purr of his own at the sight and sound of this Hobbit's warmth.

"My apologies, good dragon," Frodo gasped once he recovered himself, "this is still quite a surprise to me."

Toothless stepped forward and crouched down to be on Frodo's level. Hobbits were very small creatures.

"And to me. Most people greet me with a sword or a roar for my death."

"Why would they do that? You are not a monster at all," Frodo frowned.

Toothless gave a wide half-grin while warbling softly.

"Well, life was not good before..." he began.

Frodo eagerly interrupted him. The Hobbit had a twisted or devious grin.

"Wait a moment, you must have a name! What is your name, Master Dragon?"

Toothless's eyes widened, and he slowly turned to stare at Hiccup.

"Hiccup, you never called me 'Master Dragon'."

"Uh, no Toothless, that sounds like something in a game that Fishlegs would play. Do not let it go to your big, scaly head!"

Toothless huffed into Hiccup's face, and that made Hiccup cough.

"I like 'Master Toothless'," he grinned.

"Not happening, bud!"

"Toothless?" Frodo exclaimed, "That is a crazy name for a dragon! Who would name a dragon that?"

Toothless huffed in agreement and pointed a paw at Hiccup.

_This Frodo Hobbit has good thinking!_

"His fault."

Frodo crossed his arms and frowned.

"His fault? What were you thinking, Mister Haddock?"

Hiccup held up both palms against the dual attack.

"In my defense, he can smile without showing any teeth, so it does work as I already said, thank you very much!"

Toothless demonstrated such a smile, much to Frodo's amusement.

"You didn't have a name before he gave you one?" Frodo wondered.

Toothless's lifted ears fell slightly at that.

"No, I never knew any other dragons like me."

"Not even your parents?"

"No," Toothless sadly hummed.

Frodo nodded at that with a strangely distant but also sympathetic look in his eyes.

"That is terrible. My parents both died long ago when I was only twelve. Drowning accident."

Frodo, perhaps encouraged by seeing Hiccup standing at Toothless's shoulder, stepped closer to him and then held out a hand toward the dragon's nose.

"Well, Master Toothless, it is my honor to meet you, a friendly dragon."

Toothless looked down at the extended paw and considered what to do with it.

_A nose-touching of trust? No. That is only something between me and Hiccup._

"What should I do?" he turned to Hiccup and asked.

"That is a handshake. It is a way that humans and Hobbits too greet each other."

_A hand-paw shake? I should shake the hand-paw? Probably._

So he bent down, closed his gummy jaws around the hand-paw, and gently shook it. Then he let go and gave a satisfied nod while wondering at the ceremony.

"Toothless, you are so special..." Hiccup groaned while holding a palm to his forehead.

He curled his tail around and batted Hiccup in the head in revenge.

"Yes, Hiccup. I am special."

"What is this thing you have with physically attacking me?"

Toothless deeply chuckled, walked around, and rested his chin on Hiccup's shoulder.

"What did you say about us playing that way, Hiccup?"

Hiccup's frustration melted at that reminder, and he put a hand on Toothless's neck.

"True."

"You really are best friends," Frodo warmly observed.

"Yes, and more," Toothless answered.

"More?"

Hiccup nodded.

"Brothers. At least I think that is what we are. Neither of us ever had a brother by blood," Hiccup explained.

Frodo nodded.

"Sometimes I wish I knew what that was like. Though, Samwise and I are very good friends too. We have dreamed of taking adventures all over together and seeing the wide world someday," Frodo whispered.

A warm moment of quiet followed that.

"Frodo, Gandalf seemed spooked by something as he was leaving. What was it?" Hiccup wondered.

Frodo grimaced and frowned at that question.

"I'm not sure about that. He wanted... something kept secret and safe."

Hiccup nodded in understanding. Everything that had happened made a lot more sense.

_Yeah, he would want me and Toothless to stay hidden for now._

Frodo continued.

"Gandalf has always been a bit odd like that. Suddenly disappearing for a long time, doing... Wizard things. All he said was that he had questions that needed answering. I have learned, as I said before, that one does not meddle in the affairs of Wizards. Oh, Hiccup, you are indeed welcome in my guest room for as long as you need," Frodo added.

Hiccup was stunned and quite surprised at this generosity.

"Thanks, Frodo. That is very kind of you. What about Toothless?"

Frodo again regarded Toothless while deep in thought.

"I would not have a problem with you staying here outside Bag-end. You don't really fit inside. Other Hobbits might not be so pleased if they find out you are here."

"Let me guess, I should stay hidden to not scare anyone?" Toothless groaned, his tail going still at his side.

Frodo stepped closer to him without any hesitation.

"We Hobbits generally like the quiet life. Anything outside the normal we don't do well with. Especially big things that can eat Hobbits," he wryly grinned.

Toothless snorted at that and gave a weary sigh.

"Is there nowhere I can go because of what I am?"

"They wouldn't hurt him. Would they?" Hiccup worried.

"No, I don't think they could if they tried. He could just fly away."

Hiccup and Toothless winced at that.

"Actually," Toothless lifted his tail and curled it around to display it, "I cannot fly on my own."

"No, why not?" Frodo sadly exclaimed.

Toothless spoke up before Hiccup could say anything.

"Because I was hurt in fighting long ago. I lost a tailfin to a human trap. I cannot fly well at all now since I am missing a tailfin. Hiccup made me a new one."

"Oh, that is a new tailfin?" Frodo stared at the prosthetic.

Hiccup warily smiled.

"Yep, I made it myself for him."

"And that is why he flies with me. He controls the not-real tailfin, and we fly together," Toothless purred.

"That is amazing! May I touch it?" Frodo nodded toward the real tailfin on the ground before him.

Toothless lifted the tailfin for him to see and feel. Frodo gently ran his fingers across the thin, leathery skin.

"I had no idea that dragons feel so... soft and warm. Not at all scaly and cold."

Toothless laughed freely at that, a deep and throaty laughter.

"Not all dragons are like me."

Hiccup added a chuckle of his own.

"Yeah, that is true. The Gronkles are like rough, living rocks. The Monstrous Nightmares are somewhat slimy, which we think might be why they can set themselves on fire. Deadly Nadders are like overgrown, playful birds. Zipplebacks have two heads and can make lots of fire with their gas."

Something he said made Frodo very excited.

"Do you have fire, Toothless?" Frodo eagerly asked.

Toothless smirked and purred very smugly.

"Do I have fire? Yes, but I do not think I should show you now," he glanced around at the lights of other Hobbit dens.

"True, that would probably be seen. Toothless, what do you eat?" Frodo asked.

"Fish," was the immediate response.

"And deer," Hiccup added.

Toothless then sheepishly grinned with a faint warble.

"Basically, if it is on four legs, I will eat it if I must. Not other dragons or two legs though..."

Frodo nodded with slight reassurance at that.

"Well, Hiccup, I will give you coin to get fish for him in the market, if you would like."

"That would help a lot, thank you, Frodo. You are very generous."

"Of course, any friend of Gandalf's is a friend of mine. Especially a friendly dragon."

Toothless inclined his head toward the Hobbit and purred softly.

"And Toothless," Frodo continued, "I will even make some bacon and sausage for you."

Toothless's eyeridges lifted in an unspoken question.

"You've never had bacon and sausage?" Frodo asked in disbelief.

"No, are those a kind of fish?" Toothless warbled.

"That does it! I will make you my famous Hobbit-made bacon and sausage! A proper breakfast or second breakfast if you would like!"

Toothless nodded and licked his lips.

"That sounds good. Uh, what should we do now?" Hiccup wondered.

Frodo again looked somewhat wary at that question which reminded them of the problem facing them all right now. It would not be good for a dragon to be found in the Shire.

"Where have you been staying, Toothless?"

"The forest by the road."

"You might want to stay hidden there for now. In the meantime, I will think about what we might do to get you into the Shire openly."

Both Hiccup and Toothless blinked and gasped at that.

"What?" "Really?"

Frodo nodded.

"Yes, there must be a way to do this without scaring everyone too much. Let me think about it. Mister Haddock, are you ready to turn in for the night?"

Hiccup turned back to Toothless.

"Bud, do you think you can find the way on your own?"

"Yes, I can. It is dark enough that no one will see me."

Toothless then rested a paw on Hiccup's shoulder, purred softly, spun around, and jumped with a sweep of his wings as he glided into the night. They both watched as a dark blur darted and dashed through the night's shadows, making its way into the distance toward the forest. Then the blur completely melded into the darkness.

"He is amazing," Frodo whispered.

"Yes, he is."

"And he truly cannot fly on his own?"

Hiccup shrugged slightly.

"He can glide somewhat as you just saw. The wings give him lift, but the tailfins keep flight stable and let him control turns."

Frodo remained staring out into the night in evident awe for a full minute.

"It is amazing that you built something to help him fly again at all. You must tell me more about your home and the other dragons where you are from, if you do not mind. May I show you to your room, Mister Haddock?"

* * *

Toothless lay down in the shade by the edge of the forest and stared up into the sky. The dark night sky in which he had once glided and soared in darkness for simple pleasure. Whenever he could find the strength of will to resist the Monster's control enough to leave the nest, at least.

_This land is very different. It does not seem like there are many dragons at all here._

He lay his head on his paws and stared up at the bright moon.

_At least it is much warmer here._

Sigh.

_That Frodo seems like a kind little human Hobbit thing. It is good of him to let Hiccup stay in his den. I wonder what he will do to introduce me to his pack._

He remained awake much later into the night, looking to the sky all the while in the hope that he might hear the beat of wings or see a shadow darting across the sky. A single sign that he was not alone in this world would so greatly warm his soul-fire. To see wings passing through the sky against the bright moon would prove that he was not alone in this world.

But neither happened.

Then he sighed with resignation and vanished under a dark wing.

* * *

Standing in the warm, cozy, and somewhat small guest room, though it was built with Hobbits in mind, Hiccup looked around and gave a weary sigh. He inspected the simple and small bed, the chest for clothing, the wooden rocking chair, the various paintings hung on the walls, and the crackling fireplace.

One by one he snuffed out the lit candles.

_What a place. I wonder why no one on Berk ever thought to build underground. It would be almost completely fireproof as well as warmer in the winter._

His thoughts turned to the peacefulness of life here in the Shire.

_It is so simple here. I really hope that Frodo can think of something to help Toothless live here freely. Though, I will need to figure something out also. There has to some type of work I could do._

Brief reflection on his own abilities gave him one clear occupation he could easily pursue.

_Maybe I can help out with blacksmithing. Every people needs someone to repair weapons... or farm equipment here, I guess. Toothless could help with farming or heavy work._

He yawned widely and stretched his limbs, suddenly feeling the exhaustion of a very long day filled with encounters. He met a Wizard on the road, introduced said Wizard to Toothless under very tense circumstances, met his first Hobbits, introduced Frodo to Toothless, and was now staring in exhaustion at the warm, inviting bed.

Then he fell facefirst into the bed and snuggled under the soft, warm covers.

Silence followed except for the crackle of the fireplace and the occasional noise from Frodo out in the living room or kitchen.

There was no sound of soft purring or breath like large bellows near him. There was no wing protectively draped over him.

Even though he was in a bed of his own, it still felt different, this being his first time truly away from his best friend in a few weeks.

_Toothless, we will find a way to get you accepted here. It shouldn't be hard since Hobbits are a peaceful people. It's not like we will need to fight anything._

* * *

_**Author's Note – As I am sure you are all aware, about seventeen years pass between Gandalf's Book departure and his final determination that the Ring is the One. I will be speeding that up a lot by supposing that Gandalf heads straight to Minas Tirith to review some ancient tomes and that the search for Gollum already happened.**_

_**This chapter contains a clear reference to a one-shot humor fic that one of my betas wrote. Did any of you catch the reference?**_


	7. The Green Dragon

The Green Dragon

* * *

"Come on, Mister Haddock, it will be good for you to get out of Bag-end!" Frodo exclaimed from the other room.

Hiccup groaned softly. He did not particularly want to go outside. Not when he had all these intricate maps to look over and compare to the little he knew of the mainland.

"I would rather just look at these maps."

_Still can't figure out where exactly I am. The mainland is confusing._

Frodo strolled into the living room, crossed his arms, and scowled amicably.

"Oh, no you don't! You spent the entire day inside doing nothing but looking over those maps. That's too much like Bilbo! You need to stop all this..." Frodo waved a hand his direction.

"You just gestured to all of me..."

"Yes, and you are coming down for some Hobbit-brewed ale!"

Hiccup reconsidered his isolation at that suggestion, having already heard a great deal about the brews of the Shire and the merriment of how much Hobbits liked to party.

"Even better, you get to meet my friends," Frodo added with a merry grin.

That made it even more tempting. Any friend of Frodo's was likely to be a good person and might be someone who he could introduce to Toothless eventually. Being honest with himself, he was very excited to meet more of the Hobbits. But he was also a little worried that he wouldn't be liked. His interaction with Hobbiton Hobbits so far had been limited to a very brief and awkward visit to the market and his time with Bilbo and Frodo, neither of whom were normal.

He had indeed spent the whole day inside.

"Alright, alright, you win. Oh, Frodo, Hiccup is fine. No need for Mister Haddock."

"Very well then, Mister Hiccup," Frodo deviously grinned.

"That's not what I... really?"

Frodo just laughed and threw on his evening coat from the closet.

Hiccup pulled himself away from the old papers and followed Frodo out the door after putting on his traveling cloak. It was rather late in the day, and many other Hobbits were also making their way into town. The evening gathering was definitely a tradition given how many Hobbits were meeting up and having conversations along the way.

Frodo nudged him in the side.

"To tell you the truth, I am not sure where they get the ale from. I mean, Bilbo's party almost emptied the stores of all the supplies from here to the Southfarthing," Frodo chuckled.

"It did look like a very big party."

"A shame that you didn't join us for it, but I understand that you had a friend to be with."

Hiccup groaned.

"I just wish that he didn't have to stay hidden and alone."

He fell silent when they passed a few Hobbits loitering on the path and speaking to each other. They all gasped in surprise and stared at him as he and Frodo passed by, Frodo politely greeting them by name.

_Swarmed by adoring fans..._

In fairness to them, it was probably not often that they saw someone like him in the Shire. The nearest tall folk were probably those over in Buckland.

"Where are we going again?"

Frodo clapped him on the shoulder.

"Down to the Bywater and to our greatest ale house and inn. You will love its name too. The Green Dragon!"

Hiccup started in surprise at that.

_Wait, what?_

"The Green Dragon? Where did that name come from?"

Frodo shrugged.

"No idea. It has been called that for generations. All my friends should be there tonight; they're probably there right now."

They continued on through the warm evening toward the crowd disappearing into the establishment. Everything looked bright and warm in Hobbiton proper.

"Uh, should I expect anything? I'm kind of going to be the only non-Hobbit there."

"You might get some strange looks. Just be friendly, drink a lot, spend my coin, and tell some stories if you must. I'll handle the rest," Frodo reassured him.

_Me get some strange looks? Well, never had that happen before..._

He squared his shoulders, followed Frodo inside The Green Dragon, and was immediately assaulted by the din of laughter, the smell of food and pipe-smoke, and a number of curious stares.

_Gods, I am the tallest person here. Definitely never thought that would be possible._

More strange stares, pointed fingers, and hushed whispering followed as he and Frodo made their way through the crowd.

"Ted, Sam!" Frodo shouted and made his way over to a corner table where a pair of Hobbits sat smoking together near the fire.

They took the empty spots next to the two Hobbits.

"Ted Sandyman, Samwise Gamgee, this is... one of Bilbo's friends from afar, Mister Haddock."

Hiccup took Sam's offered hand and politely nodded at Ted across the table.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mister Haddock sir," Sam mildly said.

Sam looked extraordinarily plain and simple, though that was not uncommon for Hobbits. He had curly hair and was just a little plump, also a common characteristic for Hobbits, while also being sturdy and strong.

"Same to you, Mister Gamgee. What do you do in the Shire?"

"I am a... gardener," Sam answered, though there was something else that Hiccup thought was oddly familiar in his voice.

Frodo clapped Sam on the shoulder.

"One of our oldest and most honored of professions, I would add. Ted here works at the mill and the forge, if we can call what he does 'work'," Frodo chuckled.

"Bah, you're one to talk. What do you even do other than read books? Just living off the mountains of gold hidden in Bag-end, I say!" Ted retorted with a friendly grin.

"There are no mountains of gold. There were a few chests that smelled of troll, but most of those are empty now. How many times must I say that?" Frodo chuckled to himself.

"Keep your secrets then. What about you, Mister Haddock? It's not often we have Men in the Shire," Ted asked.

"I wanted to come visit the Shire... and see Bilbo. I heard that this is a very peaceful place. You see, I'm from far away where everything is cold and grey and not so peaceful."

Ted laughed at that.

"We wouldn't know anything about that. Everything beyond our borders is none of our concern. We like to keep our noses out of trouble. We were just talking here about the things folk are saying these days," Ted cryptically whispered when he was interrupted.

A Hobbit maid with her golden hair in curls came over to the table. There were bright ribbons in her hair.

"Can I get you gentlehobbits anything to drink?" she sweetly asked.

"Ales on me all around the table! Cheers, Rosie," Frodo eagerly answered.

Hiccup noticed that Sam wilted and looked away when Rosie was at the table. He caught Frodo's eye, and Frodo subtly nodded at Sam while Sam was looking away.

_Ah, I see what is going on here._

"What are the folk saying these days, Sam, Ted?" Frodo then said while putting his elbows on the table and his head on his hands.

Ted leaned in conspiratorially and huffed on his pipe.

"There's talk of very queer folk passing through the Shire now. Dwarves and others of a less-than-savory nature."

Sam looked back at them from wherever he had been staring.

"Stories are that the mountains are filled with Goblins," Sam added.

"Goblins, what nonsense. Next, you're going to say that you saw a real dragon," interrupted a stranger who must have had a lot to drink already, "You're beginning to sound like that old Bilbo Baggins. Absolutely cracked, that one was!"

Sam was visibly upset by that.

"Hal, what do you know? I reckon there's more truth in the stories than you think. The stories had to come from somewhere. We know that dragons are real even if they thankfully don't live here!" Sam answered while vigorously pointing a finger.

Hiccup and Frodo both subtly stiffened while the drunk Hobbit wandered off to insert himself in another conversation.

Ted dismissively waved Hal away.

"Hal's too far gone tonight. I'd agree that Bilbo was crazy, yes, but crazy in a good way."

Hiccup thought it was a very good opportunity to ask a question he had been wondering about.

"What do you or other Hobbits think about dragons?"

Ted shrugged.

"Oh, I heard tales of them when I was a lad, but now, no sir. I've grown up and left behind those childish stories. I say there's no reason to think those things are anything more than stories."

"They're real though!" Sam added, "And it might be amazing to see one... from very far away... of course!"

Ted then slapped a hand on the table.

"There is only one dragon in the Shire, and that one is Green!" Ted chuckled to general laughter around the table.

And a pair of wry grins.

Rosie chose that moment to return with four large mugs filled to the brim with foamy ale. All four at the table chose a mug, clanged them together, and took a hearty swig. While not one much for drinking back on Berk, Hiccup could not help but savor the smooth taste of the Hobbit amber ale. It was not at all tasteless.

_This tastes much better than what we had back on Berk..._

"Anyhow, it is no concern of ours what goes on beyond our borders. Keep your nose out of trouble and no trouble will come to you," Ted advised with a long swig from his mug.

They all nodded in easy agreement.

_I totally agree. The world wants peace and these Hobbits have the answer. Very different from Vikings up in the Archipelago. The tribes would probably be fighting each other or the mainland even if there were no dragons up there to keep them busy._

"I heard that the Elves are going West to the Havens," Sam whispered.

"That's nothing new. They've been doing that for generations," Ted pointed out.

"I know. They are sailing, sailing, sailing over the Sea; they are going into the West and leaving us," Sam shook his head and sighed solemnly.

That sounded very strange.

"What do you mean that they are going into the West?" Hiccup asked.

Frodo and Sam shared a solemn glance before Sam answered.

"Gandalf could explain it better. All I know is that they are going to their true home beyond the edge of the world. It is a place that can only be found by those who know where it is or have permission to go there or something like that," Sam tried to explain.

That explanation didn't help much.

_Maybe I should ask about that the next time I see Gandalf._

The incessant muttering and laughter suddenly stilled.

He glanced over his shoulder as a pair of Hobbits stood up on a table and turned towards each other. Each of them held a mug in a free hand.

Frodo leaned toward Hiccup and whispered to him.

"Two more friends of mine. Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took. They go by Merry and Pippin."

Then the two Hobbits locked arms and started dancing on the table, likely carried away by a festive spirit and many mugs of ale already imbibed.

"Sing hey! For the bath at close of day... that washes the weary mud away!... A loon is he that will not sing:... O! Water Hot is a noble thing!"

"O! Sweet is the sound of falling rain,... and the brook that leaps from hill to plain;... but better than rain or rippling stream... is Water Hot that smokes and steams!"

"O! Water cold we may pour at need... down a thirsty throat and be glad indeed;... but better is Beer, if drink we lack,... and Water Hot poured down the back!"

A round of cheering went up that, and the two Hobbits downed their mugs before tossing them away.

Hiccup laughed and smiled at the innocent revelry. These two Hobbits were very jovial and lighthearted. Still, seeing the laughter and dancing brought up bittersweet memories of previous years' Snoggletog festivals in the Great Hall or other such celebrations.

"This almost reminds me of home."

"Does it?" Frodo whispered.

"The good parts at least," he clarified.

"You'll have to tell me about it later, but now is the time for laughter, music, and drinking!" Frodo eagerly finished.

The two standing Hobbits were handed fresh mugs. Pippin started singing anew.

"Hey! Ho! To the bottle I go. To heal my heart and drown my woe. Rain may fall and wind may blow, but there still be many miles to go. Sweet is the sound of the pouring rain, and the stream that falls from hill to plain. Better than rain or rippling brook IS A MUG OF BEER INSIDE THIS TOOK!"

Louder cheering followed as half the audience got to their feet and stamped in approval.

"Oh, really! You want to play that game? Fine!" Merry roared and began his lay.

"Oh, you can search far and wide! You can drink the whole town dry, but you'll never find a beer so brown... as the one we drink in our hometown. You can drink your fancy ales! You can drink them by the flagon, but the only brew for the brave and true... comes from from THE GREEN DRAGON!"

Raucous cheering followed that as everyone flew to their feet and clapped in acclaim. Some of them even fell onto the floor. Both Hobbits standing on the table bowed profusely and waved at the table where Frodo, Hiccup, Sam, and Ted were sitting.

"I win!" "I win!"

"Did not!" Merry objected.

"Did too!" Pippin objected.

"Let's settle this..." Merry began.

"... with a drinking contest!" Pippin finished.

The two Hobbits nodded in agreement, jumped down from the table, and ran off to refill their mugs.

"Are those two always like that?" Hiccup wondered in mirth.

"Pretty much. Trust a Brandybuck and a Took to provide amusement no matter what," Frodo explained.

"They almost remind me of another pair from back... home. A brother and sister. Absolutely absurd, those two were," Hiccup mused.

While the Twins had joined in the teasing of him, their humor was more directed toward the absurd and toward the joke itself, not truly in any malice toward the one the joke was on. Plus, they teased, pranked, and abused themselves far worse than anyone else.

"Well, good gentlehobbits, I must be off to home and the Missus. To your good health, a quiet life in which nothing unexpected ever happens, and my best regards to you Mister Haddock," Ted cheerfully excused himself and saw himself out the door.

Frodo eagerly turned to Sam the moment Ted was gone.

"Sam, did you talk to her yet?"

Sam's cheeks immediately turned crimson, and he took another long swig of ale.

"No, I haven't spoken..."

"And why not, pray-tell?"

"Mister Frodo, I am only a lowly gardener."

"And the Cotton family are all farmers. So what? Who cares?" Frodo nudged him.

"Why would she like me? I'm nothing much special," Sam sighed.

"Don't sell yourself short, Sam. You are fond of Elven poetry and stories..."

Hiccup was so seated that he could see the counter behind which Rosie kept going to refill mugs from giant barrels. She was very focused on her work, but she did cast the occasional glance their direction. Likely in Sam's direction.

_Did Astrid ever do that with me in the Great Hall? Probably not. She was all for training and fighting only. Always serious. Rosie is probably happier in general because of how good the Shire is. Maybe Astrid would have been happier if things had changed on Berk._

"Did she enjoy the dance at the party the other day?" Frodo continued.

"Well, yes, but..."

"Did she dance with anyone else at all?"

"Well, no, but..."

Frodo laughed and cuffed Sam on the shoulder.

"You'll figure it out eventually, Sam. Even if you have to go on some grand adventure first! Who knows what kind of spooky monsters are out there in the beyond?"

"What is out there?" Hiccup asked.

"Trolls, Goblins, big wolves, big spiders," Frodo teasingly waved his fingers at the shuddering Sam, "and those are just the ones my uncle Bilbo met!"

Hiccup coughed and sputtered on the ale in total surprise.

_Wait, trolls exist?_

"Don't have to go that far outside the Shire to find something that gives me the creeps. The Barrow-downs," Sam mumbled.

Both Hobbits shivered at the name.

"What are the Barrow-downs?" Hiccup asked.

Frodo reluctantly answered after a moment of consideration.

"To the East just past the Old Forest. They are a plain with low hills and many old tombs of men. Travelers who go through there say that there is a wight that lives in the tombs."

"A wight?"

Frodo nodded and explained.

"Some fell spirit laid claim to those tombs, so the story goes. Most Hobbits stay far away from there, and some have been lost through the years. They wandered into the mist and were never seen again. It is probably the only place anywhere nearby that Hobbits are truly afraid of."

Sam nodded in agreement.

"Folk have been seeing strange things near there and in the Old Forest for as long as anyone can remember. Shadowy shapes, talking trees, and other unmentionable things," Sam whispered.

_Talking trees? Yeah, right..._

"No one admits openly that the wight is real, but everyone who has been there has felt the chill and seen the fog that never fades. There is something unnatural, something evil in those barrows," Frodo explained.

"Why hasn't anyone done anything about it?" Hiccup wondered.

"We Hobbits are not great warriors, in case you could not tell. Also, the wight, if it is real, cannot really leave the tombs it is bound to, so it is not much of a problem as long as we stay away. Hard to imagine how one could get rid of a wight. What creatures of evil fear the most is..."

Frodo didn't finish his thought and instead just stared with a blank expression into the distance.

"Frodo?" Hiccup asked.

Frodo blinked and shook his head.

"Oh, it's nothing. Come now, Mister Haddock, you promised me stories from your land! You have an attentive audience of two."

Hiccup took a long swig of the brown ale, considered the pair of eager Hobbits sitting with him, and decided on a few old tales of Bjork and some things he had heard from Trader Johann that could be safely told. This would be fine as long as he didn't start talking about family.

* * *

"And that man, Stoick, really popped a dragon's head clean off its shoulders when he was only a baby?" Sam was awestruck.

"It's only a story. Do I believe it? Yes, I do," Hiccup answered.

"He sounds like a true giant to me," Frodo chuckled.

Hiccup laughed at that and took another swig from the mug. It was his fourth mug of the evening. It was becoming a very warm, pleasant evening.

Conversation was also looser and freer, for some odd reason.

"Standing up, I would only be up to his chest right now."

Both Hobbits gasped in amazement.

"He sounds like a great leader from what you've said of him. To lead a people far in the North and always being attacked by dragons, they must be a very tough people to live up there," Sam observed.

"Yep," Hiccup nodded, "you'd think that most people would just leave. Not us... them. They have stubbornness issues. Stoick was..." his voice trailed off into a noticeable pause.

"Did you know him well?" Sam asked.

Hiccup sighed and took a moment to compose himself.

"I... I did for a while. He was... like a father in many ways, but I had to move on because living up there became... too dangerous for someone I care about."

Frodo put a hand on his shoulder in sympathy.

"Oh, I see. Well, not really, but I think I understand. Sorry I brought it up, Mister Haddock," Sam profusely apologized.

"No, don't worry about it, Sam. I don't imagine that I will be going up there any time soon anyway."

_Or ever..._

Frodo looked around at the thinning crowd as more of the Hobbits departed for the night. Hiccup also noticed how much emptier the place was becoming. He had no idea how long he had been at The Green Dragon, but it was getting very late.

Or early in the morning.

"I say that we all go and turn in. What do you all say?"

Sam and Frodo both yawned at the same time.

"That settles that. The vote is unanimous!" Frodo chuckled.

The three of them made their way to the exit. Unfortunately for Sam that meant walking right past Rosie as she was greeting everyone on their way out the door.

Her greeting smile was as kind and endearing as it was indoors.

"Good night, lads..."

"Rosie..." "Good night..." "Rosie..."

Someone right behind them decided to stop and wax eloquently to Rosie on the way out.

"Farewell, sweet maiden of the ale... your hair is as sweet as honey..."

"Oye, mind who you're sweet-talking," Sam muttered under his breath after tossing a backwards glance at Rosie.

Frodo stepped over to Sam's side and put an arm over his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Sam. Rosie knows an idiot when she sees one."

Hiccup glanced back over his shoulder and, sure enough, Rosie was kindly but firmly encouraging the sloshed Hobbit to continue on his way.

Then Frodo stepped away from Sam after patting him on the back. Far from reassuring him, Sam seemed suddenly very worried about something.

"She knows an idiot when she sees one? Does she? Oh, no..."

Hiccup stifled the snicker at how clueless Sam was.

_He thinks he is so useless. So awkward. Poor guy._

_I wonder what it will take for him to find his courage? Rosie has her eye on him._

* * *

"See you tomorrow, Sam," Frodo gave his best friend a hug.

"Back to work, indeed. Mister Haddock, it was a pleasure to listen to your stories. You will have to us tell more. How long did you say that you will be here with us in the Shire?" Sam asked.

"I'm not sure. I have no plans to go anywhere else for now," Hiccup truthfully answered.

_Gandalf would definitely not approve of me or Toothless going anywhere now. Not that we really want to go anywhere else._

"Excellent! Well, see you around!"

Sam shuffled off toward his home.

"Come on, Hiccup. Let's get going," Frodo beckoned him to follow.

They started toward Bag-end; however, Frodo turned to him when they were halfway there, and he whispered even though there was no one who could possibly overhear them.

"I have a plan to get Toothless openly into the Shire."

Hiccup almost tripped over his feet in surprise.

"Really? What is it?"

"First," Frodo paused, "I need to know something. Does he really have fire, and if so how powerful is he?"

He thought it was a strange question.

"Very powerful. He can make... explosions as big as those fireworks at the party. Bigger probably."

Frodo nodded, apparently satisfied by something, and they both resumed walking.

"Okay, good to know. I will take care of everything. It will take a few days before anything can happen."

"Shouldn't I get to know what the plan is?"

"True, you should both know," Frodo agreed, "I was thinking that you two could go and clear out the wight from the tombs on the Barrow-downs."

Hiccup blinked in surprise. It was not clear to him how killing a ghost, if it existed or if that were even possible, would help get Toothless into the Shire.

"Why do that?"

"Everyone here is scared of those Downs. Think of it as a gesture of goodwill for you both to get rid of that thing."

The plan made some sense.

"I suppose we could, but I cannot fight at all."

Frodo frowned.

"No, I don't think you would need to. Toothless should have enough fire to do what you need to do. Creatures of evil do not like light and warmth; they prefer the dark and the cold. Not much is brighter or hotter than dragonfire, I imagine."

"Yeah, that's definitely true. Why not do this right now?"

"Because I want to summon Will Whitfoot, the Mayor of the Shire, here. Clearing out the Downs would be one less thing for him to worry about. I would tell him that there are two brave warriors here to destroy the evil in the Barrows, and all that these warriors ask for is that we let them live here in peace if they are successful. It sounds like a very generous deal. I get Will to agree, and then we introduce you and Toothless."

"What could go wrong?" Hiccup groaned.

Frodo only laughed.

"I would say that depends on Toothless minding his manners. You two will be fine."

Hiccup swayed slightly on his feet.

"Alright, I'll tell him in the morning. By the way, how strong is the ale?"

Frodo, in no danger of losing his footing, chuckled heartily.

"That ale was a stronger one. If I were you I would have some water before you turn in."

They finally arrived at Bag-end sometime around midnight, judging from the moon's progression. Hiccup took Frodo's advice and drank some water before turning in. The bed was very warm and comfortable, especially considering the weeks that he had spent sleeping on the ground, more or less. It took a while before he fell asleep after crawling into bed.

It was the first full day that he had spent separated from Toothless since they had left Berk. Being apart from him had been necessary but not enjoyable.

_I'm going to see him first thing in the morning. Just hope that I can sleep well again tonight._

* * *

Hiccup left Bag-end before dawn. He had wrapped himself in a warm cloak from the closet. His sleep had been disturbed and not at all restful.

He had found himself dreaming about Berk and especially about the deep forest and the misty parts of the isle. He had been walking alongside Toothless when they got separated. Then he found a deep cave that led under a hill. The cave's mouth was veiled in a thick mist. However, as soon as he tried to inspect the dark crevice, a skeletal hand reached out of the shadows, grabbed him, and dragged him, kicking and screaming, into the cave's depths.

Then he found himself strapped into an elaborate saddle on Toothless's back. They soared over a perfectly peaceful kingdom filled with humans and dragons of all kinds. The riding gear he wore was pitch black, and he wielded a golden staff befitting his status as Dragon Master. He lifted his staff high into the sky, took in the total control and peace that he brought to the world, and savored the pure power flowing into his soul from the living fire wrapped around his finger. All through his great strength of will.

It was at that point that he had woken up in a cold sweat and had not been able to go back to sleep. The shadows had danced around the guestroom, and it had felt as though he was not alone.

"Ugh, I should not have skipped breakfast."

The chill morning air definitely helped him to wake up. He eventually reached the same place where he and Toothless had agreed to meet this morning.

_Alright, where are you, you useless reptile?_

A brief search eventually revealed what he was looking for. A dark lump was hiding behind a thick patch of bushes.

"Hey Toothless!" he announced in a singsong voice.

The dozing dragon did not stir.

"Useless reptile..."

He walked over to Toothless's side and saw the single, natural fin under which Toothless's head was sheltered. He tickled the tailfin, and it immediately lifted in response. An eyelid opened, and a green eye narrowed on him.

"Hey there Toothless, did you sle..."

Toothless flew to his feet and leapt at him, knocking him onto his back and gently holding him down with a paw. The dragon was either very playful or spooked by something. Hiccup realized after a moment that Toothless was definitely worried based on how heavily and rapidly he was breathing and how his eyes were slightly narrowed.

"What was that for?" Hiccup groaned.

"That was for you worrying me!" Toothless gasped.

"Heh, heh, heh... when did I ever worry you... recently?"

Toothless stepped back and warbled piteously while Hiccup got back to his feet.

"In my dream..."

"Oh, I am sorry for worrying you in your dream," Hiccup cheekily smiled.

He was batted in the head by a paw for that comment.

"Alright, I deserved that one. Do you want to talk about it, bud?"

Toothless lay his head on his paws and crooned softly. He still needed a moment before he spoke about what he saw in the dream.

"We were flying through a sky filled with cries, fire, and smoke. Everything was spinning around us. Then a shadow hit you and... you fell."

A whimper followed.

"I tried to catch you, but you were falling so fast and there was blood and..."

Toothless closed his eyes and sighed. He opened his eyes a moment later when he felt Hiccup's palm on his nose.

"And then you woke me up..."

"Oh, come on, Toothless. I couldn't let you have such a bad dream, after all. And I have even better news for you," Hiccup grinned.

"What is it?" the Fury's eyes widened slightly.

"Frodo has a plan to get you openly into the Shire."

That got ears lifted and a tail swaying in eager anticipation.

"What is it?"

"Remember that Old Forest?"

A soft growl was the only answer needed, though the growl faded when Hiccup stroked his neck.

"There is apparently a place beyond that Forest. Somewhere that has tombs, places where dead bodies are put. Frodo said that something bad lives in the tombs. A wight."

Toothless tilted his head to his side and narrowed his eyes.

"A wight? What is that?"

"Not sure," Hiccup frowned, "something spooky. Vikings have stories of other things called draugr, a dead body that lives in tombs. Maybe it is like that."

Toothless blinked.

"A living dead body? What?" he barked.

Hiccup threw up his hands in his own confusion.

"I don't understand it either. What matters is that it's a place that scares a lot of Hobbits. Frodo thought that we might kill the wight there with your fire. Do something good for the Shire, and that would prove that you are not a bad dragon."

Toothless grumbled softly while thinking about it. Hiccup then realized something about the tombs that they would be flying to..

"You know what? There might not even be anything there, now that I think about it. Places people think are haunted might be like that. No one goes there, which makes it mysterious, which makes it scary, and so on. We should do it," Hiccup proposed.

"Us walk into a place with strange, not-dead things to go kill them?"

"Sounds very stupid, I know."

Then Toothless grinned while showing his sharp teeth.

"It sounds crazy and twisted to me. Yes, we should do it!"

Hiccup nodded and then glanced up at the overcast sky.

"And we will. We need a few days first. That is what Frodo said. Until then, how about we go flying? I kind of feel bad that..."

He got no further before Toothless leapt toward his side and crouched down with an eagerly swaying tail.

Finally up in the clouds and beyond any possibility of being seen, they settled down into a glide so that they could speak.

"So, Toothless, how was your day yesterday?"

Toothless huffed and glanced back over his shoulder.

"Boring. I went nowhere and had much time to think."

"Think about what?"

"Everything you told me about this world. That there are only bad dragons. I do not... know what to think about that," he answered with a slightly sad croon.

Hiccup rested a hand on Toothless's neck and gave him a gentle scratching.

"I spent the whole day looking at Frodo's maps of this Middle-earth land. I had no idea that the mainland was so big."

"I know nothing of it. I never flew from the Monster's nest for long."

"As I said before, we can go and look for other dragons eventually. I cannot believe that all of them are bad."

"That would be good..." Toothless agreed.

Then Hiccup sighed and closed his eyes.

"I was also thinking about home, about Berk, and everyone I knew there."

"What about them?" Toothless faintly growled.

"They... were not that bad. I was useless for what they thought they needed. They were very good to everyone else in the tribe, mostly. Putting up with Mildew's crankiness, Bucket's craziness, Sven's... silence, the Twins' pranks, everything. At least everyone was on the same side."

"Hiccup, do you truly want to go back to that?" Toothless asked.

"Well, not really. I mean, I just wish that they could see a better way. Maybe... I... we should have stayed to try to change them. I don't know..."

Toothless huffed and slapped Hiccup with an ear.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"That was for you twisting your own tail. Even if you tell your nest that we dragons are not bad, that does not stop the Monster from controlling the other dragons. The fighting will not stop until the Monster dies. Even that might not be enough. The best thing that your nest could do is to leave that island."

"Yeah, it would be, but that is not happening. They have stubbornness issues."

Toothless chuckled at that and spun in a looping spin through a cloud. Then he settled back into a level, easy flight.

"Hiccup, you do not live there now, and you do not need to make them proud of you. I think that this world will be our home now. Everyone I care about is here..." he purred softly.

Hiccup could not help but be moved by that reminder of why he and Toothless had left in the first place. Then Toothless continued with a definite hum of amusement.

"And we can find you a female here to impress and take as a mate!"

"Toothless! How could you say that, again?" Hiccup felt his cheeks going very red.

"Very easily now that I can talk!"

Hiccup flicked the nearest ear.

"Useless reptile..."

"I am not a reptile, whatever that is! I am a dragon!"

"Shows how much you know..."

* * *

Hiccup walked down into Hobbiton around noon. He had some business he wanted to attend to sooner rather than later. First, he sought out Ted at the mill and forge. He found both of the places, but Ted was not present and neither of them were being worked by anyone else.

_Oh well, not sure where he's gotten off to._

Then he continued on into the farmer's market. As usual, there were several stands already set up with farmers setting up their produce for sale.

Several of the playing children ran up to him, clamoring eagerly in greeting. Ruby, Willow, Botho, and Ivy were the first among them to greet him. They had rolling wheels and balls they threw in play.

"Gandalf's friend!" "More fireworks?" "Play!" "Found you!"

"Hey there everyone! What are you doing?"

He was again struck by how friendly and open the Hobbit youths were. They didn't care or even notice that he was an Outsider.

"Let's play hide and seek!" "Nothing!" "Chase!" "Got you!"

"Hold on, hold on! I'll play with you all later, but I have to go to the market first!"

They were visibly disappointed, but they ran off together toward the fields, laughing and playing with each other. He grinned as he watched them run off.

_Kids will be kids._

Just as had happened the last time he went into the market on his own, he got a number of strange looks from all the Hobbits present. Some of the farmers paused in the middle of dragging a hog or small pony along with them, instead glancing at him as he passed. Many of the Hobbits whispered to each other at his passing.

He was used to such treatment from back on Berk. The difference was that here there was no open hostility or sneering. Rather, it felt more like honest curiosity. He was also taller than everyone else here.

_I don't think I'll ever be used to that..._

Then he arrived at the Boffins' stall. Folco Boffin, an old friend of both Bilbo and Frodo, was manning the family stall. Those old friendships helped a lot to make him more open to one of Bilbo's old 'friends', even if said 'friend' was an Outsider.

"Folco! Just the Hobbit I was looking for!"

"Mister Haddock, a pleasure to see you again! Loved doing business with you before! How may I help you?"

Folco leaned back on his chair and began stuffing his pipe with Longbottom Leaf.

"The fish I bought from you were very good," Hiccup began.

"Glad to hear it! I had no idea that Men had such an appetite; for you to eat all of those fish is amazing!"

Hiccup grinned and shrugged.

"I may not have had all of them on my own. I wanted to make a deal with you."

Folco's eyes went wide at the mention of a deal.

"Do tell. I always like making deals," the Hobbit eagerly implored.

"So, I really like fish, and I might want to buy a steady supply every three or four days. How does that sound? Do you think you could do it for me?"

"How many fish are we talking about?"

"How about four or five."

Folco grumbled and twiddled his thumbs.

"That's a lot of fish. What do you need that many for?"

"That's my business. But if you want to know, I'm from up North where we eat a lot of fish."

Folco nodded.

"Aye, your business is your business. Does it matter what kind of fish?"

"Big ones."

"We can do that for you, for a fair price. It's not easy to get lots of big fish here."

"That's fine. I can pay."

Folco then got to his feet and held out a hand which Hiccup gladly shook.

"Do you need a written contract or is a handshake good enough?" Folco asked.

Hiccup shrugged.

"This is fine. You know the Bagginses, and Bilbo recommended I shop from you."

"Did he? He's a fine Hobbit. Different from most of us and most odd, not even counting his disappearing into thin air..."

_Huh? I guess he did leave kind of suddenly._

"... but he was always kind and generous with his wealth, especially to the Hobbits of lesser means than himself. Always very good to his nephew Frodo."

Folco then puffed his pipe some more.

"Any idea where Bilbo's gone off to?" the Hobbit asked.

"He left to live with some Elves. He wanted somewhere peaceful and quiet where he could work on a book."

"That's not surprising," Folco nodded.  
"That he left?"  
"That he'd run off on another adventure right after the Wizard showed up. Of all the Outsiders I've seen, the Wizard is the most troublesome."

Hiccup glanced around at everyone going about their business and occasionally throwing a glance his direction.

"Mister Boffin, can I ask you a question?"

"You just did. Certainly, for one of better clients you may even ask another."

"What does everyone think about me?"

"You're certainly strange and an Outsider; it's not often that we have Men in the Shire, but you're harmless. You bring coin and spend it; it's hard for anyone to be frustrated with that."

It wasn't exactly the answer he wanted, but it was peaceful enough. He was also not aware of anyone who was actively against his being here.

_They certainly are somewhat suspicious of outsiders. That's not really bad of them. Some skepticism of strangers is understandable._

He thanked Folco and then wandered back through Hobbiton toward Bag-end.

_I hope that this plan with Toothless works. Who am I kidding? We just have to fly to some old tombs, confirm that they are empty, and bring back some proof. How hard can that be?_


	8. Fog On The Downs

Fog On The Downs

* * *

It was a very calm and quiet night as they glided along over the Bywater. The moon was bright in the heavens above, and the wind was gently blowing from out of the South.

Toothless looked down on all the Hobbits below. They were all going to their regular pack ceremony of drinking, eating, and bonding. There were many pairs of mates, arm in arm together, walking to the ceremony. Some of them had their young with them.

Seeing that goodness reminded him of that emptiness in his heart and in his soul-fire. Watching other pairs of dragons tending to their eggs and hatchlings or tenderly nuzzling each other was warming but also chilling because it reminded him of what he was unlikely to ever know, being the only one of his kind.

"Hiccup?"

"Toothless?"

"How old are you?"

Hiccup blinked in surprise at that question.

"Uh, seventeen. Why do you ask?"

Toothless barked in surprise and amazement of his own.

"You have ten and seven years!"

"Yes..."

"Me also! Well, that is how many winters I remember."

Hiccup recovered himself with a gasp.

"Toothless, we are the same age! That is... amazing."

Toothless purred warmly and nodded in agreement. Then Hiccup spoke up.

"A question for you, bud. How fast did you grow up?"

"Hmm, slowly compared to other dragons. I got to my full size two years ago."

"But you had your fire before then, yes?"

A nod and purr.

"Yes, about five years ago."

Hiccup did some quick mental math and realized something.

"That is when the Night Fury appeared on Berk again! Well, when you appeared, I guess."

"How did you notice?" Toothless asked.

Hiccup only sighed and looked out into the darkness, remembering many nights long ago when he would look up at the sky and wonder about seeing a moving void among the stars.

"I was kind of obsessed with being the first person to... uh... kill a Night Fury... yeah, so I wanted to learn as much about them as I could. There was never much... good job of staying illusive by the way. We never really knew what you looked like. My dad told me that the Night Fury disappeared about twenty years ago and then came back... right about when you joined on the raids."

Toothless flinched in midflight. His warm croon turned wary at the reminder.

"Really good strategy there, bud. Taking out the towers made the raids much better..."

"I," Toothless sighed, "wanted to help protect the other dragons..."

A growl and snarl followed.

"I would not help the Monster by bringing food for it myself, but it would have been wrong of me to not protect the rest of them."

Hiccup gently patted Toothless's neck.

"It is alright, bud. I understand and don't blame you. I noticed that you never tried to hit anyone on the towers or on the ground."

Toothless nodded and hummed sadly.

"True. There were some Vikings who were... hit... but I never tried to kill them. They got in the way. Some dragons did like the fighting with tooth and claw. Sometimes I have dreams about the ones who did die to my fire. I wish they did not die in fighting, but I had to fight and protect the other dragons..."

Hiccup sighed, remembering that those people who were killed included people from Berk. Some of the more aggressive dragons also did seem to have fought unnecessarily on the ground, as though they enjoyed the fighting.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about that. We can put that life behind us."

Toothless again glanced back at him.

"Are you sure?"

Together, they both looked down to the rolling hills of the Shire and the lights by the Bywater.

"I think so. This looks like a peaceful world without armies and armadas."

"But there are undead things that need killing," Toothless rumbled and wiggled his ears.

"Yeah, whatever it is out there, we will go show it that you have teeth and fire..."

* * *

Hiccup frowned at the realization that he would have to meet the Mayor soon. Authority figures had never been the most stellar people in his own life. Frodo had explained that the Mayor was loosely a leader for the Shire, but a lot of decisions were left to the different regions of the Shire.

_Something like the Chief, except he delegates a lot to his people. That makes a lot of sense. Better than what dad tried to do, involving himself every single problem. No task is too small..._

He passed the time by poring over maps that Bilbo and Frodo had laying around Bag-end. Frodo had also kindly taken the time to walk him through the most important places: the great Misty Mountains, Erebor, the forests of Lorien and Mirkwood, the plains of Rohan, the realm of Gondor, and a place called Mordor far off on the other side of the maps. Frodo did not talk about the last place much, only saying that it was a bad place where no one in their right mind would ever want to go. Further, the maps of the North did not include the Archipelago, which was very confusing since he knew that there definitely was one.

The sound of shears cutting the grass outside the window were the only sound in the peaceful quiet. Samwise Gamgee was going about his gardening duties.

"These people don't know how good they have it," he sighed.

Frodo eagerly hurried over to him early in the afternoon.

"Hiccup, the Mayor is here to see us."

"What do I need to do?"

Frodo gave him a smug grin.

"Don't you worry about anything; I will do all the talking. The story is that you and your friend are old acquaintances of Bilbo's; you are warriors he met on some distant adventure. You are now here to help us with a problem, the wight in the Barrow-downs, in return for being allowed to live in the Shire after the job is done. Got it?"

Hiccup nodded in understanding.

"Sounds easy enough. When do we bring Toothless here?"

"I would like to talk with Will and introduce you to him first. Then I will keep him here while you go get Toothless from the forest. Oh, one more thing..."

"Yes?"

"Will is very... how should I say it... plump."

"Plump?"

"He is probably the fattest Hobbit in the Westfarthing."

Hiccup chuckled at the image. While many of the Hobbits certainly enjoyed a few extra cakes or mugs of ale and did not mind it showing, few of them appeared to have let themselves go too wildly.

"Some people back on Berk were like that. Very big, but strong underneath. They said that the extra blubber helped keep them warm in the winter."

He took a breath to steady himself and then followed after Frodo out the door. A small crowd of very well-dressed Hobbits were gathered around another Hobbit who was wearing a red coat. Said Hobbit was on the tall side for Hobbits, carried himself with a somewhat haughty air, and also looked to be slightly older.

He was also very plump.

"Mayor Whitfoot! A pleasure to see you here at Hobbiton," Frodo began.

"Mister Baggins, I hear that your Uncle Bilbo has finally done it! Vanished into thin air!" Will cheerfully answered.

Frodo blinked, as if for some reason he was slightly unsettled by what the Mayor said, but he shook it off and greeted Will with a polite shake of the Mayor's hand.

"Yes, my Uncle has left the Shire and gave Bag-End to me."

"Most appropriate. And what do we have here?" Will noticed Hiccup, "A Man in Hobbiton. How curious. What is your name, good sir?"

"Haddock, Mayor Whitfoot," Hiccup politely answered.

"He is one of the ones I mentioned in my letter, Mayor," Frodo continued.

"Is he indeed? Doesn't look like a fighter, but what do I know of Men? We never see any of them in Hobbiton. Well, this should be interesting. Do you have afternoon tea ready?" Will eagerly asked.

Hiccup rolled his eyes as he thought back over the list of meals that Hobbits enjoyed: breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper.

"Afternoon tea and some pastries for the three of us. What kind of Hobbit would I be if I was not ready to welcome guests?" Frodo laughed.

"Indeed. That would be most disreputable. Well, let us go now. I'm feeling quite peckish," Will agreed.

The three of them set out up the hill to Bag-end. The crowd of Hobbits who were eager to entertain the Mayor remained outside, chatting with each other about the various goings-on throughout the wider Shire.

"I do hope that this does not take too long. I was just catching up with the Bracegirdles and Proudfeet when you found me!"

"Not too long, Mayor. Maybe half an hour at most," Frodo answered.

"Excellent. Perfect amount of time for tea, cakes, gossip, and serious business..."

Hiccup, Frodo, and the Mayor eventually settled down at Frodo's table. Will began helping himself to a copious number of cakes and pastries in between his sips of tea. Meanwhile, Hiccup and Frodo shared subtle, amused looks between themselves.

"So, Mayor Whitfoot, you remember why I asked you out here?" Frodo began.

Will took a break from munching on his cakes.

"Something about... business? Boring things."

"Even if it is about the Barrow-downs?"

Will sputtered at that and looked up in alarm.

"The... the... the Downs..."

"Yeah, remember all those stories about the ghosts in the Barrows?"

Will shivered slightly and took a long drink of warm tea.

"Gives me the creeps every time I hear about it. A farmer or trader goes missing, and it all becomes my problem."

"Perfect. We may have something to help with this problem," Frodo then offered.

"What is it?" Will wondered.

Frodo gestured at Hiccup.

"Mister Haddock, you are a great warrior in your own way, yes? You have slain countless enemies!"

"Definitely..."

"Wonderful! Would you please go get your friend and bring him here to the Hill? I will explain everything to the Mayor while you are gone."

"Friend? What friend?" Will asked in curiosity as Hiccup left Bag-end.

* * *

"Remember, Toothless, we don't want to scare them at all."

Toothless nodded and purred softly, his ears twitching in the wind.

"I understand. I will be on my best behavior. No teeth, no fire, no growling, only a polite and harmless little Night Fury..."

"That sounds like a good plan. Remember, think 'winged salamander!'"

"What is that?"

"It's a really cute.. a... actually, I'm not saying..."

He was slapped with an ear while Toothless laughed.

"What was that for?"

"You deserved it. I know it!" Toothless barked.

They glided in over Hobbiton, and then the hill under which Bag-end was built was immediately before them down below. As Hiccup expected, a small crowd of Hobbits were standing outside on the path before the house, and Frodo was clearly in animated conversation with the Mayor.

He knew that he and Toothless were clearly visible in the sky.

"Alright, it's go time!" Hiccup eagerly announced.

They pitched down in a gentle dive toward the house, and Toothless flung out his wings to land, eventually touching down on the main path and trotting to a stop.

"There they are!" Frodo shouted.

Toothless, Hiccup still strapped into the saddle, walked calmly up the path. The Hobbits had far more varied reactions.

Some of the ladies fainted dead away and collapsed where they had been standing. Some of the men turned around and ran yelling down the path toward the market. Others stood still, as if in a stupor, with their eyes very wide as the dragon calmly approached.

"Toothless! Mister Haddock! Good to see you both again!" Frodo declared and strode forward to meet them.

The Hobbit stopped a couple paces from Toothless and then bowed respectfully. Toothless similarly inclined his head and hummed softly. Then they both glanced back at the stunned Mayor who was staring at them in disbelief.

"See, I was telling you the truth all along! They are here to help us," Frodo cheerfully explained.

"Is it... well, I never... is it... what in the... it's a real... dragon!" Will vigorously pointed a finger.

Hiccup dismounted and stood at Toothless's shoulder.

"I believe he is. Toothless, are you a real dragon?"

Snort.

"Yes, but not a winged whatever you called me..."

"And it talks too!" Will exclaimed.

"Sometimes I wish he didn't," Hiccup began when he was then batted in the head by a paw. "Alright, I deserved that one..."

"Yes, you did," Toothless huffed.

"And are you hungry for Hobbit?" Hiccup teased.

"No, but I might be for Viking!" Toothless narrowed his eyes on him.

Hiccup flicked an ear while rolling his eyes.

"Well, it is good that there are no Vikings here!"

They both burst out in laughter at that, and Frodo joined in. Their jovial laughter shattered much of the remaining reluctance among the Hobbits as they began inching closer while staying behind their Mayor.

"And, is it true? The reason why you are here?" Will exclaimed, his hands in the pockets of his expansive waistcoat.

Hiccup stepped forward and took a deep breath, knowing that this was a crucial moment. This was his opportunity to be a peacemaker and do something right for a change!

_Please don't screw this up..._

"We, Toothless and I, left our old home far in the North. We want somewhere we can live in peace. Somewhere like the Shire. We'd be willing to work, both of us, to earn our keep here. And to prove ourselves to you, we will help with your ghost problem in the Barrow-downs."

That made many eyes go wide in amazement. Lots of Hobbits also started whispering in fear and surprise.

"What do you think about that, Mayor Whitfoot? Is that a fair trade?" Hiccup asked.

The Mayor paced with his hands in his pockets.

"Well, uh, we don't really like having outsiders... let alone a real dragon... in the Shire, but..."

Both Hiccup and Toothless held their breath as the Mayor considered the situation.

"But the Barrows have been a... haunted place for generations. Are you sure that you are able to deal with it?"

Hiccup nodded toward Toothless.

"How about you ask him?"

Will was definitely hesitant to look up at Toothless, but the Mayor did manage to maintain his composure, for the most part.

"Dragon, are you sure you can do this?"

"Yes, I have my fire."

"Why are you doing this?"

Toothless glanced at Hiccup and then slowly stepped closer to the Hobbits. Then he knelt down to be on the same level as the Mayor.

"I want to help you Hobbits and earn a place for myself and my friend."

Stunned silence followed that statement until Frodo eagerly stepped forward and stood at Toothless's shoulder.

"See, told you so. How about it, Mayor? Let Mister Haddock and a friendly dragon live with us, maybe even help protect us against any strange folk from beyond, and they will get rid of some ghosts for us. Maybe even find some treasure for us in the Barrows. It sounds to me like a very good deal for you."

Will nodded in agreement after a moment of thought.

"True. And if they die in the Barrows, it is no great loss to us."

"Yeah, that sounds just great..." Hiccup muttered.

"Well, go and get a move on. We'll be right here when you are finished," Will cheerfully encouraged them.

* * *

Hiccup looked down on the rolling forest below and found himself agreeing with Toothless's prior sentiments. Something about the old forest did not feel... right. It was impossible to figure how the sight of trees only could inspire such a feeling, but it was there nevertheless. The forest felt... wrong.

_Alright, this place should be just past the forest if I remember correctly._

"Almost there, bud."

"What are we looking for?" Toothless rumbled back.

"I think the Downs are like a plain with rolling hills. Really not sure what else we will see there."

Hiccup's thoughts went again to the old stories of draugr and other undead things living in the crypts, contradictory though the concept of living dead things was.

_Surely they were just stories told to keep people out of the burial places. After all, people are sometimes buried with treasures or family relics which a gods-denying person would want to steal._

Then he had a thought that made perfect sense.

"Toothless, there might be something in there after all. I think someone like an outcast is living in these tombs or caves."

"Outcast?"

"Someone who is not allowed to live in the village or the city because they do not follow the rules."

Toothless nodded in understanding and gave a faint growl.

"Some dragons could not live in... peace... in the nest. Other dragons would chase them out of the nest, or the monster would eat them to stop others from dying in fights."

"Did dragons fight a lot?"

"Yes, much. Mostly among their own kinds to impress mates or claim a place in the nest order."

They flew out over the end of the forest, and something caught their attention.

"Uh, Toothless, why do I think that is it up ahead?"

"Why do you?"

"It looks spooky."

They both stared at the grassy plain filled with rolling hills and no trees. There was something that was terribly wrong about this land. Unlike the old forest, which held a hidden menace and chill, what was unsettling about this place was very obvious.

The Downs were partially covered in fog despite it being the afternoon. Fog always burned off during the day, but not here.

Thick, misty fog hovered over every valley and floated down the slopes. Small hills stuck out from the fog like islands in an ocean. A single, large rock formation like a marker rose up from the mist on the side of the largest hill near the center of the mist.

"Creepy, huh?" Hiccup chuckled.

"Ground clouds... those do not happen much. They can be fun to sneak in," Toothless answered with a chuff.

Without wasting another moment, they dove toward the rock and entered the fog. The mist swam around them and swirled chaotically as the warmth of the sun was stolen away and a cold chill filled the air.

Then Toothless flung out his wings, slowed his dive, and touched down, gently prancing to a stop.

Neither of them moved as they stared into the thick mist. It was so thick that Hiccup could not see more than a dozen paces ahead.

Hiccup then dismounted and stood at Toothless's shoulder.

"Can't see anything in this mist," Hiccup observed.

Toothless gave a warm growl.

"I can."

"What? How?"

"Like this."

Toothless gave a very high screech that made Hiccup cover his ears. Hiccup winced and spun on Toothless, but he noticed something strange. The Fury's ears were lifted high and twitching.

"There is nothing around us," Toothless grunted.

"How do you know and what was that?"

"Sound-seeing."

"Huh?"

"Night Furies can see sound. That sound jumps back to me and I see shapes around me even in total dark."

Hiccup was amazed by that.

"Wow, bud. I had no idea you could do that. It would definitely help with night raids."

"Yes, it did..."

Even as they looked around, the mist before them flowed and parted, almost like it was making a path. But there was no wind.

_That is definitely creepy._

Hiccup shivered again and gave himself a hug, putting his hands in his pockets. Clouds of mist formed at his every breath.

"Gods, is it that cold now?"

"These clouds block the sun," Toothless hissed softly.

"Right. Well, no turning back now, bud. It's go time!"

"Stay behind me. Remember that I have the fire," Toothless chuckled.

"Yeah, that is not going to change unless you... I don't know... change me into a dragon also or something..."

Toothless turned to him and gave him a very amused look and purr.

"Change Hiccup into a Night Fury? Why would I do that?" Toothless laughed heartily.

"Punishment, a gift, to save my life somehow, all are good reasons, I guess," Hiccup ticked off the reasons.

"Well, I will work on changing you into a Night Fury then, once I figure out how..."

"Yeeesh, there is one problem with that. Who would work your tailfin?"

They both snorted at that and then turned their attention to the path before them. Slow and cautious steps followed as they walked together with the mist curiously parting before them. Toothless's ears swiveled slightly as he listened for anything around them.

Hiccup felt the temperature dropping even further, impossible as that was, as he kept pace with Toothless. Something felt very strange about these Barrow-downs.

_Definitely a good place for someone to hide in. People thinking it is haunted would only help with that. The weather here definitely contributes to people thinking it's haunted. Gods..._

Then the mouth of what looked like a man-made tunnel lay before them. The crypt's entrance was framed by withered grass, and a very pale light glowed from deep within the inner dark.

"I do not like this..." Toothless hissed.

"Yeah, me neither, but we have to go in there. Just be ready in case it isn't empty..."

"I am always ready..."

Hiccup shivered openly as they walked into the Barrow. It felt as though the warmth of his blood was being stolen away. The withered grass underfoot gave way to a cold, rocky floor in the tunnel. The only sounds were the click of claws against the rock and their own heavy breaths, every exhale forming a small cloud of mist.

Then they turned a corner and froze in place as they stared in shock into the inner chamber.

Piled all around the walls of the sanctum were mounds of gold, coins, precious gems, armor, and weapons. There were several burial chambers where the dead were interred, and some of the chambers had been broken open. Desiccated corpses lay wrapped in burial linens on the stone tables.

Toothless stared at the piles of warm, precious gold and was amazed at the sight. He had never seen anything like this before.

This place was dark, safe from outsiders, and all the gold was sitting there, unclaimed by anyone.

He could claim it all and sit on the gold for all time and make it his and...

"That's something amazing. Isn't it, bud?" Hiccup breathed.

Toothless blinked and shook his head while growling softly.

_What am I thinking..._

Motion caught his gaze at the end of the passageway in the dark. A void was moving in the shadows.

"Gods, it's getting even colder. Should have brought a jacket," Hiccup muttered at his side.

He jumped over next to Hiccup while growling openly. Doing that spooked Hiccup because he jumped in surprise.

"Toothless, what is going on?"

He readied his fire and curled his tail around Hiccup to keep him safe against whatever this dark thing was.

"There is something here..." he hissed and snarled.

"What?" Hiccup gasped.

"Look!"

Then they both heard it: a faint song was echoing from down the cold, dark hall.

They went silent to listen to it, and then the words became clear.

"Cold be hand and heart and bone... and cold be sleep under stone... never more to wake on stony bed... never, till the Sun fails and the Moon is dead."

"In the black wind the stars shall die... and still on gold here let them lie... till the dark lord lifts his hand... over dead sea and withered land."

A darkness with glowing eyes floated above the ground at the far end of the hall.

* * *

Hiccup felt his eyes growing heavy as a great weariness came over him. The song swam in the cold, dark air around him and burrowed into his limbs.

So tired, weak, calm, and he needed rest now and his eyes were too heavy and it was safe to sleep here under stone and never wake from this bed.

He slumped against Toothless, and everything faded to darkness. The same darkness that he saw creeping toward him, reaching out, and dragging him down.

No life in the void.

Emptiness.

Dark.

* * *

"Hiccup!" Toothless growled and stretched out a wing to hold him close.

The dark shape kept slinking toward them, but it paused when he began holding his fire in his mouth to give some light. The shape considered his light for a few wingbeats, gave a shrieking wail that dug under his hide, and then advanced on him, almost flying in its haste.

He saw it coming closer, floating above the ground. A human-like shape under a torn, dark hide-cloak. The thing had glowing eyes and an outstretched paw of bone only.

It was coming to hurt or take his Hiccup!

His human brother!

Never!

He loosed his fire, a bright and screaming flame of purple wrath. The fire struck the not-dead, floating thing with a flash and storm of flames that tore through the cave as he curled around Hiccup to protect him.

A high, piercing scream and wail tore through the dark cave filled with fire. The wail grew louder, digging as if with claws at his ears, and then completely faded as the flame died out.

Silence followed.

A dark silence.

An empty silence.

A peaceful silence.

He snorted defiantly and growled at the smoldering remains of that thing. It was very dead now. If something that was dead could be made more dead, he had definitely done it.

Then there was motion at his side and under his wing.

"Unrgh... Tloohlesss," Hiccup groaned.

"Hiccup, you are safe now. I killed it."

For emphasis, he knelt down and licked Hiccup's face. That always worked whenever he needed to get Hiccup up, and this time was no different.

"Ugh, what happened?" Hiccup asked as he shakily got to his feet and wiped the drool from his face.

Toothless spun in place and growled at the thing that had been in this cave-den. Neither of them moved for a moment, and then Hiccup cautiously approached the smoking remains. He followed very closely behind Hiccup, just to keep him safer.

A skeleton was all that was left inside the charred and ripped shroud. Hiccup recoiled from it in shock and took several unsteady breaths.

"Oh gods, we just killed someone. What was that shot? You took all the meat off it..." Hiccup nervously chuckled.

"There was no meat on it."

Hiccup blinked and was dumbfounded as he stared. He unknowingly crept back against Toothless's chest as a creeping shiver crept down his spine.

"But that's... that's impossible! Bones don't walk around and... oh gods... are we sure it's... dead now?"

Toothless flamed the remains again and then stomped on them to be safe. The white, charred bones crunched and crackled under his paws and claws. Then he hopped back to Hiccup's side and snorted at the remains.

"That looks dead to me," he then purred.

The crunched bones did not move.

"Yeah, I hope so. Wait a minute," Hiccup paused, realizing something, "does it feel warmer?"

"Yes, it does. The cold is gone now."

"I wonder..." Hiccup turned back and dashed toward the exit with Toothless bounding along behind him.

They both darted outside the Barrow and into the warm, bright light of an afternoon sun. The thick, smothering mist that had been flowing in the valley just minutes earlier was completely gone now.

"Toothless, I think you did it! That thing is truly dead!"

Toothless gave a smug purr of triumph.

"I knew that my fire was hot."

Hiccup then put his hands on his head and started to pace.

"How was that thing... doing what it... did? I don't understand..."

Toothless rested his chin on Hiccup's shoulder to purr peace to him.

"I do not know. It is dead now. What should we do?"

Hiccup took a deep breath to steady himself, and then he stared back into the crypt.

"Okay, I think we should grab some proof that it is dead, and then we head back to the Shire."

"Stay with me."

They delved back inside the Barrow. It felt much warmer now than it had been only minutes before. But it was still a very creepy place because of the corpses and abandoned equipment inside.

_Alright, what should I take as proof?_

He saw the wight's pile of burned and torn robes.

_Great, nothing better than that._

He very reluctantly picked up the ruined robes. He shivered as he removed the robes from the broken skeleton they were on and then shoved the robes into the saddlepack.

Then he saw a pile of swords and daggers on a stone table. These daggers were very different from the ones used back on Berk. Primarily, these were more finely made; they had ornate carvings in the hilts and on the blades themselves and had fiery stones gleaming on the hilts. The strange metal of the blades even glimmered in the pale light.

The ones back on Berk were purely practical and not usually used in actual fighting except maybe to throw. The last time he really used a dagger for anything involving self-defense was when he threw one away in the cove.

This world apparently had some dangers.

_It might be a good idea to have something that is not Toothless to defend myself. Plus, bringing these back would be more proof of the successful mission. I don't think anyone would mind me taking a couple of these._

He selected a pair of the ornate daggers and stowed them away with the wight's robes in the saddlepack. Then he patted Toothless on the shoulder as the Fury stared at the pile of treasure, weapons, and armor.

"Alright, let's go back now."

Toothless glanced over his shoulder toward the pile of gold and jewels. They were surely precious things. As strong as the calling was to that place, Hiccup wanted to leave.

And so did he. These Barrows were not a good place.

"Yes, we should fly."

He followed Hiccup out into the open air and then flared his wings as Hiccup hopped on his back. One final, subtle glance went back into the place filled with the unclaimed treasure.

Then he huffed and jumped for the sky.

* * *

They touched down on the edge of the Old Forest. Hiccup had asked that they land so that they could talk.

"Toothless, what happened back there?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," Hiccup shivered at the memory of the crypt, "I don't know what happened. There was a song and that... wight thing, but I don't remember anything else..."

Toothless warbled softly. He did not want to have to tell Hiccup this.

"You... collapsed against me. Then I flamed that thing, and you woke up."

"I... fainted when I saw it or heard it? That's not surprising..." Hiccup mumbled.

Toothless stepped over and roughly nudged him in the belly with a paw.

"You should not say that about yourself!"

"But I did. I cannot fight anything, even bad things."

"You heard what Frodo said. That thing had been taking people for a long time, yes?"

"Yeah..."

"So it is not only you who were afraid."

"Toothless, that doesn't matter! I'm still a coward. I'm nothing without you..."

Toothless growled freely and snarled at that.

"Hiccup, you went alone into the woods and freed a wild dragon instead of killing it... me! You are not a coward!"

A long silence followed between them.

"But it is true that you do not know how to fight well. You do not need to as long as I am here, and I am never leaving you unprotected. You know that."

Hiccup slumped with a shrug.

"Yeah, but I wish I could protect myself too."

Toothless purred softly and grinned back at Hiccup.

"You just need to learn to have claws and teeth of your own."

"I guess so. Let's just go," Hiccup sighed.

* * *

Neither of them said anything more about what happened as they glided in over Hobbiton and saw their destination. They had been gone most of the afternoon, and it was near sundown. There were still a number of Hobbits out and going about their business, most of them down by the Bywater.

"What do you say, bud? Shall we go down and introduce ourselves again?"

Toothless nodded and dove toward the clearing while not making the wind scream in pain. There was no reason to scare the Hobbits.

Then he touched down and trotted to a stop. Hiccup hopped down and stood at his shoulder. As they both suspected would happen, the crowd of Hobbits began running around while yelling at each other and pointing at him.

"Dragon!" "Get down!" "It's them!" "Hide!" "They're back!" "Told you!" "Don't eat me!"

Then a pair of very familiar faces came forth from the crowd.

"Toothless! Hiccup! Good to see you two again!" Frodo cheerfully greeted them as the Mayor made his dignified approach.

"Frodo..." Toothless hummed softly to the familiar Hobbit.

"I take it that there is no more wight problem in the Downs, now is there?" Frodo asked after eagerly glancing at the gathered crowd.

Hiccup and Toothless shivered slightly at that innocent reminder of what had just happened to them and what they had seen in the Downs. There was one more very direct reminder of that thing which they still had to share as proof.

"Go on, bud, tell them," Hiccup whispered.

Toothless took a deep breath and then lifted his head to look directly at the Mayor.

"Yes, I killed it with my fire. Hiccup, will you show them?"

Hiccup then opened the saddlepack and took out the charred remains of the wight's robes. He still trembled slightly while holding the robes, but he took some slight comfort that Will also looked disturbed as he beheld the remains. Finally, he pulled out the pair of old and ornate daggers and held them out for the audience of Hobbits to see.

"And... it is really gone now? The Downs are safe now?" Will eagerly exclaimed.

"That thing is very dead now. Toothless flamed it and stepped on its bones. The mist that was over the Barrows is gone now. There's also a lot of treasure down there," Hiccup explained.

That remark about treasure caused muttering and whispering. There was a lot of commentary about the cursed hills, things that go bump in the night, an eerie and haunting song, and piles of gold and jewels.

Then Hiccup noticed something else that was very good. There was, as far as he could tell, very little muttering and whispering directed at Toothless or his being a dragon.

"What did we miss?" Hiccup asked Frodo.

Frodo glanced at the Mayor, who amazingly gestured at him to continue. That may simply be that Frodo was clearly more familiar with and comfortable around Toothless.

Frodo then crossed his arms and assumed what Hiccup recognized as a look of pretend pouting.

"I spent the whole afternoon talking with the Mayor and the other Hobbits of Hobbiton about the plan for you two. That you both want to live here with us and were willing to do something good for us to prove yourselves."

Hiccup shared a glance with Toothless and gave him an encouraging nod.

Both of them were wondering what was going to follow.

"I will be honest, a lot of people were and are still worried about having a dragon live among us," Frodo began.

Toothless wilted slightly.

"But I told them all that you are not like the dragon we heard about in Bilbo's old stories. You do not want gold and you want to live in peace with us."

Toothless looked up at the Hobbits around them. They looked... very small of course, but there was no clear hostility in them. There was some fear in their eyes.

He had an idea.

He stepped toward the other Hobbits, looked toward them, and deliberately bowed his head and wings. Then he addressed them all.

"We do. I do. My human friend and I have no other place in the world."

"You have no home?" Frodo asked, while raising his voice to the gathered crowd.

"No, we do not," Toothless answered him.

Hiccup stepped forward and addressed everyone at once.

"I know that letting a dragon live with you would be... different, and he needs to eat more than you do, but we will help earn our keep here. Will you excellent and admirable Hobbits give us a chance?"

All the Hobbits murmured among themselves and looked to their Mayor.

The Mayor looked to Frodo and gave him a nod.

Frodo looked to Hiccup and Toothless.

A tense moment passed, and then Frodo grinned widely.

"Welcome to the Shire, Hiccup and Toothless!"

* * *

_**Author's Note – Tolkien wrote in one of his Letters that the arrival of a Great Eagle in the Shire would have been absurd. The Shire is meant to be a place of bucolic tranquility and nothing-unexpected-ever-happens-there. The arrival of a dragon in the Shire is therefore something that somewhat strains credibility. However, Gandalf's being present in the Shire at some point is sufficient justification for allowing another fantastical visitor, though I think we all know that this dragon will not be staying in the Shire forever.**_

_**Also, the scene with the Barrow-wight is one that definitely should have been kept in the cinematic production. Not only is it a chilling, haunting scene, but it is also relevant for future events.**_


	9. Acceptance

Acceptance

* * *

Hiccup and Toothless paused outside the barn while considering it. The wooden structure was definitely not the sturdiest building in the Shire and it was not glamorous at all, but it was a roof that could go over one of their heads. It was also one of the only buildings large enough to comfortably house a dragon. Perhaps best of all, it was not that far from Bag-end itself.

"Wwwwwhat do you think... Master Toothless? It's not much, but it's the best we have for you," Samwise Gamgee meekly explained.

Toothless turned to Sam and hummed softly to him with a dip of his head.

"You and your kin have my thanks. This will be my den now."

Sam grinned widely at that, and then he glanced over at Frodo.

"We helped to clean it up for you! Got all the old tools and hay out of it," Frodo explained.

Toothless strolled inside the barn, looked around, and then considered the dirt on the ground. It was clean but not warm, so he flamed the dirt for several seconds and then curled up on the smoking ground. An actual rock to lay his belly on would be better, but this was good enough for now.

"Oh my, he really does breathe fire!" Sam exclaimed in a mix of amazement and worry.

Sam looked very bashful and nervous about continuing, so Hiccup thought to encourage him.

"Yup, he is a real dragon, after all!" Hiccup chuckled.

"Yes, about that... begging your pardon, Master Toothless..." Sam began.

"You really don't need to call him that..." Hiccup bemoaned.

Toothless dismissively waved a paw at him.

"Sam, do not listen to Hiccup... that name is a very good one for me," Toothless grinned toothily at Hiccup.

Hiccup stuck his tongue out in retaliation.

"Uh, as I was saying... Master Toothless, do you eat anything more than fish?" Sam worriedly asked.

"Yes, I do. No Hobbit though!" Toothless chuckled.

"What about human?" Hiccup teased.

"Nope. Not them either. Vikings... maybe," Toothless barked.

Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"Good thing there are no Vikings here then!"

The joke was lost on Sam, although Frodo understood and chuckled with them. Sam spoke up again after the hilarity died down.

"Alright. I will see about getting my old Gaffer out here tomorrow. Toothless, I'm sure that we can arrange something to get you more than only fish to eat."

Frodo then stepped forward and lay a hand on Sam's shoulder.

"I think we should be on our way now, Sam. I'm sure that they want to get some rest after a long day of fighting ghosts," Frodo said.

Both Hobbits nodded politely to them and then departed.

"Frodo had a good idea. I want to sleep now," Toothless said and yawned widely.

Hiccup frowned, considered his options for an instant, and decided that he knew where he was going to rest.

"If you don't mind, I will sleep here in the barn tonight."

Toothless blinked in surprise.

"After all," Hiccup chuckled, "someone has to protect you from the vicious Hobbits who might try to make you into a rug or a cloak."

Toothless huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Good, someone should do that. Do you know who will be protecting me?"

Hiccup shot him a withering glare.

* * *

Hiccup looked out from the protective, enclosed space under the leathery wing. It was very dark, being well past sundown, and he did not feel like falling asleep after the dramatic and terrifying events of the day. Neither did Toothless, apparently, given that he was also still awake, his green eyes wide open and staring off into the distance.

"Can't sleep?" Hiccup whispered.

Toothless looked around to face him and lay his head down on the ground.

"I was just thinking about what that not-dead thing was. And about this place where we are welcome now."

Hiccup leaned against Toothless's side and felt very at ease. The only sounds, other than their calm breaths, were the regular noises of the creatures of the night. He still felt a chill inside and almost shivered at the memory of the wight and what it had done to him.

"Not sure I want to think about that wight-thing. However, these Hobbits are... amazing people. They are very peaceful and live with the land. I'm still surprised that they don't care much about your being a dragon."

Thoughtful purring followed.

"Maybe the only dragons they know of are in stories, and I am not like those ones."

Then Toothless chuckled softly.

"Or maybe the only dragons they have met are those exploding ones from the party."

"I don't know either. I'm just happy that they are letting us stay."

"Speaking of that, you did not need to stay here in this den with me. You could rest up in Frodo's den."

Hiccup yawned widely, finally feeling some of the exhaustion starting to catch up to him.

"True, and I will admit that sleeping in a bed and under the warm blankets is comfier than sleeping on the dirt. But I wanted to spend this, our first night of peace with these people, with you, bro."

Toothless hummed softly and lay the wing over him again.

"And someone has to protect you when the Hobbits come to get you!"

They both laughed heartily.

* * *

Indistinct voices mingled in the morning light.

"See, told you so..."

"Well, he made it..."

"Guess it wasn't that hungry after all..."

"Pip! Come on, you know Toothless wouldn't do that!"

"Is it..."

"Is he..."  
"Right... Is he really a toothless dragon?"

Toothless seemingly chose that exact moment to wake up, getting to his feet and stretching his limbs and tail. He also made a show of rolling his jaws and showing off his impressive assortment of very sharp teeth.

"Oh, nope..." "Didn't think so..."

Hiccup also got to his feet and greeted the Hobbits who had opened the barn door. All three of them were familiar to him.

"Frodo, good morning!" Hiccup yawned.

Frodo beamed very widely at the greeting.

"Mister Haddock, Master Toothless, good morning indeed!"

"Frodo, who are these two new Hobbits?" Toothless asked.

"Well, go on. Introduce yourselves..." Frodo chuckled and shoved the other two forward.

The two new Hobbits looked very nervous as they looked up at the dragon patiently sitting before them.

"Meriadoc Brandybuck, I go by Merry."

"Peregrin Took, Pippin."

"Merry and Pippin. Silly names. You would not be Viking Hobbits, would you?" Toothless grinned.

Hiccup snorted.

"No idea what a Viking is. Is that one of the races of Men?" Merry asked.

"Yep, and they have the craziest naming conventions, by the way. Anyhow, to what do we owe the privilege of meeting such excellent Hobbits as yourselves?" Hiccup interjected.

He noticed that Frodo was quietly snickering to himself while Merry and Pippin could not see him.

"Oh yes! We are here to clean the stall," Pippin eagerly answered.

.

.

"To... clean... the... stall?" Toothless slowly asked.

"In case it... needed to be cleaned..." Pippin piped up.

"Of what?" Toothless hissed.

"Messes, obviously... this is a quality establishment, and we are the staff."

.

.

Merry turned to Pippin and whispered to him, though everyone could hear what was being said.

"Pip, remember that the dragon can talk. I don't think we will have that problem with him..."

"Hold on, Merry, this was your idea!"

"My idea? My idea was that we go to him with enough fish for a dragon to eat breakfast, second breakfast, and elevensies. Get him on our good side first so that he knows we bring food and that we are not the food."

"And I pointed out what happens if we keep feeding him fish. Work follows that."

"Only if he eats all the fish and comes back here to do that, which I don't think he would do in his own barn."

"Wait, so this is my fault?"

"Pip, you never plan ahead!"

"It is called living in the moment!"

Hiccup burst out in laughter.

"Oh my gods... you two remind me of some people I used to know back... home," Hiccup exclaimed.

Merry and Pippin positively beamed at that.

"Do we now?" "They must be the most interesting people in... wherever you are from." "Inspirational figures." "Brave, I am sure." "Probably a barrel of laughs." "About barrels and most importantly, do they drink?" "Of course they must if we remind him of them!"

Frodo by this point was clutching his sides, almost in pain from his laughter. It was infectious, and all five of them were chuckling together moments later.

"Hiccup, who is it these Hobbits remind you of?" Toothless hummed once everyone settled down.

"A brother and sister. You never met them, but they are among the craziest Vikings on the island."

"Crazy?" Pippin exclaimed.

"In a very good way, I'm sure," Merry continued.

"Now that we have that out of the way, are you at all hungry, Master Toothless?" Frodo asked after catching his breath again.

"I will not need to eat for many days, but if there is food that must be eaten..."

"Alright then, I have not forgotten my promise to bring you bacon and sausage one of these days. If you two are ready, I can show you to what we talked about before. Mister Haddock, you wanted to see the forge, yes?"

* * *

Hiccup reflected to himself that they were certainly a strange sight: a Hobbit, a young man, and a dragon walking together through Hobbiton down to the Bywater. Almost every Hobbit in sight was watching them, or probably Toothless, as they strolled by. Women held their children tightly and men stared in amazement. But there was no screaming. That was good.

_They have surely never seen anything like this before. At least word has gotten around that they do not need to fear him._

Then Hiccup saw the destination. It was almost like a shack with a noticeable chimney. All around the outside of the building were random metal bars or rusty pieces of equipment. It was definitely not a grand forge at all, which made sense because the Hobbits only had the most basic of equipment.

"Ted! You in there?" Frodo shouted.

Ted Sandyman, whom Hiccup recognized from the evening in the Green Dragon, stepped out of the forge. He saw his guests and started in surprise and initial alarm.

"Now, now, Ted. You know that he is not dangerous," Frodo said.

Then Toothless stepped forward and spoke.

"Yes, I can say that Hiccup," Toothless nudged Hiccup's shoulder, "is not dangerous. You do not need to be afraid of him."

Ted lifted a finger and pointed between Hiccup and Toothless, clearly unable to understand something about what was going on.

"It is morning, right? I am not completely drunk yet, am I?" Ted asked.

"Nope, you are perfectly sober," Frodo chuckled.

"Shame..." Ted groaned.

"And I promise that I will not eat you," Hiccup answered.

Toothless lifted a paw to stifle his own chuckle.

"Now that everyone knows each other," Frodo cheerfully began, "it is time to get to business. Ted, Mister Hiccup Haddock here knows his way around a forge."

"Do you?" Ted began, suddenly very businesslike.

"I spent about... ten years working under the best blacksmith in my tribe. Yes, I know how to work the forge."

"They both want to earn their keep for as long as they will be living with us. I was hoping that you could find work for Mister Haddock here since he already knows smithing and forgework," Frodo explained.

"Have you ever helped to shoe a horse before?" Ted asked.

"Uh, we don't have horses where I'm from," Hiccup answered.

"What do you know how to do?"

"Mostly anything with weapons. Swords, shields, axes, spears... but, uh, you don't have many of those. I can sharpen tools, make nails, fix wagons, basically anything with machines."

Ted sounded like he could barely contain his eagerness.

"Really! You are an inventor?"

"Yep."

"Perfect! The grindstone in the mill is always breaking down. I believe the gears are out of alignment. Oh, I also have a backlog of repairs because I cannot find good help. Very few Hobbits want to work the forge or anything complicated. Leave that stuff to the big folk, they say."

Then Ted stuck out his hand in the formal sign of making an offer.

"What do you say, Mister Haddock? You help me work the forge and the mill, and I will pay you a fair wage. Deal?"

Hiccup squared his shoulders, held his chin high, and firmly took the offered hand. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up. This was something that he was good at, having many years of practice already.

"Deal. I imagine that Toothless would also be willing to add his fire to the forge also. Right, bud?"

"Yes, I can do that," Toothless answered.

Ted looked suspicious of that, but he was not very disturbed otherwise.

"Excellent! Now that we have dealt with Mister Haddock how about we find something for you, Master Toothless?" Frodo asked.

The dragon's ears lifted alongside a questioning hum.

"What are you thinking?" he asked Frodo.

"You know my friend Samwise Gamgee. His family is close to the Cotton family, and they have several of the larger farms. If you do not mind the work, we could always use help plowing fields, hauling lumber, or carrying away boulders."

Toothless thought about it and turned to Hiccup.

"Hiccup, what is this plowing fields?"

"It means you help them dig holes in fields so they can grow plants for food," Hiccup answered.

"I can do that. Hmm, Frodo, there are wild four-legged prey in these lands, true?"

"Yes, there are lots of deer and rabbits. They are very annoying for the farmers. Always nibbling at the crops and ruining gardens. Nasty business."

Toothless purred and flashed his teeth.

"I could help hunt them, the prey I mean."

Hiccup chuckled at the thought of Toothless bounding through a field in pursuit of a rabbit.

"What is so funny?" Toothless asked.

"Nothing..."

Then Hiccup turned back to Ted.

"Ted, if you do not mind, I will go with Toothless today until he gets settled in. As intimidating as I am," he held up his not so beefy arms, "somehow I think that this toothless guy might be scarier until people get to know him."

Ted nodded in agreement.

"Of course, of course. Cannot have any misunderstandings about the new, friendly dragon living with us. Take your time, Master Haddock, the work will still be here tomorrow, I am sure. I certainly won't be doing it all!"

Ted then returned inside the mill, maybe to do some work or to think about doing work.

Frodo then eagerly stepped over to them both.

"More like he won't be doing it at all. Anyway, shall we? I told Sam to tell the Cottons to expect us this morning."

Hiccup then realized something as soon as he heard the family name again.

"Hold on a moment. Cottons... that is not Rosie's family, is it?"

Frodo looked pleased that he had noticed that.

"They sure are. The more that I force Sam to be around them the more likely that he will find the courage to talk to Rosie."

"Is this Rosie a female?" Toothless asked.

"Yes, she is," Frodo answered in bemusement.

"And your friend Sam wants her as his mate?"

Frodo looked amused by the choice of words, but he went along with it.

"Yeah, I think so."

"And she has no mate now?"

"Correct."

"Why does he not take her?" Toothless asked, as if it was the most obvious question in the world.

Frodo grumbled to himself and gave a sad sigh.

"I don't think he trusts himself enough. He thinks he is too simple in some ways since he is 'only a gardener'."

Toothless huffed.

"Humans and Hobbits have very twisted ceremonies."

"Twisted? I suppose so. Well, what about dragons like you?"

Toothless's ears slightly wilted at the innocent question.

"I do not know my own kind, remember?"

Frodo winced at the reminder.

"Sorry, I forgot about that."

"Other dragons' life-making ceremonies I know more about since I saw them, but I wish I knew more about my own kind, about Night Furies."

Frodo gave him a sympathetic smile.

"I have to hear more stories about what the other dragons are like where you are from. For now though shall we go? Sam and the Cottons will be waiting for us."

* * *

"Sam, why are you twisting your tail?" Toothless rumbled.

"Uhhh, what do you mean... Mmmaster Toothless?"

He deliberately slowed down so that he and Sam fell behind Hiccup and Frodo.

"There is a female that you want, but you have not claimed her or talked to her, true?"

"Hhhhow do you know that?"

"I am a dragon. I know things," Toothless purred.

Sam only sighed in exasperation.

"I don't know. I am only a gardener..."

"Why does it matter that you tend to plants?"

"Because I am not rich or even well-off."

Toothless grunted in confusion.

"Rich? What is that?"

"Do you know money, gold and silver?"

"Yes..." he warily answered.

"My family has always been very simple, and we have been gardeners for the Bagginses for generations."

They both looked ahead to Frodo and Hiccup eagerly talking to each other.

"Why would Rosie bother with me?"

Something about what Sam said did make some sense and feel like good thinking. Having a small hoard was a sign of not being strong and not being...

Toothless blinked and shook his head slightly while grumbling to himself. Something about that thought about hoards felt... good but twisted at the same time. It was a very odd feeling that he was not sure he felt warmed by, now that he thought about it. That feeling reminded him of a dark cave that a living-dead thing had been inside.

It was almost like there was a twisted-thought that had been in his thinking for a moment. But that twistedness was apparently gone now.

"Sam, not having a big hoard does not mean that you are less..."

Sam almost stumbled in his surprise.

"Well, I never thought that a dragon would say something like that."

He huffed.

"I am not like the other dragons you have heard of."

"Oh, I can see that, plain as day. I loved hearing about all of old Bilbo's stories of his adventures. Smaug was always very... impressive in the tellings. Actually, there was another story about a not totally bad dragon."

Toothless blinked in surprise and wonder. That news that there was a story about a good dragon was not expected at all. He definitely needed to hear more about this.

"Hiccup! Frodo! Come here!" he eagerly barked.

They both ran back to him at full speed, wondering what he was so excited about.

"Frodo, your kin, Bilbo, has a story about a dragon that is not Smaug. Do you know it?"

Frodo looked inquisitively at Sam for an explanation.

"The story about Farmer Giles of Ham," Sam explained.

Comprehension lit in Frodo's eyes.

"Yes, I do! Do you two want to hear it?"

"Absolutely!" Hiccup immediately answered.

"Well, there might not be time for it now, but I will tell you both this to get you interested. The story is about a simple farmer who gets a magic sword. The dragon, Chrysophylax, starts out as a... begging your pardon, Master Toothless... typical dragon. You know, sitting on his hoard of gold, eating the soldiers who find him, that kind of stuff..."

Toothless grumbled to himself while Frodo cheekily grinned and continued.

"Yeah, very different from you. Anyway, the dragon is very afraid of the simple farmer with the magic sword. They end up making a deal. The farmer will not kill the dragon, and the dragon will use part of its hoard to repay all the destruction he caused and to help make amends for those he killed. He even moves out of his cave and helps to protect a village against a bad king."

"Sounds like the dragon and the farmer have a very strange relationship..." Hiccup muttered.

"Oh yeah, definitely. I wouldn't say that they are great friends in the story, but they both come to respect each other in a way. Maybe even a little fond of each other by the end."

"I definitely want to hear that full story now," Hiccup agreed.

"This evening up at Bag-end?"

Hiccup and Toothless nodded in agreement.

* * *

_What has my life-flight come to?_

Toothless reflected to himself, during a break in the walking, on how he had ended up wearing what Hiccup called a yoke. It was something like the riding-saddle except it was used to pull a plow, a strange machine that used a big claw to dig up the dirt. He fully understood the usefulness of doing this work, and it was something that he could do to help earn his place since he did eat a lot of fish and other prey compared to the Hobbits' needs.

It was midday and very sunny, which he absolutely enjoyed the warmth of on his back. The work itself was boring and repetitive, which left much time for his thoughts to fly far away, usually to imagined distant mountains on which Night Furies perched.

But something still felt odd about walking through the fields, tilling the dirt, and seeing no results except long scratches in the dirt.

_It is not as frustrating as carrying the logs. It is good that I can do this myself after Hiccup puts this thing on me._

Hiccup, he would let put the yoke-thing on him. Anyone else, absolutely not. He knew that he should not care, but he was a Night Fury, the most deadly and mysterious dragon in the world! He had an image to uphold!

So he held his head highly and proudly as he trudged through the field while pulling the plow behind him.

Plus, he knew that he had one very welcome reward waiting for him after this work was finished. If there was one thing, other than the number of meals, that he had learned about Hobbits in his and Hiccup's first couple weeks living openly in the Shire, it was that Hobbits worked hard for very short times in the day and relaxed a lot the rest of the day. Their life-flights were very slow ones.

He approved of how much time in the day they did not work.

And the number of meals.

_Thinking of food... I cannot wait to get to my next type of work! It will be much more fun than this._

There were fields of plants that needed defending against the great enemies, plant-eating four-legs, which were his prey.

* * *

Hiccup held the metal bar with the tongues and placed the heated metal on the anvil. He repeatedly swung his hammer, striking the bar and bending it into shape. The heat in the forge made sweat drip from his brow while he worked. His muscles felt sore and his shirt was drenched with sweat.

He loved everything about the working.

It was a very good feeling to spend the afternoon doing something that he was very good at.

He had taught Ted several tricks of the trade, and it had quickly become apparent that he was more experienced in the forge than Ted was. Ted had quickly brushed that off and simply said that meant he could give more work to Hiccup to do.

And he did not care at all about that. It felt good to be useful to others for a change.

Several Hobbit families brought broken household goods, wagons, and other tools for repairs. It had been strange at first for them to greet him, knowing that he was the strange man who was friends with the resident dragon. Apparently, his and Toothless's clearing out the Barrow-downs had indeed done a lot to generate goodwill among the Hobbits, many of whom had stories going back several generations about how scary that place had been.

It also helped that the Hobbits whom the Mayor had sent to investigate the Downs had returned with chests filled with treasure, coin, and other valuables. The Mayor still had a number of Hobbits in the profession of accounting, whatever that was, though it sounded like something involving law and counting money, working at determining the worth of that treasure stash. There had been some mention of distributing a portion of the wealth to all the families throughout the Shire.

That pending distribution of wealth probably helped to endear him and Toothless to the Hobbits as well.

Hobbits came and went throughout the afternoon, dropping off and picking up items all throughout the day.

_It is almost like Berk in a way, except here the battles are against weeds, dirt, rust, and broken tools instead of raiding dragons._

"I could almost get used to this..." he sighed.

The clang of metal on metal and the occasional hiss of heated metal being cooled in water followed as he worked at the anvil late into the afternoon and even into the early dusk. He took few breaks, wanting to get ahead on his work now so as to leave more time for flying and non-work stuff later this week. It also helped to make a good impression.

"Hiccup!" Toothless barked.

He set aside his tools, wiped his brow, and left the forge, curious what he would see outside. Toothless was patiently sitting on his haunches just outside the forge.

"Hey there, bud. How was your day?"

Toothless purred deeply, apparently very pleased with himself for some reason.

"Tiring and fun. I helped Sam's sire, Gaffer, out on the farm by sniffing out the rabbit dens."

Hiccup crossed his arms and chuckled at that mental image.

"Toothless the Night Fury, the hunter of rabbits everywhere! So terrifying."

A grumbling growl.

"The true unholy offspring of lightning and death itself!"

Narrowed eyes and curled lips.

Hiccup got no further before Toothless struck, his maw thrown wide and jaws clamped down on Hiccup's midsection. Then Hiccup was lifted into the air to dangle from the dragon's toothless jaws.

"Toothless!"

Toothless turned away from the forge and started trotting somewhere.

"What are you doing? I am not a chewtoy!" Hiccup protested.

An absolutely indecipherable mumble was the only answer he got.

"Great, just great. Can't you see all the Hobbits looking at us? Gods, this must look bad! Just think about what you've done!"

Toothless turned partly to the side, noticed the many Hobbits pointing his direction, snorted in amusement, and ignored them as he continued on toward his destination.

Which was the edge of the Bywater.

Hiccup ceased his pointless flailing and noticed that Toothless had paused at the water's edge. In the next instant he remembered Toothless's promise to eventually dunk him in the water in revenge. It was a promise that had not yet been fulfilled.

"Thank you for nothing, you..."

In the next instant he was flying through the air, tumbling head over heels with his limbs tucked into a tiny ball.

"... useless rept..."

Splash.

Toothless stared with satisfaction at the ripples that Hiccup had made when he fell into the water.

His own honor as a Night Fury had been defended. The enemy, Hiccup, had been thoroughly defeated.

Hiccup broke the surface and started treading water.

They glared at each other, both staring deeply into the other's eyes. Then their faint snarls slowly morphed into ever-widening grins.

_I am glad that we left the not-tailfin back in the den!_

He intentionally did not wear it or any riding things unless he and Hiccup specifically planned to go flying. There was no need to unnecessarily wear it out or risk any damage to the new tailfin.

Today was not a day of flying.

So he crouched where he stood, jumped with a great beat of his wings, and dove into the water at Hiccup's side. Doing so surely made a great splash of his own.

The water was very deep, and he could swim freely. Night Furies were very good swimmers.

Hiccup broke the surface of the water a few seconds after he did.

"Alright, I might have deserved that..." Hiccup protested.

Toothless chuckled deeply and padded closer to him. Then he sprayed Hiccup with a mouthful of water until Hiccup ducked back underwater for a moment.

"Dragons and humans, still enemies!" Hiccup laughed once he emerged and caught his breath.

They started alternating between swimming laps around each other and treading water.

"So, Hiccup, how was your day?" Toothless rumbled.

"Before I was so rudely attacked... everything was great! But, uh, I was planning on going swimming anyway, so you did exactly what I wanted to do!"

Toothless indignantly pointed a paw at him.

"You did not! You are just saying that!"

"Ha, shows what you know!"

Toothless huffed and disappeared entirely underwater. His tailfin slapped the water and sent up another splash straight into Hiccup's face.

* * *

"Now look at what you've done, Mister Haddock, you've gone and caught yourself a cold," Frodo frowned.

Hiccup sneezed and shivered while wrapping the blanket tighter around himself. The warm fireplace before him definitely helped much, as did the fresh tea Frodo had made for him.

It was definitely his own fault for spending nearly an hour swimming out of sheer exuberance. Seeing all the amused Hobbits and the youths who were begging to swim also had made it impossible to stop.

The only problem, in hindsight, was that the swimming had been in cool water and had lasted well into the evening.

"I hear it was quite a sight," Frodo continued.

"Oh yes, most of Hobbiton was watching..." Hiccup frowned.

"Nothing like the sight of a friendly dragon playing with his friend in the Bywater."

"Sure... sure..."

Hiccup still shivered slightly as the fire gradually warmed him. The heat did not help with his runny nose, but the tea definitely soothed his sore throat. As did the warm soup that Frodo kindly made for him.

Sitting there in the peace and quiet of Bag-end, something still bothered him. If there was anyone in the Shire whom he trusted fully and who did not have wings, it was definitely Frodo.

"Frodo?"

Frodo looked up from the old book he was attentively reading. The book had many strange symbols on its cover.

"What do the other Hobbits... say about us, about me and Toothless?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. They are only polite to us both, and Toothless has no complaints either. I wonder what people really think about us."

Frodo closed the strange book and set it aside while considering his response.

"I am probably not the best person to ask that. We Bagginses are not the most well-thought of Hobbits in the Shire. People might not freely tell me what they really think."

"Why not?"

Frodo chuckled.

"My Uncle Bilbo, mostly. No one in the family ever had adventures or did strange things before him. Well, that is not totally true. The Took side of the family has always been... different. There is a story about an old Took who was so big for a Hobbit that he could ride a man's horse. Bullroarer Took was the name."

He sounded like a very large Hobbit from the description.

"Impressive," Hiccup sipped at the tea.

"Even more impressive is that he fought in a battle against goblins. He charged the goblin lines while wielding a club. He fought his way to goblin king, Golfimbu, and engaged him in battle."

Frodo hopped to his feet and started acting out the battle by swinging his arms wildly.

"Bullroarer swung his club and knocked the goblin's head clean off. The head flew a hundred yards through the air and disappeared down a rabbit hole, thus ending the battle."

Frodo chuckled.

"And inventing the game of golf at the same time!"

"Golf?" Hiccup mumbled.

"Yep, it is played by people who wear the strangest... nevermind that, back to you and Toothless. While no one has said anything to me, I have overheard some people in the Green Dragon, and my friends may have heard some other people whispering among themselves."

"Well, what are they saying?"

"That you and Toothless are bizarre, highly disreputable, disturbers of the peace, extremely curious, and most strange folk. Also, you are very good with tools, Toothless is very useful around the farm, and you both are, despite the number of wings and tails among the two of you, harmless folk."

Hiccup took a moment to think it through and eventually decided that their reputations could be far worse.

"That's good to know. It could be worse. What are you reading?"

"It is a book of Elvish poems written in the original Sindarin."

_Elves again?_

"What are the Elves like? I have never met one."

Frodo considered the question for a surprisingly long time before giving an answer.

"The Elves are a sad people in some ways. They are very serious, graceful, artistic, and... not truly part of this world."

"What?"

"They are immortal; they do not age past a point, though they can be killed. Being immortal makes them grow weary of the world. Think about seeing all your human friends die of age and your seeing kingdoms rise and fall while you stay the same."

Hiccup tried to ignore the mention of Elves being immortal and instead remembered hearing one specific thing about the Elves.

"Sam said something about Elves leaving. What does that mean?"

"They leave from the Grey Havens, a port city at the Western end of the East Road, and sail over the sea to Valinor, the Undying Lands. They do not come back. Supposedly, the path to Valinor cannot be found except by an Elf or sailed by an Elf ship, and that world is not part of Middle-earth at all."

Hiccup sighed in confusion.

_A part of the world that is not part of the world? A hidden world? That makes no sense._

"I know nothing about this world or history. Berk never really kept any histories from before everyone got there or of the wider world beyond."

Frodo crossed his arms and frowned.

"I have a few books about history, but you don't know how to read our runes. Want to learn?"

"Yeah, why not learn a new language. I would like that."

Then Hiccup frowned and turned his attention back to the soothing tea. Though he was sure that he could make some progress, there was something else that had been bothering him.

_If I speak the same language as them, this Common Tongue, I think it was called, then why are the runes different?_

_Maybe this is related to how Toothless can talk now. Or maybe not._

As Frodo gave him some basic instruction in the new language, it struck him how hospitable Frodo was being to him between giving him the guest room in Bag-end, giving him coin, food, and drink whenever possible, and all the work he did to help get them into the Shire openly.

He had an idea of how he could repay the Hobbit's kindness.

"Frodo, you know that I can fly with Toothless."

Frodo chuckled.

"What? I have definitely not seen you two spinning over Hobbiton almost every day these last two weeks!"

"How would you like to go flying with me? I'm sure that Toothless wouldn't mind."

Frodo stared in amazement and disbelief for a long time before he could answer.

"Really! That would be... amazing!" Frodo gasped.

Hiccup couldn't help but grin as well at the Hobbit's exuberance.

_He is a different kind of Hobbit, indeed._

* * *

_**Author's Note – Fun facts, the Farmer Giles of Ham story is a legitimate piece of Tolkien's writing, though it is not set in Middle-earth. The story Frodo mentioned about the goblin Golfimbu is canon, and that makes me wonder whether there are golf courses in Middle-earth. I like to think there are because it amuses me.**_


	10. Dramatics

Dramatics

* * *

Hiccup felt very well in the morning. Apparently, soup and hot Hobbit-brewed tea sipped in front of a fireplace helped greatly against colds. Not only was he relieved to be feeling better, but he was also very excited that Frodo was going to have a chance to see the Shire from the sky.

However, there was an important task to finish first.

"Do you think this is enough for him?" Frodo warily asked.

The Hobbit had prepared a plate of freshly-cooked, sizzling bacon and sausage. The plate was perhaps a little small relative to how much Toothless could eat, but the delicious smell more than compensated for the relatively small portion size.

"I think he will appreciate it. He can eat anything except eel."

"Eel?"

"Yeah, he really didn't like that the last time I tried to give him some. Now that you mention it, I should ask him why he didn't like it."

"Well, I get my bacon and sausage straight from the Cotton family farm, so I know where it comes from."

They left Bag-end shortly thereafter and strolled down to the barn at the end of the row. Toothless was already awake and was reclining on his back while resting on the hill behind the barn, apparently sunning himself even though it was still early in the morning.

"Good morning, bud!"

Toothless yawned, rolled onto his feet, and stretched everything. Then he sniffed and froze, his eyes narrowing on Frodo.

"Frodo, what is that you have?" he stared directly at the plate.

Frodo smiled widely and stepped closer, setting the plate down before Toothless.

"I made you the bacon and sausage that I said I would. It is not much for a dragon, but..."

The plate was cleaned off in seconds by a very pleased and apparently hungry dragon. Then Toothless looked up at Frodo and purred softly after licking his jaws clean.

"Thank you, Frodo. That meat was very good. Very fatty and juicy."

"Glad you like it!" Frodo beamed.

Hiccup stepped forward with a cheeky grin. It was time to put his plan into motion.

"Bud, how about some flying."

"I will never say no to that."

"And we let Frodo fly with us."

Toothless blinked in surprise and spun on Frodo.

"Truly? You want to fly?" he barked.

"Well, yeah. It would be amazing... if you don't mind me flying with you..."

Toothless looked back at Hiccup, and they both nodded together. Toothless then crouched down and waited as Hiccup retrieved the saddle.

"Toothless, you must be very eager," Frodo observed while smiling.

"How can you tell?"

"Your tail..." Frodo laughed.

Toothless did not bother stilling his tail. He waited patiently as Hiccup returned and the ropes and pulleys went into position.

Hiccup noticed Frodo watching the process with curiosity.

"That is quite a system you have there," Frodo said, clearly impressed.

"Yeah, not many people back where I'm from could make something like this. Too complicated for them."

"I understand. Most Hobbits don't use anything more complicated than basic tools."

The last strap was tightened, and they were ready. Mostly.

Hiccup hopped on Toothless's back and extended a hand to Frodo.

"How are we going to do this?" Frodo nervously asked.

"Just hold onto me. We will be fine. Toothless, think you could take it easy for him? No crazy spins or anything."

"Yes, I understand," Toothless nodded.

Frodo climbed up and sat behind Hiccup, holding onto his shoulders.

"Ready?" Toothless rumbled.

"Ready!" Hiccup eagerly answered.

Toothless extended his wings and crouched while looking up to the sky. He did not bother restraining his thrum of pleasure.

"Oh my..." Frodo gasped.

They jumped.

Frodo held tightly to Hiccup's shoulders as they ascended.

_Come on, Frodo. This is nothing._

Then they leveled off, and the verdant hills, slopes, and fields of Hobbiton passed underwing as they glided with the wind. The usual crowd of Hobbits pointed up at them in apparent awe.

"Wow!" Frodo gasped.

"I know. Something special, isn't it?"

"It is. You are also, Toothless."

Toothless's purr of approval was audible over the wind.

"The first time we flew together was not as... relaxing as this," Hiccup chuckled.

"Why not?" Frodo wondered.

"Because he," Toothless slapped Hiccup with an ear, "was trying to get us killed!"

"Was not! I didn't know how to work the tail yet," Hiccup flicked the same ear with a finger.

"Which almost crashed us into rocks!"

"Not my best moment, but it worked out in the end..."

Toothless just huffed and angled their flight higher up toward the clouds. Once up around the lowest clouds, he leveled off and glanced back over his shoulder. Hiccup looked his usual calm and attentive whenever they went flying. Frodo looked absolutely in awe and could not tear his gaze from the land far below and the distant horizons.

The simple sharing of flight, to give wings in a way to one who has no wings, stirred something in his soul-fire. This giving of peace and joy to another made him feel warmer inside than the largest pile of fish he had ever enjoyed.

Frodo let go of Hiccup's shoulders and then held his arms out wide, as if to embrace the wind itself. The Hobbit's curly hair whipped in the wind.

_Maybe he has the soul-fire of a dragon also._

Toothless then closed his eyes and merely glided in the warm wind. The bright sunlight warmed his hide and wings as he wheeled about in a wide loop over the Shire. Overcome with feeling, he took a deep breath and roared aloud, announcing his flight-joy for the entire world to hear.

Both Hiccup and Frodo added their voices as well.

* * *

Toothless sighed wearily.

Work was tiring. But the work was done now, and he was resting in his den. After explaining his reasons for wanting them, he had a pile of rocks brought in and arranged to make a rocky ground he could lay on after flaming. More importantly, the rocks would hold heat from his fire better than dirt could. That would make for even more enjoyable and restful naps.

He hid his head under his tailfin and flew his thoughts to everything that he knew of this Shire. The Hobbits gave him his space, and few of them were openly afraid of him. It helped that they were not hostile as a way of life.

Hiccup was more accepted for sure, mostly because of his skill in making things and fixing things but also because he could go into the Hobbit dens to join in their bonding ceremonies.

As for himself, he was content to do work, be kin to Hiccup and the four Hobbits he and Hiccup knew best, and live in peace. The Shire was a good, peaceful range in which they could both live long.

But it still felt like it was missing something.

He sighed and listened to the sounds of the activity outside. Many young voices were eagerly clamoring and drawing closer.

_What?_

The voices eventually quieted just outside his den.

"Master Toothless?" Sam's voice cried out.

_What is he doing here? Is there more work to do?_

Most of the work he had been doing in the farms had been in some way with Sam's family-pack or others who knew Frodo. But it was strange for one of them to come to his den now.

Toothless reluctantly got to his paws, trotted over to the entrance of his den, and nosed open the door. He glanced outside and froze in amazement.

Standing just outside his den were Sam, a pawful of Hobbit children, and their sires and dams just behind them. They were all so small in comparison to Hiccup, but the young were especially so. Their eyes were very wide as they stared at him.

All the children were holding fish in their paws.

"What is this, Sam?"

"They," Sam waved a paw at the children, "wanted to come meet you, Master Toothless."

He slowly walked out of the den to them. Several of the children gasped as he approached. Then he lay down before them and softly purred to them.

It felt very warming inside to see how happy and eager they were to meet him.

"Hello little ones," he hummed.

"Wow!" "He is so nice!" "Does he have warts?" "Can I pet him?"

Sam blushed at the last question.

"Uh, well... only if he does not mind."

A Hobbit girl eagerly stepped closer. Her brown eyes were very wide and awed as she stared at him.

He was absolutely powerless to resist whatever influence she had. Maybe two-legged creatures had power in their eyes instead of the paws. Maybe they only had great power in their eyes when they were young.

"What is your name, little one?"

"Ruby! Are you really toothless?" she exclaimed.

He chuckled and gave her a gummy smile.

"I can be, and that is my name also. Toothless."

Ruby chuckled and covered her mouth with a paw. Something about seeing her so happy made his tail sway in happiness of his own as a warmth flared in his soul-fire. Then she shyly held up the fish in her little paws. He was more than happy to oblige her and let her toss the fish into his jaws.

The other Hobbit children, apparently encouraged by seeing Ruby so close to him, also approached. None of them had any remaining reluctance.

Even better, he got a very nice midday snack from all the fish that they brought. Being friendly to Hobbits, while good on its own and being some bonding, was also useful because Hobbits liked food and were willing to give him food also!

_I wonder if young ones are less afraid than adults. They might be because they know less bad, if any, from others._

"You can fly, yes?" they clamored.

"What do you think these are for?" he ruffled his wings for them to see.

"Can we fly with you?" "I want to fly!" "That'd be fun!" "Flying!"

Their parents looked shocked and wary by their young ones' enthusiasm at the idea of flight.

His ears fell slightly at the eagerness the young showed. While it would be very warming to show these young Hobbits flight, much as he had done for Frodo, he could not do it now. Not without Hiccup here to work the tailfin, at least, and Hiccup was busy working.

He could not fly on his own.

"Sorry, but I cannot fly unless my friend is here with me."

They looked and sounded disappointed with that, based on their groans and frowns.

"We can play now if you want!" he offered.

"Yes, playing!" "Fun!" "Tag!" "Ball!"

Even as he played with them and let them pet his neck, feel his wings, or climb on his back to slide down his wings, he occasionally glanced up at the clouds and felt a slight chill inside.

While the loss of the tailfin was, all considered, a good thing because of what he gained, it did cause some problems at times, such as now. There was some amount of good that he could not do on his own.

But he could still run along the path while batting a ball back to them. They then kicked the ball back to him while laughing. They were easily amused.

Their parents followed to watch the play; he understood their desire to watch over their young.

His play kept getting fouled by the sight of the puffy clouds high above; the clouds were beckoning to him. He kept looking up at the sky while regretting what was lost.

_I need to fly later once Hiccup is done with work..._

That faint feeling of longing did not fade even after he was left alone to have an afternoon nap in his den.

He dreamed of spinning with joy through the sky and clouds, dipping a wingtip into the thick clouds that flowed like an ocean below him, and chasing after a dark shape that teasingly fled ahead of him.

* * *

Hiccup and Toothless were sprawled out on top of Bag-end, resting together in the long grass under the tree after the end of a tiring day. Another peaceful week had passed since they had taken Frodo on his first and only flight. None of the other adult Hobbits had expressed any interest in doing that, nor had the offer been given to anyone.

The days had passed quickly between Toothless working and swimming in the Bywater or the Brandywine River and Hiccup working at the forge and repairing the mill. Hiccup also used the time to learn more stories and even some runes, though he needed a lot more practice before he was even close to being able to read.

Everything was peaceful.

Then a crowd of Hobbits came storming over the slopes and marching along the dirt paths. That alone was strange, but the fact that these Hobbits were carrying pitchforks was even stranger.

"Bud, you see that?"

"Yes, what is happening?" Toothless warbled.

"I don't know..."

They hopped to their feet and strolled down in front of Bag-end. Then they realized where the crowd of Hobbits appeared to be going.

"Hey, does it look like they're headed for your barn?"

Toothless softly growled and started for his den; he felt protective of it since these Hobbits did not look like they were happy about something.

"Hiccup, Toothless, wait up!" Frodo cried and ran out to meet them.

"What is going on?" Hiccup asked.

Frodo gave an open scowl that was so very different from how the Hobbit always looked. Frodo never looked angry or frustrated with anyone. Something was truly bothering Frodo.

"I know these Hobbits. Don't worry about them; they won't hurt you, but they will try to cause trouble."

"Who are they?"

"The Sackville Bagginses, Lobelia and Otho..." Frodo whispered.

"Aren't those the ones who hated Bilbo and wanted Bag-end?" Hiccup asked.

"And still do to both."

Then Frodo's eyes lit up along with him giving them a wry grin.

"Wait here, I'll be right back!"

Frodo ran off toward Bag-end, dashed inside, and then swiftly returned before the crowd arrived.

"Let's go to your barn!" Frodo shouted.

They all started running down to the barn.

"What was that for?" Hiccup whispered.

"Insurance..." Frodo winked.

Hiccup and Toothless gave each other a glance and a shrug.

The crowd thundered up the dirt path, but most of the Hobbits paused when they saw Toothless calmly sitting on his rear outside the barn. Hiccup and Frodo stood with him in support.

Two of the Hobbits in the crowd did not stay at a distance; rather, they strode forward without hesitation. They were an older married couple. The man was unremarkable, but the woman was dressed in a prim yellow dress, and she also carried an umbrella. Hiccup found that confusing.

_There isn't a cloud in the sky. Maybe it's for shade?_

"LOOK AT THAT! There it is! The demon!" the elderly woman screeched while pointing her umbrella at Toothless.

Hiccup, Toothless, and Frodo all looked over their shoulders toward the slope behind them.

"Where?" they all laughed.

"Right beside you! The dragon!" the woman shouted again.

"Lobelia! That is not polite at all!" Frodo objected.

"Polite, you little brat! Nothing polite about your blasted uncle cheating us out of what we rightly deserve!"

Lobelia stopped in front of Frodo and put a hand on her hip while waving her umbrella at him. Hiccup barely stifled his laughter at how absurdly and harmlessly threatening she was being.

She must have noticed because she started haughtily glaring at him. He had to admit that there was something courageous about how fearless she was.

_Yikes, not a pleasant Hobbit lady at all..._

"You, Outsider, take your... creature... and begone!"

"Pardon me, miss, but..." Hiccup began.

"I'll not pardon you!" Lobelia interrupted.

_Huh?_

"What I mean is that we are welcome here in Hobbiton. We earned our place here."

She waved her umbrella at him.

"Bah, all a trick! Your being here is just more proof of what we always knew!"

"What is that?" Frodo crossed his arms with a scowl.

Otho vigorously pointed a finger at Frodo.

"We knew that Bag-end is secretly filled with tunnels of gold and jewels! You and Bilbo have been hiding it from us all along!"

Frodo laughed.

"And I will say again as I always have that there are no secret tunnels of gold."

Lobelia smiled, as though she was very pleased with herself.

"Then explain the dragon! We know from the old stories that dragons show up wherever gold is hidden!"

Everyone stared at Toothless as he remained still under all their glares. Even Hiccup frowned, realizing that her words were at least consistent with the stories that the Hobbits told of dragons. What she said made some sense, even though he knew that her worry obviously did not apply to Toothless.

Then Toothless lifted his head and chuckled, his tail swaying in amusement.

"I live in my den, not in Bag-end. The gold must be in my den, true?"

The gathered Hobbits reluctantly nodded and grumbled in agreement. Toothless then directly addressed Lobelia and Otho and used his tail to point at his barn.

"You are free to search for the gold and treasure in my den!"

Lobelia and Otho started in surprise at being addressed by him.

"The only treasure we know about is over in the Downs," Hiccup explained.

The comment about the Barrow-Downs set off a stream of muttering from the crowd of Hobbits, many of whom looked like they had forgotten what they were doing there.

"The Downs?" "That was them?" "Well, that changes everything..." "They killed the wight?" "Gracious..." "Most unusual..."

Lobelia and Otho did not appear pleased.

"And further," Frodo smiled cheerfully, "the Mayor himself agreed to allow these two fine people to live here as payment for their deeds. I have the signed and recorded agreement of residency right here if you care to read it!"

Frodo then pulled out from a pocket a long roll of paper filled with verbiage. The very bottom of the paper had a space on which there were three signatures: one Hobbit's name, a name signed in Viking runes, and a massive pawprint.

"Foiled again," Otho grumbled.

Then Lobelia snapped with a burst of frustration. She stepped toward Frodo and started beating at his head and shoulders with her umbrella while shouting something very impolite.

Everything happened very quickly as everyone screamed in alarm and a dark blur struck like lightning.

Toothless darted forward to Frodo's side, grabbed the umbrella in his jaws, and yanked it away from Lobelia. Then he sat down behind Frodo while softly growling in Lobelia's direction. The umbrella was still hanging from his jaws.

Lobelia shuffled backwards in open alarm, but she fell over her own feet and tumbled onto the dirt path.

"Monster! It is a monster!" Otho shouted as he helped her to her feet.

Toothless bent down to the ground and dropped the umbrella at Frodo's feet. No one had a chance to say anything before Otho and Lobelia turned away and started running down the path.

However, they could not outrun Frodo as he ran after them with their umbrella in hand.

Hiccup went over and leaned against Toothless's side as everything settled down. Together, they watched the crowd of Hobbits begin muttering amongst themselves or otherwise break apart.

"Did I do something wrong?" Toothless softly warbled.

"No, bud. You did really well there. That could've gone much worse."

"Why do the not-Bagginses want Frodo's den?"

Hiccup shrugged.

"If I remember right it was some old, imagined offense from long ago."

Frodo ran back up the path to them; he was now without the umbrella.

"Thanks for that support, Toothless. It helped a lot."

"Truly? How so?" Toothless asked.

"Well, you didn't bite or flame them. That helped. Also, no one really likes the Sackville-Bagginses."

"No, why not?" Hiccup asked.

"They're very grouchy, as you can imagine. Always have been."

"They were always unliked?" Hiccup wondered.

Despite his own frustration with the two Hobbits, he knew well how miserable it was to be unliked by ones own tribe.

Frodo nodded.

"Yeah, they do not do themselves any favors on that. They are rather well-off for Hobbits, but they keep their wealth to themselves. They're also generally unpleasant, which doesn't help anyone want to be pleasant to them."

Hiccup sighed in agreement.

"That does sound like a vicious cycle."

_They almost remind me of Mildew. No one really likes him either. Maybe they just need an opportunity to do something that people like. That would probably help them be happier._

* * *

"Well, I'm absolutely beat," Pippin said from outside the forge.

"Hard day of work, huh? I know the feeling," Hiccup groaned, wiping the sweat from his brow with a rag.

He tossed aside the rag and strolled out from the forge to join Merry and Pippin. They were both smoking Old Toby while leaning against a wagon. They also looked very exhausted and short of breath, definitely because they had been working at...

"Work? Nah, we were running from old Farmer Maggot," Merry cheerfully answered.

"Huh?"

"We helped ourselves to some of his cabbages, carrots, and a few bags of potatoes and mushrooms," Pippin explained.

"And we might have had to run from his field to escape his hounds..." Merry added.

Hiccup glanced between the two in amusement.

"You were stealing his crops?"

Merry and Pippin looked at each other and nodded as one.

"I prefer to think of it as quality control."

"Exactly, Pip. Someone has to test the crops before he starts selling them at market. We wouldn't want to buy inferior produce!"

"Plus, he always has a large harvest. He doesn't really miss what we took, no pun intended."

Merry grinned widely at that idea.

"Yep! He is probably thanking us for helping him. He now has a little less work to do at harvest time."

"Merry, I like your thinking!"

"Always looking out for you, Pip!"

Hiccup only shook his head.

_Ah, the Shire is a wonderful place where such mischief is truly harmless. Breaking into the storerooms or helping themselves to part of the harvest would not have been ignored back on Berk._

"So, Mister Haddock, are you ready to join us for a few pints down at the Green Dragon?" Merry kindly asked.

He was very thirsty after a long day of work, and the companionship was always heartwarming, amusing, or both.

"Sure, why not?"

"Great! Frodo and Sam are going to be there also. Let's get a move on!" Pippin eagerly said.

* * *

Hiccup was not a stranger to the Green Dragon anymore. He knew most of the barmaids by name, and he had his favorite brews to enjoy. He, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin also had a table that they frequently claimed as theirs.

At least, they sat at that table when the Hobbits were not carried away by a festive mood and dancing on tables. Even that revelry was more of a Merry and Pippin thing to do. Frodo and Sam behaved far more seriously in most matters.

"The usual, Mister Haddock?" Rose Cotton kindly asked.

"Yes, please," he answered.

"I'll have a bottle of the 1347, a fine year that one was!" Pippin exclaimed.

"A pint of the brown, please," Merry added.

"Will do. Mister Gamgee?" Rose asked.

Sam reluctantly looked up and met her even gaze.

"I... I'll have a house ale."

Rose winked at him and whipped around to bring the requested orders.

"So, where is Frodo?" Hiccup asked.

"He had to go get something before coming down here," Sam explained after tearing his gaze away from Rose.

Hiccup looked around the Green Dragon at all the other Hobbits present. Many of them were older, kindly folk. There were families spending time together and talking about various matters relating to the Shire, such as gardening, trade, and gossip.

Some of them were glancing at him or whispering about a certain black dragon. The looks he was getting were more those of curiosity than they had been before.

_None of them are hostile; everyone is peaceful toward us, mostly. Definitely true that they're all happy to have more coin also._

The Hobbits' voices all around blended into a drone of merriment and conversation.

"My lad is shaping up to be a fine farmer!" "Come on you old windbag, pay up!" "Did you hear that Linda and Isembold are engaged!" "Hooded strangers on the border, I swear." "Didn't pay me near enough for my produce!"

Rose finally arrived with the drinks for them all.

"Should we wait for Frodo?" Hiccup asked.

Merry looked up at that question, and his eyes brightened when he glanced over at the door.

"Aye, we should wait for him. He just got here. Frodo! Over here!" Merry waved.

Frodo noticed them, approached through the crowd, and took his place with them at the table.

"Where were you? We've been waiting for... forever," Pippin groaned dramatically.

Frodo held a hand to his chest and assumed a lofty voice.

"I was meeting with the Mayor about a very important piece of business. Something that I've been meaning to do for a while now."

"What is it?" Hiccup asked.

"Everyone is happy with all the extra coin that people got from the treasure hoard in the Downs. I thought it would be fair to include you and Toothless in the cut since you two were the ones who cleaned out the Barrow for us."

Frodo reached into a pocket on his jacket, and he pulled out a modest coinpurse which he then handed to Hiccup.

"That is for you and Toothless."

Hiccup inspected it and counted a decent number of gold and silver coins inside. This was perhaps a couple month's worth of wages.

"Not sure what I'll need to buy with it, but thanks anyway," Hiccup stowed the coinpurse in a pocket.

"Alright, he is here. It is time to begin!" Merry eagerly began.

"Begin what?" Hiccup warily asked.

Merry and Pippin picked up their mugs and winked at him.

"Drinking contest!" they both chuckled as one.

"A drinking contest? I don't know about that. I was never any good at that before..."

_Nor did I ever really try..._

"Well, everyone has to start somewhere. Plus, you're bigger than a Hobbit, and that gives you a distinct advantage," Pippin explained.

Hiccup looked down at his mug of beer. Hobbit brew was fairly strong in his experience so far. Then he glanced up at the jovial Hobbits all around but especially at those sitting with him.

"What are the rules?" he asked.

"Excellent!" Merry rubbed his palms together.

"The rules are simple. Are you paying attention? Here it goes. We drink. Talk about anything we want. And the last one still sitting unaided at the table wins!" Pippin grabbed his mug.

"Wins what?"

"Bragging rights!" Merry laughed.

_Okay, that is very like Berk. What about..._

"Restroom breaks?"

"Of course, but you have to keep the beer down," Merry explained.

Within moments all five of them had their first mug in hand. The amber foam in Hiccup's mug looked and smelled very appealing.

_Oh well, what is the worst that could happen?_

* * *

"Tloohlhess..."

Toothless lifted his head at the very strange call Hiccup made from outside the den. It was well after sundown, and he had not been expecting a visit tonight or that Hiccup would sound so twisted.

"Hiccup?"

The entrance to the den opened with a crash as Hiccup entered. He did so while swaying wildly from side to side and struggling to stay on his feet. His eyes didn't focus on much.

Something was very wrong with him.

_Hiccup, what did you do to yourself?_

Hiccup stumbled up next to him and rested against his neck. He apparently needed that help, else he would have fallen over.

"Hiccup, what is wrong?"

"Wrong? Nuffing! I won! I won!"

Hiccup lifted a clenched paw high into the air, a clear sign of triumph.

"You won. Good. At what?" Toothless purred.

"A drinking contesht! I went to tha bottle to heal my heart an' drown my woe! And under a dark wing I will lie and let the shtars go shailing by!" Hiccup sang in a silly voice.

"Were you drinking the happy-water?"

"Beer and ale, that's what it's called, bud."

He sniffed and confirmed that Hiccup's breath smelled very much of the happy-water-beer-ale drink. The drink made a human act very silly and do twisted things like forget how to walk or stand or talk well.

"Hiccup, do you want to sit down?"

"Nope! I want to fall down!"

Hiccup then collapsed in place and leaned against his side.

"That's betta!"

"Yes, I think you should stay here tonight."

"Ghood plan. Uh, actually nope, I have to go!" Hiccup promptly got to his unsteady feet.

He shook his head and grumbled softly at Hiccup's twistedness.

"You are not going anywhere else. Not after all that you drank."

Hiccup thought for a moment in apparent confusion and then looked back at him with pleading eyes.

"But Tooodlessh, I have to go! Now!"

"Where do you have to go? It is best if you stay here with me," he hopped to his feet and sat down to block the entrance to the den.

Hiccup reluctantly nodded and then stumbled away from him toward a corner of his den.

_What are you doing? If this is..._

Hiccup started relieving himself in the corner of the den.

Toothless rolled his eyes and collapsed in place in total exasperation.

_I should have known..._

He patiently waited as Hiccup did what needed doing. Hiccup finally finished relieving himself and then returned to him, leaning against his side in relief and exhaustion.

He could not find it within himself to be frustrated with Hiccup.

"Toooothless, did you know that you are my besht friend, my bruder?"

"Hiccup, we already knew that! Even if you did just mark my den," he muttered.

Hiccup looked completely oblivious to what he said.

"Okay, good! Jusht wanted to make shure that we knew!"

He grumbled softly and lay a wing over Hiccup to keep him close and warm. His friend did not look like he was in a good condition to be going anywhere else.

_This beer and ale is too thought-twisting for him. He did say that he won, so he either defended his status or won more. That is good of him._

They lay there in each other's company for a while, neither of them saying anything. Hiccup eventually realized that something was on his own mind because he raised a paw and hit himself in the forehead.

"Toothlesh, are you... happy?"

He raised an eyeridge in response.

"What do you mean?" he warbled.

"With the Shire and living here... It is good, them not being afraid of you. Me being able to work for them and be usheful for once in my lyfe."

He nodded in agreement. The changes that he could see in Hiccup were definitely for the better.

"You are much happier now than you were back on... Berk."

"Yeah, I guessh I am. I wonder if we're really meant to..." Hiccup did not finish his thought.

He looked around at Hiccup and saw the confusion on his friend's face.

"What?"

"I rememba Gandalf telling ush that we can make uh differensh shomehow. And as nice as the Shire ish... I wonder if this ish truly our home. It feelsh shmall in a way."

"Small?"

"Yeah, there ish a whole, wide world to shee. Elvesh, Dwarves, different human peoplesh. The world ish not in books or mapsh..."

Then Hiccup groaned, holding a paw to his head and softly moaning for a few moments.

"I guessh alsho because we're alone here. Sheeing all the happy Hobbits together, hushbands and wives, and kids, makesh me feel... I wish that..."

They both sighed as one at that, and he leaned slightly against Hiccup. Their isolation from their own kinds was something he indeed thought much about. Doing so always gave him feeling of empty chill.

"True, we will not find a female for you unless we go to other human peoples."

Hiccup rolled his eyes and swayed his head from side to side, possibly because of difficulty staying upright.

"Same with you, bro. We gotta find you a female Night Fury shomewhere in the world. You'll find her and have lotsh of babiesh! A whole flock of Night Furiesh!" Hiccup waved his arms wildly in the air.

As soul-fire-warming as the idea was, this discussion had given him a perfect way to tease Hiccup. He gently nudged Hiccup's shoulder with his nose and chuckled to himself.

"And you will also when we find you a good female! You will make many human hatchlings."

Hiccup waved a paw at him in annoyance.

"Uh, no. Humansh don't have hatchlings. We don't... hatch... from eggs."

_Really? I did not know that about humans. What do they do?_

"No? What happens?"

He knew that under normal conditions Hiccup would not want to talk about such matters. Hiccup was very thought-twisted about many parts of life and especially anything involving making of life.

These were not normal conditions.

"They are born. Shtraight out of the mom's belly. No egg. The baby shtill needs both parentsh for years afterwards. Bashically usheless after they're born: can't talk, walk, or feed themshelves at all," Hiccup explained.

Toothless thought about it and was surprised at how similar their kinds were.

"Many dragons are like that even though they come from eggs. They need their sire and dam for years until they are grown enough to hunt."

"Yeah, I guessh we're not all that different in lyfe."

Then Toothless sighed and closed his eyes. The thought of sires, dams, and little ones was soul-fire warming and chilling at the same time.

Despite his twisted-thinking, Hiccup gently reached over and scratched under his chin.

"I can shee it now, Toothlesh. We will both have familiesh of our own, and our kidsh will grow up together. Playing, learning, teasing, fighting, laughing, flying... living..." Hiccup wearily sighed.

"Flying the winds of life together. I would like that very much," Toothless softly hummed.

A peaceful quiet came over them as they settled down to rest. The voices from beyond faded until the only sounds were their breaths and the calls of night creatures.

"Oh, Toothlesh, I almosht fergot. We got shome of the treashure."

Hiccup took out a pouch and held it in a paw.

"Treasure? What is it?"

"Jusht shome of the coin from that wight's cave-Barrow-place. Shome gold and shilver. The Hobbits wanted us to have shome alsho."

_Gold and silver?_

"And they gave that to us?"

"Yeah, not shure what we can buy with it. Think you can keep it shafe?"

Hiccup dropped the small pouch at his side and leaned back against him.

_Keep the treasure safe? Sure, I can do that._

He reached out with a paw and gathered the pouch of treasure to his side.

"Good night, Toothlesh. I'm done now..."

No sooner had Hiccup said that than he slumped in place, lay his head on the ground, and started snoring. His mouth hung open very absurdly.

Toothless chuckled at Hiccup's twistedness and covered him with a wing to help keep him warm. Then he closed his eyes and lay down while faintly purring with peace until he too fell sleep.

* * *

There was a faint shadow inside: a quiet voice that spoke in a whisper to his soul-fire.

It felt very good to keep his precious, his treasure, close and safe.

* * *

_**Author's Note – The Sackville Bagginses had to make an appearance and get up to no good. Speaking of no good, next week is a turning point.**_


	11. The Ring Of Fire

_**Author's Note – Here we go.**_

* * *

The Ring Of Fire

* * *

"Alright, ready to give this a shot?" Hiccup asked.

Toothless only grumbled softly in reply.

"I'm sure it will work this time," Hiccup added.

"Just do not crash us!" Toothless growled and slapped Hiccup with an ear.

"Alright, if you would rather not crash, as fun as it is..."

Hiccup pulled a lever on the side of the saddle, which then locked the tailfin in place. Then he took his foot out of position and waited, silently preparing himself for this next attempt as Toothless took over.

"Ready?" Toothless warbled.

"Go for it, bud!"

They tilted to the side in a wide arc and then angled up into a loop. Finally, they went through a wobbly spin and leveled out into an unsteady glide.

"Thoughts, bud?"

Toothless flicked his ears and grumbled into the wind. Hiccup already knew what the Fury was thinking.

"That feels wrong. The not-tailfin does not move well."

"Yeah, I thought you'd say that. It felt unstable to me too. I'm not sure what else I can change about the design right now. Not without completely reworking it, anyway."

They then returned to the true, shared flying that was far more comforting and familiar. This was time just for the two of them to enjoy the simple and relaxing bonding of shared flight and occasional talks where no one else could interrupt.

They flew long until they eventually landed on a hill near the road. Toothless purred softly as he looked around at the clear night sky. The stars spun around in the highest heavens. Seeing that got him wondering.

"Hiccup, do you know what the stars are?"

"Nope. Why do you ask?"

"Because sometimes I think that they might be the soul-fires of the dragons who lived before. Think about it, they fly very high and look like they burn with fire."

"Maybe. Do you know about Valhalla?" Hiccup shrugged and gently patted Toothless's neck.

"No, what is that?"

"It is where the Vikings say that the dead who died well go. They live forever in a great mead hall in which they feast and battle for the fun of it. Only if they lived well and died honorably. At least, that is how I heard that it works."

Toothless gave a solemn warble.

"What is it?" Hiccup asked.

"I was thinking about what happens when a human dies. Where does the soul-fire go? What about me? Will I become a star and you... not?" he sadly whispered.

Hiccup reassuringly rubbed his neck.

"I hope that we can go to the same place. The gods can't hate you. They'd have to let a good dragon like you into Valhalla."

"How would Vikings know anything about that place?"

"The stories say so. The great Poetic Eddas say that... hey, do you see that?"

"What?" Toothless grumbled in confusion.

"Down on the road."

He looked down the ridge and saw something very strange. There was a four-leg, a horse, galloping along the path. A cloaked figure was on the horse.

"Who would be traveling now?" Hiccup wondered.

Toothless watched the unknown person as it advanced toward Hobbiton. He had little difficulty seeing well in the night's darkness, but he could barely make out one thing about the person.

"Is it normal for a human to have very long face-fur?"

"No, are you sure it is a human?"

"Yes, it is bigger than any Hobbit."

Hiccup thought for a moment and realized something wonderful.

"That must be Gandalf! We should go meet him!"

Toothless growled in agreement and jumped into a long glide. He angled to land in front of the person who was likely Gandalf.

_There is much the Wizard needs to hear._

He threw wide his wings with a great stroke and gently touched down. He proudly strode into the middle of the road and then sat down.

The horse reared up and whinnied loudly when he touched down. However, the person on the horse immediately started calming the horse in a very familiar voice. He also had the same strange appearance that they both remembered. The staff in his hands was another certain indicator of who it was.

Toothless remembered that staff very well and did not particularly like it much, even though Gandalf had eventually accepted him.

"Gandalf! Good to see you again!" Hiccup cried as he dismounted and stood at Toothless's shoulder.

Gandalf finished soothing the horse, which was now completely unconcerned about the dragon sitting before it.

"My goodness, you two gave me quite a fright!" Gandalf exclaimed.

"What? Sorry about that. I know that I strike a very imposing image..." Hiccup chuckled and flexed his arms.

Toothless rolled his eyes and huffed in unamusement.

"A fierce dragon, indeed. Am I to suppose from your being here that you are both now living in the Shire?" Gandalf slightly smiled.

"We are," Hiccup answered.

"Oh, gracious me. I must hear more about how you convinced the Hobbits to let a friendly dragon live among them."

"It was easy. I flamed a not-dead thing and made it deader," Toothless smugly purred.

Gandalf's eyebrows took on a life of their own.

"They called it a wight in the Barrow-downs. We, or rather he, killed it for the Hobbits," Hiccup explained with a nod to Toothless.

That explanation clearly caught Gandalf by surprise.

"You killed a Barrow-wight!"

Toothless flashed his teeth and shot a small burst of fire into the sky, as if just to show that he could. Gandalf grumbled softly and stroked his beard.

"Impressive. Those relics of Angmar can still be found scattered through the world, and they are no simple matter to destroy, though light and fire usually does the trick."

"I have much fire."

"You certainly do."

Then the Wizard looked ahead along the road. He was clearly distracted by something.

"I am sorry that I must be on my way. I must see Frodo as soon as possible."

"Perfect. We were getting ready to head back to Bag-end ourselves," Hiccup offered.

"Then hurry up. I have a suspicion about which I dearly hope I am wrong," Gandalf added most cryptically.

Hiccup and Toothless were aloft in seconds, swiftly making their way back to Hobbiton while Gandalf followed below.

"What is twisting his tail?" Toothless asked.

"Not sure. Guess we will find out soon."

* * *

They arrived back at Bag-end well before Gandalf arrived on horseback.

"You go ahead, Hiccup. It was a long day, and I want to sleep," Toothless yawned and pawed at the ground.

"Alright, bro. I'll let you know in the morning what Gandalf is so excited about."

Toothless nodded in agreement and then strode inside the barn, pulling the door closed with his tail. Hiccup made his way up to Bag-end, knocked on the door, and entered. It was unlocked, as was usual. Almost no one ever locked doors in the Shire.

Frodo was sitting in his armchair and reading a book by the fireplace. The Hobbit had a warm cup of tea with him.

"Mister Haddock, how was the flight? You said that you were making some adjustments to the tailfin."

Hiccup frowned and collapsed in a chair of his own.

"They didn't work the best. Locking the tailfin in one position really limits how well he can fly. I mean, he can sort of fly but not well at all. Oh, Gandalf is back, by the way."

"Gandalf is here!" Frodo eagerly exclaimed.

"Yeah, he should be getting here any moment now."

"Perfect timing then. I just got back from the Green Dragon a few minutes ago myself. Sam and I were talking."

Sure enough, a dull rapping at the door followed shortly thereafter, and Frodo got up to answer the door.

"Frodo!" Gandalf cried out from beyond.

"Gandalf!" Frodo flung open the door.

The Wizard strode inside, apparently fully intending to get straight to whatever business had brought him back to the Shire.

Then he hit his forehead into a wooden beam.

"Ow!"

Both Frodo and Hiccup flinched at the terrible injury.

"I never learn..." Gandalf muttered while rubbing his forehead.

"Sorry about that..." Frodo wryly chuckled.

Gandalf waved away the words of pity.

"Oh, nevermind that. Frodo, do you remember what I said that you had to do? That special task I had for you."

"Yes."

"Well? Is it secret? Is it safe?" Gandalf desperately asked.

"Yes, no one else knows about it. Not even Mister Haddock."

_What is going on? Are they keeping a secret?_

"Where is it?" Gandalf continued.

"Excuse me, but do you want me to leave?" Hiccup asked.

"No, you can stay," Gandalf answered after a moment of thought.

Frodo then got up and briskly walked over to a chest in the living room. He retrieved an envelope and handed it to Gandalf.

Amazingly and in defiance of all common sense, Gandalf tossed the envelope into the lit fireplace without even opening the envelope. Then he retrieved a set of tongs.

"Huh? What are you doing?" Frodo exclaimed.

Hiccup shook his head at the complete strangeness of the Wizard's ways.

_He arrives at night, departs whenever he wishes, has some power like magic, and just tossed an envelope into the fireplace. To be fair, Berk has its share of craziness also: Gobber claiming that trolls exist and that they steal left socks only. And his wild story about the Boneknapper; who would believe that?_

Neither he nor Frodo said anything as they waited for whatever it was that Gandalf was doing. The Wizard finally decided that enough time had passed and retrieved something from the fireplace by using the tongs. Hiccup, interested in what was going on, got up and stood by the fireplace to get a better view.

"Hold out your hand," Gandalf instructed Frodo.

Frodo looked reasonably wary of holding whatever it was, which made a lot of sense given that the thing had been in the fireplace.

"It's quite cool," Gandalf reassured him.

Frodo held out his hand and received the thing even as Gandalf stood up and began to pace. Hiccup was finally able to see what it was that had caused all this activity late at night and which had apparently brought Gandalf with great haste from distant lands.

A plain, golden ring.

_That's it? Yep, totally crazy!_

"What can you see? Do you see anything?" Gandalf warily asked.

"Nothing. There's nothing," Frodo answered after a few seconds had passed.

Gandalf almost sighed with relief at that response.

_Why would he be relieved that the ring is plain? Why did he throw it in the fire?_

"Wait..." Frodo added in surprise.

_Huh?_

"There are markings. It is some form of Elvish, and I cannot read the fiery letters," Frodo lamented.

Gandalf definitely wilted at those words. He slowly spun in place and faced Frodo while leaning on his staff.

Hiccup also looked closely at the ring in Frodo's fingers. The plain ring indeed now had fine lines of red running along its inside and outside. The lines formed a script which was almost familiar to him, though he still could not read anything like it. The ring's letters glowed from within with a piercing light.

As if it was a ring of fire.

_That is amazing. Is it heat activated or something like magic? Wow._

"There are few who can. The language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here," Gandalf wearily said.

Even Hiccup had heard whispers of such a name. They were mostly bad things and references in old stories. However, he didn't know as much about that name as he would have liked since Frodo had not shared much of what it meant.

"Mordor!" Frodo exclaimed.

"Mordor?" Hiccup added in confusion.

Gandalf reluctantly nodded.

"The land of Sauron, the Enemy of the free peoples of Middle-earth."

"So, this is his Ring..." Frodo gasped.

"In the Common Tongue it reads, 'One Ring to rule them all. One Ring to find them. One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them'."

"What does that mean? It doesn't sound good," Hiccup wondered.

Gandalf took a seat and glared at the Ring in Frodo's palm.

"There are, for lack of a better word, magic rings in this world. Three Rings for the Elven kings under the sky. Seven for the Dwarf lords in their halls of stone. Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die. One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne."

"But why does he want it?" Hiccup asked.

It was a magic ring, which made it a fascinating and precious thing, but he was uncertain of its importance.

"This is the One Ring that Sauron imbued with much of his power so that he could control all others. But he lost it many years ago, and he lost much of his power when he lost it. How it came to be here in the Shire, I have only guesses until Bilbo found it deep in the Misty Mountains," Gandalf explained.

Frodo leaned forward in his chair.

"That is how Bilbo escaped from Gollum's cave. The Ring made him invisible, unless I am very much mistaken."

Gandalf grimly nodded and leaned forward.

"Yes, I wondered how Bilbo made it through his adventure unscathed. He found this Ring in Gollumn's cave and used the Ring to hide when needed. For sixty years the Ring lay quiet in Bilbo's keeping, prolonging his life and delaying old age, but no longer. The Ring has awoken. It has heard its master's call," Gandalf ominously whispered.

Hiccup held up a hand, a question on his mind.

"Correct me if I am wrong, but so what if that Sauron person lost his Ring long ago? Why does it matter?"

"Yes, he was destroyed. Sauron was destroyed," Frodo added in agreement.

A very faint whisper, almost of disapproval, echoed in the living room upon those words being spoken. All three of them found their gazes drawn down to the Ring, which shone slightly brighter and more alluring than it had before. It felt like someone else was present with them.

Hiccup felt goosebumps at that moment as everything changed. He knew that this was no simple Ring, and that he had somehow wandered into very serious matters.

_Oh my gods... what was that?_

Gandalf slowly shook his head while glaring at the Ring.

"No, Frodo. Sauron was not destroyed. He lost his physical form, yes, but his life-force is bound to the Ring, and the Ring endures. Sauron endures as does much of his evil in Mordor. He may have retaken a physical form already. All of his thoughts are turned to finding this Ring. He must never find it!"

"What would happen if he does?" Hiccup warily asked, knowing that it could not be good.

"He would regain his lost power and would summon all evil to him. He would cover all the land in darkness and conquer all the free peoples of Middle-earth. His rule would be unbroken until the ending of the world itself."

_Until Ragnarok? Gods..._

Frodo realized something at those ominous words. He jumped to his feet as determination blazed in his eyes.

"Then we hide it! I can put it away in my cellar, and we never speak of it again! It will never be found here in the Shire. Who would think to look here? No one else knows that I have it."

Gandalf remained silent, and Frodo noticed.

"Do they, Gandalf?" Frodo whispered.

"There is one other who knew that Bilbo found the Ring, though that other did not know what it was. All this person knew is that Baggins of the Shire took his 'precious' from him."

"Gollum?" Frodo guessed.

"Yes, and I learned long ago that Gollum eventually left his lair in the Misty Mountains. He was captured by the Elves years ago, but they eventually released him out of pity. By some barren paths he made his way, whether out of spite or some other desperation, to the one place in Middle-earth where he could do the most damage. He went to Mordor."

The crackle of the fireplace was the only sound in the room.

"Okay, that is bad," Hiccup granted when he saw the obvious.

"We can only assume that he revealed the truth, whether willingly or not. The Ring cannot stay here in the Shire," Gandalf continued.

Frodo then stepped over to Gandalf and held out the Ring.

"Take it, Gandalf."

Gandalf's eyes went very wide in surprise and alarm.

"No, Frodo."

"You must take it!"

"Do not offer me this Ring!"

"I am giving it to you!"

"Don't tempt me, Frodo!" Gandalf frantically shouted in a voice almost of power.

"Okay, let's just calm down..." Hiccup addressed both of them.

"My apologies, but I dare not take it. Not even to keep it safe. The Ring... tempts anyone who has ambitions or great power. If I were to take it, claim it as mine even only to keep it safe... I would become as corrupt as Sauron."

"Gandalf! How can you think that?" Frodo was incredulous.

"Yeah, just use it for good only," Hiccup added.

Gandalf gave a very weary sigh.

"If only it were that easy. Remember that the Ring has a will of its own. Anything that one of us would do with it even with the best of intentions would always be twisted to its own goals. It cannot be used for good."

Frodo then put the Ring back in a pocket, and he sighed with resignation.

"What must I do?"

Gandalf thought for a moment. It became a very long moment in which the only sound was the crackling of the fire.

"The Ring cannot stay in the Shire. It must go to Rivendell for now," Gandalf eventually declared.

Frodo frowned.

"I will take it then. It is a long way, but I will make it. I will probably need to travel under another name."

"That would be best. Leave the name of Baggins behind you for now. Go to Bree first. I will have someone waiting for you there at the Inn of the Prancing Pony. He will be under the name of Strider."

"Who is it?" Frodo asked.

"He is a Ranger of the Dunedain. He will keep you safe in Bree or along the journey if need be."

"What about you, Gandalf? Where will you be? Aren't you coming with me?"

"I will see the head of my order. He is wise and powerful. He will know best what to do now," Gandalf gave them a reassuring smile.

Hiccup raised a hand and interjected.

"Excuse me, but I have an idea. Why not just have Toothless fly me and Frodo to this place? It would be much faster and safer."

Gandalf looked surprised and thoughtful.

"That is a good idea. We could make very good time and stay off all the roads," Frodo agreed.

"I suppose that you could, if you are comfortable with flying, Frodo. It would indeed be a way to avoid any servants of the Enemy along the road," the Wizard pondered.

Frodo nodded in agreement.

Then Hiccup got to his feet and started toward the door.

"Let's go talk to Toothless about it. I'm sure that he would be glad to help."

* * *

"Toothless," Hiccup cried out and opened the door of the den.

Toothless grumbled to himself and shifted in place, only reluctantly lifting his tailfin from his head, getting to his feet, and then sitting down on his rear.

_Now what?_

He yawned widely and watched as Hiccup, Frodo, and Gandalf walked inside. Frodo brought a torch to give them all some light, not that he himself needed much to see well.

They all looked nervous about something.

_Something is twisting their tails..._

His suspicion was only confirmed when Hiccup stepped up next to him and put a paw on his neck.

"Toothless, we need to talk," Hiccup very seriously said.

"About what? I was sleeping."

"We just found out that Frodo has to go somewhere. I suggested that we could fly him there to help keep him safe."

He blinked and looked over at Frodo.

"Why would you not be safe?" he asked.

"Because of the Enemy and his servants. They are looking for something we have," Gandalf answered.

Something about that did not make much sense at all. He had no idea what this Enemy was that Gandalf mentioned.

_Who would want to hurt a Hobbit?_

"What are they looking for?"

Frodo stepped closer and reached a paw into his furs. He pulled something out and held it up for him to see.

"They would be looking for this."

There in Frodo's paw was a small ring of gold.

A brightly-shining ring of gold.

It burned from inside with fire.

A gold ring.

Gold.

Fire.

Power.

A whispering, beckoning call.

_Obey..._

A flaming eye in his thoughts.

_You are mine..._

Submit to the will.

_I see you..._

Faintly familiar.

_In the darkness bind them..._

Almost known from somewhere.

The lidless eye, wreathed in flame, narrowed on him.

_Defiance?_

Impossible!

_You will serve me..._

Claws of shadow reaching out for him from afar...

Digging into his soul-fire and sparking to life...

"Toothless..."

_You do not know..._

"Bud..."

_The truth..._

He blinked and realized that he was snarling, breathless, and had backed himself up into the rear of the den. However, Hiccup still stood with him and was gently rubbing his neck.

"Toothless, are you okay?"

That was Hiccup's voice that broke through the whispering and brought him back to himself. Hiccup's desperate and fearful voice.

He breathed very deeply to catch his breath as that twisted whispering, that presence, faded into the shadows of feeling. But it was not wholly gone. It felt like he was prey with an unknown predator circling around him in the darkness.

Being prey was not something he liked at all.

"Put it away!" he snarled without looking at the gold ring.

Frodo did so and put the ring away into his furs.

The seconds passed in silence as he stared at the far wall of his den, slowly slowing his breathing while Hiccup reassuringly stayed at his side.

"What is that thing?" he growled.

Gandalf stepped forward and spoke up before Hiccup had a chance to answer. The tip of the Wizard's staff was shining slightly. That light was far brighter and more soul-fire warming than the fire ring's light had been.

"What do you think of it, Toothless?"

Again, he growled openly.

"It is very bad. It wanted to talk to me and... it feels like something else I once knew about..."

"What?" Gandalf asked.

Toothless hung his head and stared at his paws. Finally, he looked up at Gandalf and met the Wizard's eyes.

"A very bad Queen dragon that controlled many other dragons," he whined in response.

Gandalf considered this with a very way look in his eyes as he stroked his beard.

"How curious. The Enemy's influence goes far indeed. Did the Ring say anything to you?"

He only shook his head, not wanting to relate what he had truly felt.

"No, I did not talk to it, and I do not want to. It feels very dangerous."

Gandalf nodded in apparent approval.

"I am relieved that you think so. That, almost as much as your friendship with Hiccup, is proof to me and to any person of good will that you are not truly a creature of the Enemy. However, if I do not misunderstand you, it might not be a good idea to have you be near the Ring for long. This makes flying the Ring to its destination impossible, regrettably."

Toothless glared as he looked at the place where the Ring was hidden in Frodo's furs.

"Gandalf, is an eye of fire important?" he asked the Wizard.

"How do you know that?" Gandalf exclaimed.

"That is what I saw in my head. It was as if the ring was the fire-eye."

Gandalf started pacing, again deep in thought. The Wizard did that a lot.

"You see well. Better than with human eyes. I suspect that the eye of fire is the presence of Sauron. He can see into anyone's dreams and wishes, and his Ring would tempt them with what they want most."

"He cannot offer me anything that I want," he growled back with complete confidence.

"Do not be so sure of that, Toothless," Gandalf warned him.

"So, what did we decide?" Frodo warily asked.

"I do not think it would be good for me to carry you. That Ring is dangerous to me," Toothless answered.

Gandalf nodded his approval.

"I agree. You can feel Sauron's presence more clearly than we could. I will need to think about why that is the case."

Frodo frowned, clearly disappointed at that conclusion. Then he brightened with an idea.

"If you two are willing to go with me anyway, I would feel better with some company than if I had to travel on my own. It is a long way to Rivendell from here. That is where Bilbo went too, so you would both be able to properly meet him if you come with me. I know that Bilbo would definitely want to meet you, Toothless."

Toothless glanced at Hiccup. He knew that they needed to speak on their own before any such decision could be made.

_That is a good idea. We could go with Frodo on the ground to keep him safe._

"Would you two let me and Hiccup speak alone for a moment?"

"Certainly. We will be up at Bag-end," Gandalf answered.

Gandalf and Frodo left the den a moment later.

Silence followed with just him and Hiccup in the den.

They both sighed as one, and he collapsed on his belly.

"What was that?" he whispered.

"Nothing good. That Sauron is a very bad person-Wizard-thing, not really sure which. Gandalf thought that Frodo might be in danger," Hiccup explained.

Toothless snarled at that.

"I would like us to protect him if we can, but doing that would mean leaving the Shire."

They both turned their thoughts to the surrounding land where they had lived in peace.

"Yeah, bud. It would mean leaving, but Frodo has been very good to us. He is the reason we are living here at all. We might also get more of a chance to explore the world, as we have wanted to do for a while now."

"True," Toothless sighed and looked away from him.

.

"Hiccup, I..."

"What is it, bud?"

.

"Toothless?"

Toothless spun in place and stared directly into Hiccup's kind green eyes. They were filled with worry and care.

"What happened to me? What did you see me do? Tell me the truth."

Hiccup stumbled with his words for a moment before answering.

"You didn't do anything, not really. You stared at the Ring, started growling, and it looked like you were hurting. Your eyes were slit and angry. I asked you if you were okay, and that is when you were... you again."

Hiccup was attentively watching Toothless's reaction as he explained what he saw. He noticed something very foreign in the Fury's eyes. There was a very faint hint of fear which had definitely not been present before.

"Toothless, what are you worried about?"

Toothless hesitated to look at him, so Hiccup stepped over to the Fury and gently held his head in his hands.

"Brother, you can tell me. Just between us," Hiccup whispered.

Toothless blinked once and then sighed.

"That Ring did speak to me. It said that I was his and that he could see me."

Hiccup leaned forward and rested his head against Toothless's muzzle.

"I don't believe it. You belong to no one else. You are a free dragon. Also, you are not like the dragons of Middle-earth."

"I hope not," Toothless whispered.

"I know you are not. Should we go tell Frodo and Gandalf that we are going with?"

"Yes, we should help Frodo," he agreed and got to his feet.

They walked together through the night up to Bag-end. It was the same quiet, calm night sky that they had been flying in earlier this evening. That was back when the greatest concern in life involved testing the adjustments to the tailfin.

But the night felt very different now, even after they arrived outside Bag-end.

"You go ahead. I will rest here," Toothless lay down in the front lawn.

Despite the seriousness of all that they had discussed, Hiccup saw a perfect opportunity.

"Are you sure you don't want to come inside?"

"Hiccup, you know I cannot fit in that den..."

Hiccup paused at the door and cheekily grinned.

"Right, you have had too many fish..."

"Hiccup!" Toothless barked.

Hiccup closed the door behind him.

"What did you two decide?" Frodo eagerly asked.

"We will come with you. Honestly, we have both wanted to see more of Middle-earth anyway. This is an opportunity to do that and help keep you safe."

"Well, I am glad to hear it!" Frodo sighed with relief.

Gandalf stepped over to Hiccup and put a hand on his shoulder.

"As am I. It is good that Frodo will not be journeying on his own. A friendly and protective dragon should certainly help to dissuade any vagabonds one may meet along the way."

"Yeah, Toothless can be very protective when he feels like it," Hiccup groaned.

"As I know very well," Gandalf chuckled.

"Am I missing something here?" Frodo asked.

"No." "Not really."

Frodo only shrugged.

"Keep your secrets then. I will start packing. We leave in the morning?"

Gandalf nodded.

"That would be best, yes. Travel by day as much as possible and stay off the roads."

Frodo grinned at that.

"I can cut across country, Gandalf."

The Hobbit then threw a long, solemn glance around Bag-end.

"I will miss home a lot. My books, the garden, Brandywine River, the strawberries and cream, Bag-end, the lights in the party tree, and everything else about the Shire. But I am going to see Rivendell and the Elves and Bilbo again! This will be my little adventure there and back again. I am excited for this!" Frodo finished with a determined nod.

Gandalf laughed a truly merry laugh.

"My dear Frodo, Hobbits truly are amazing creatures. They are so simple; everything about their ways can be learned in a month, and yet even after a hundred years, they still surprise and amaze me."

"Sam! I did not see you. What are you doing there?" Toothless shouted from outside Bag-end.

"Sam?" "Sam!" "Samwise Gamgee!"

Gandalf, Frodo, and Hiccup flew toward the door and filtered outside. Hiccup and Frodo pulled up in surprise as they saw Samwise Gamgee stumbling out of the shrubbery near the open window of Bag-end's study room.

Gandalf did not stop. Instead, he swiftly strode toward Sam with his cloak swaying behind him.

Toothless pranced over to Hiccup and Frodo.

"I hope I did not get him in trouble," Toothless whispered.

The Wizard stopped before Sam, towering over the small Hobbit.

"Confound you, Samwise Gamgee! Have you been eavesdropping?"

"I haven't been dropping no eaves, sir. Honest! I was just trimming the shrubbery outside the window there, if you follow me!"

"A little late for gardening, isn't it?"

"I heard raised voices!" Sam protested.

"What did you hear? Speak!" Gandalf exclaimed.

"Nnnnnnnnothing important... that is, I heard a good deal about Toothless, a Ring, a Dark Lord, and something about the end of the world!" Samwise Gamgee squeaked.

"Thank you for summing that up," Hiccup sighed.

"I'm sorry, Mister Gandalf. Please don't hurt me. Don't turn me into anything... unnatural..." Sam pleaded.

Gandalf grumbled to himself and then slowly turned around to look at Frodo, Hiccup, and Toothless. The Wizard's eyes sparkled with mirth while the rest of his expression was most dour. Then he turned back to face Sam.

"No? Perhaps not," Gandalf gruffly muttered.

He leaned in to whisper to Sam while the Hobbit paled.

"I've thought of a better use for you. You are going to accompany Frodo on this mission."

Sam blinked in shock.

"Me?"  
"No, the other Gamgee who was caught sticking his nose into a Wizard's business! Yes, you, Master Samwise!"

"Oh my, but if you are going to Rivendell, that means that I would get to see the Elves, yes?" Sam eagerly asked.

"Yes, Master Samwise. If you go to Rivendell there is a good chance that you might see Elves there," Gandalf blithely remarked.

"Well, it has always been a dream of mine to see them."

Sam then shyly looked at Frodo.

"Mister Frodo, I will keep you safe even if I have to carry you myself! I promise!"

Frodo chuckled and moved to embrace Sam, briefly hugging him and then stepping away.

"Oh Sam, I know you will, and I'm glad that you will be going with me. But I hope that this journey will not be too difficult. We are just going to Rivendell for a few weeks after all, there and back again. Think of this as a little vacation. We won't be away forever."

Hiccup almost felt tempted to say something, but instead he held his peace.

"We are leaving in the morning, yes?" Sam warily asked.

"At the first light of dawn," Gandalf answered.

"You might want to go and start packing, Sam. Oh, and tell Rosie's folks that you will be away for a while. She might want to know," Frodo advised.

Sam paled again.

* * *

"Hiccup? Can we talk?" Toothless whispered.

"I think we are right now."

"Hiccup..."

"Alright..."

They stepped aside down the path to Toothless's barn, and they walked until they were out of hearing of the others.

"What is it?" Hiccup asked.

"You need to get your traveling things, yes?"

"Yeah, that will not take long."

Toothless nodded.

"I wanted to ask you something else. Would you stay with me in my den tonight?"

"Sure, any reason why?"

A faint snarl followed.

"That Ring. It is very bad, and I hope that I do not have bad dreams about it."

"You really think that my being there can help you with a bad dream?" Hiccup kindly chuckled.

"Maybe, and maybe not. It felt not very different from that thought-control that I told you about. That does scare me. You might be able to help keep me safer from that."

"Wait, how could I do that?" Hiccup exclaimed in surprise.

Toothless grumbled, almost speaking but then pausing several times.

"I... do not know how to say it well. I think that you can help me, somehow, just by being there."

It was not lost on Hiccup that Toothless was basically asking for help or reassurance. That was very significant for the proud Fury to do.

"Always, bro."

They remained standing together outside under the stars even after Gandalf, Frodo, and Sam had all departed to attend to their preparations. It felt very relaxing to enjoy in peace what might be their last night in the Shire for a long time.

A song that Frodo had taken to humming in recent weeks and which Bilbo had apparently penned hovered in Hiccup's thoughts. It also felt very appropriate for the circumstances.

"The Road goes ever on and on... Down from the door where it began... Now far ahead the Road has gone... And I must follow, if I can... Pursuing it with eager feet... Until it joins some larger way... Where many paths and errands meet... And whither then? I cannot say."

"Nor I, but we will fly these winds together," Toothless whispered.

They stared up at the stars and the moon without saying anything else.

* * *

_**Author's Note – This explanation for why the Ring could not be flown is also a reason why using the Eagles to fly the Ring straight to Mordor would not work. There is some debate about the nature of the Eagles, but it is clear that the Eagles are not just simple beasts in the canon. They appear to be fully sapient beings who would be subject to temptation, and no normal being could voluntarily cast the Ring away in Mount Doom where the One is strongest. The only known creature that was not impacted by the Ring's pull was Tom Bombadil, a figure that is very mysterious and unreliable and not included in this story. Even Tolkien was not sure what to make of Tom. To paraphrase, 'Some things should be a mystery even to the author.'**_

_**As usual, I welcome any thoughts you may have on the story so far. This part of the story has been more predictable, mostly following canon events, and not very dramatic, but that will not last forever.**_


	12. Black Riders

Black Riders

* * *

Hiccup met up with Frodo, Samwise, and Gandalf at the front door to Bag-end. It was just before dawn, and the air still carried its morning chill. There were no other Hobbits out and about yet.

Gandalf looked impatient and nervous about something.

"Morning Haddock, are you ready to head out?" Frodo asked.

"Yeah, Toothless and I will be ready to leave soon. Do we have any breakfast? I'm rather hungry."

Sam nodded.

"I made us all some breakfast, just some toast, bacon, and eggs."

"Sounds good!" Hiccup cheerfully smiled.

"How about Master Toothless?" Frodo added.

"He's fine for a few more days. We can get something on the way."

Hiccup strolled inside Bag-end to help himself to some breakfast. The Hobbits and Gandalf had been very busy gathering supplies.

Frodo also sat down at the table and began writing a letter.

_Hmm, I wonder what that's for?_

The Hobbit noticed him wondering about the letter being penned.

"I'm leaving instructions for the Gamgee family. They are to take care of Bag-end in my absence as I travel abroad indefinitely on business. Don't want any incidents with people thinking that I disappeared and the entirety of Bag-end must be sold in an estate sale," Frodo chuckled.

"Isn't that what happened with Bilbo?" Sam wondered.

"It is indeed. That's partly why the Sackville-Bagginses are so unfriendly; they almost got Bag-end and most of its contents after everyone assumed that Bilbo was dead. He never stopped trying to track down the last of the Mathoms that went missing that day. Anyway, I'm going to get this agreement finished and have it sent to the Gamgees before we leave."

_Sounds like a good idea._

Frodo resumed writing, and Hiccup finished his breakfast. Sam began doing the dishes and putting them away.

_Alright, time to check on Toothless._

He headed outside to return to Toothless's barn, but he paused when he ran into Gandalf smoking his pipe just outside Bag-end. The Wizard frowned while staring out over the verdant hills and fields still covered in the last of night.

"It was here under my nose all these years, and I did not see it," Gandalf muttered.

"The Ring?"

"Yes. How did I miss that Bilbo found such a thing so long ago? Go on and see to your friend; I hope that we can depart shortly. The sooner that we leave the Shire the better."

* * *

"Come along, Samwise, keep up!" Gandalf shouted.

The five of them briskly made their way through the countryside, the grass under foot and paw still wet with the morning dew. The two Hobbits bore their backpacks, fully loaded with essential supplies. Both of them also had their walking-staffs and simple cloaks tied around their necks.

Sam brought the cookware, which he had said he was loathe to part with.

Gandalf was in the lead with his saddled horse led by a rope gently looped around its neck. His grey robes swayed around him in his haste.

Hiccup and Toothless brought up the rear, all of Hiccup's supplies stowed away in the saddlepack. They were having to walk quickly to keep up with the Hobbits and Gandalf.

"How are you doing, bud?"

Toothless grumbled and tossed a glance back over his tail.

"I will miss the Shire. Laying on my back in the warm fields with the sun on my belly was very good."

"Yeah, I will miss it too."

"And the food!" Toothless added with a smirk.

"I know what you mean. I like Hobbit-made bacon, myself."

They both sighed as they continued walking.

"Well, at least you will get to practice your hunting again in the wild," Hiccup noted.

"True," Toothless nodded, "there is nothing as tasty as a fresh hunt."

Gandalf eventually led them into a thick undercover in the forest. It might have once been a path, but it was completely overrun by plants and pine trees.

Then Gandalf stopped walking, looked around, and gruffly nodded.

"I shall leave you all now. Be careful, all of you. The Enemy has many spies in his service. Birds, beasts, men, and others."

"What others?" Hiccup wondered.

"I'd rather not say. Better that you not meet any of them. You remember where to go and who to look for?" Gandalf addressed the party.

"We are going to the Inn of the Prancing Pony in Bree. We are to look for a man named Strider," Frodo repeated.

Gandalf gave a satisfied nod while leaning on his staff.

"Is it safe?"

Frodo drew out the chain around his neck, the chain from which the golden Ring was hanging. Then he slipped the chain back inside his shirt where it remained hidden from view.

Gandalf put a hand on Frodo's shoulder and then spoke gravely.

"Never put it on, for the agents of the Dark Lord will be drawn to its power. Using it will make you easier for them to find. Always remember that the Ring is trying to get back to its master. It wants to be found. It wants you to be found..." he whispered.

The Wizard then stood tall and faced Hiccup and Toothless.

"I trust that you will both protect these Hobbits."

Toothless thrashed his tail and snarled.

"Nothing will hurt them. Anything that tries to will meet my fire, claws, and teeth!"

Gandalf grinned.

"I am sure about that. Do not fear, I will let others ahead know about you. Where you are going, my word carries much weight."

Toothless huffed and then pointed a paw at him.

"We must talk later, Wizard. I have questions for you when there is time."

Gandalf nodded after glancing between him and Hiccup.

"And I believe that I know what you will want to talk about. We shall speak in Rivendell."

Gandalf spun away from them, vaulted into his saddle, and urged the horse onward with haste into the East, eventually passing out of their view.

The forest was then filled with only the regular cries of birds and the breath of the wind.

The four of them shared silent glances, no one seeming to know what to say at the start of the journey.

"Alright, I'll say it. He is probably worried about nothing," Hiccup cheerfully said in an attempt to lift everyone's mood.

"That's a fair point. We are still in the Shire. What could possibly happen?" Sam added.

Frodo frowned slightly.

"There are many servants of the Enemy. I hope that there are none in the Shire though," Frodo added.

Sam clapped him on the shoulder.

"Come on, Mister Frodo. We just need to get our minds off that stuff. Let's sing a walking song."

Both Hobbits clasped their walking staffs and started walking. Frodo paused and threw one last glance back over his shoulder at the familiar fields of Hobbiton behind him. There was clear, bittersweet longing in his eyes.

Then he turned away, started after Sam, and began to sing a familiar tune.

"The Road goes ever on and on... Down from the door where it began... Now far ahead the Road has gone... And I must follow, if I can... Pursuing it with eager feet... Until it joins some larger way... Where many paths and errands meet... And whither then? I cannot say!"

Hiccup and Toothless similarly paused in the dell and looked back toward Hobbiton, toward the place where they had lived in peace for nearly three months. Toward the place that proved it was possible for a peaceful dragon to be accepted.

"I wonder when we'll be back," Hiccup sighed.

"Hopefully not too many moon-cycles."

"Agreed, bud. Alright, time to take another little vacation, not forever this time!"

* * *

"How far now?" Hiccup wondered.

"We should be at Bree late tomorrow afternoon," Frodo answered.

Both of the Hobbits were busy preparing supper, a meal which came after dinner. It was only a vegetable soup, but it was still well-seasoned.

Hiccup finished the last of his soup, stretched his arms, and yawned widely.

Toothless mirrored his action seconds later.

"You ready to turn in too, bud?"

Toothless flamed a patch of dirt, spun in a circle several times, and curled up on his side. He did leave a place under his wing and against his warm belly as he always did though. So, Hiccup stretched out his blanket on the ground there and lay down in the warmth.

"Psst, Mister Frodo, look at that..."

Toothless lifted his head and looked up, wondering what Sam was pointing out.

They were looking at him.

"What?" he warbled.

"You look... like a... begging your pardon... mother hen..." Sam stuttered.

Toothless blinked, glanced down at Hiccup resting under his wing, and then huffed loudly.

_Hiccup is not my hatchling... though he is small enough to be one..._

He was reminded that Hiccup did not know how to defend himself at all. He had promised that he would teach Hiccup how to fight better in self-defense. Something, maybe the availability of work to do or the general peacefulness of the Shire had gotten in the way of that.

"Hiccup," he whispered.

Hiccup yawned again and rolled over to look at him.

"What is it, bud?"

"You should learn to fight."

"Uh, fighting?"

"Yes, I said that I will teach you fighting like a dragon."

"But you will do the fighting. I'm not built for fighting."

They both considered Hiccup's arms and apparent lack of muscle.

"True, but you are stronger than you look. You can learn different fighting. Fighting not on strength but more about keeping distance."

"Like what?"

"Scratching with claws, careful bites when the enemy cannot bite back, flaming from afar."

"And, uh, how would that work for me?"

"Maybe you can make a weapon with a long claw to bite for you," Toothless gave a curious hum, "or maybe you can use one of those arrow-throwing things to bite enemies far away."

Hiccup thought back to old hunting trips he had been on in the Berk forest.

"A bow? Yeah, I could try that."

Then Toothless chuckled softly.

"Have you ever hit a target before?"

Hiccup winced, knowing what he was referring to.  
"Yeah... about that..."

He checked to make sure that the two Hobbits were not close enough to hear him. This was a talk for only himself and Hiccup.

Toothless preempted him.

"No! Do not say you are sorry, because you are not. I hope you are not."

Hiccup still looked twisted inside by something, so he gently lay a paw on Hiccup's leg while purring softly in reassurance.

"Think of it this way, I lost a tailfin, yes, but that got me out of the nest and gave me a friend. Losing the tailfin was bad, but good hatched from it."

Huff.

"So stop twisting your tail."

"I'll try not to..." Hiccup whispered.

Silence followed after the Hobbits finished their meal. They both bunked down next to the Hobbits and began to settle down.

It was a quiet, peaceful night. They were all resting slightly off the main path where no general passerby would think to look.

Then there came a sound of mingled song and laughter.

All four of them immediately flew to their feet in some alarm but mostly amazement.

"What is that?" Hiccup whispered.

"Elves! Elves, sir!" Sam exclaimed.

Hiccup and Toothless shared a wary glance.

"Yeah, I don't know anything about them either," Hiccup mumbled.

The four of them sat in the shadows off the path. Before long the Elves passed them by. They looked like tall men and women, garbed in long, flowing cloaks, and their hair was very long among both men and women. They walked slowly afoot and on steeds and they had no weapons. They carried no lights or torches, yet as they walked a shimmering light, as if borrowed from the moon, followed them.

They were singing a melodious but also mournful song in a language that was unknown.

"Frodo, do you know their language?" Hiccup whispered in awe.

"I do. Mostly."

"What are they saying?"

"O stars that in the Sunless Year. With shining hand by her were sown. In windy fields now bright and clear. We see your silver blossom blown! O Elbereth! Gilthoniel! We still remember, we who dwell. In this far land beneath the trees. Thy starlight on the Western Seas," Frodo softly sang.

Toothless stepped closer to Frodo and hummed softly.

"They look sad."

"They are leaving Middle-earth," Frodo explained.

"Where are they going?"

"The Elves go to the Grey Havens where they sail into the west. I don't know everything about why, but Elves become tired of the world eventually. They must leave for Valinor, the Undying Lands."

"You don't know why they must leave?" Hiccup asked.

"No, maybe you can ask when we get to Rivendell."

They continued watching the company of Elves as they passed by.

"I don't know why, but for some reason that makes me feel sad. That good people have to leave the world forever to find peace," Sam softly sighed.

The last Elf finally passed out of view. Toothless purred softly into the resulting silence when the last of the Elf-song faded.

"We should get some rest now. It was a long day," Hiccup yawned.

They returned to where they had been resting. This time though, Toothless reclined so that he could lay the other wing out over the Hobbits.

* * *

"Toothless... no..." Hiccup chuckled.

Toothless blinked and looked away from the farm animals.

"Hiccup! I can control myself!"

"Yeah, right. Why were you drooling?"

He sat down on his rear and crossed his paws on his chest in indignation. His twitching tail also betrayed his thoughts.

"I was not! I was thinking about how tasty they would be if I were to hunt them, which I will not do."

Hiccup rolled his eyes at the explanation.

_Sure you were, bud. But you did help out on the farms well enough without any incidents._

Then they both started following the Hobbits who had made it a decent way ahead along a country dirt path. It was sometime in the afternoon of a bright and warm day. A very pleasant day for a long hike.

"There are many farms here," Toothless observed.

"I know. It is so green and peaceful. We are getting closer to the edge of the Shire."

They continued on past several farmhouses near which Hobbits were working at their gardens. These Hobbits did point their direction, likely because they were not as familiar with Toothless as the Hobbiton Hobbits.

Frodo and Sam were standing together in a path that led through a farm. Oddly, Sam was not moving. He also looked unsure of something.

"What is the matter, Sam?" Hiccup asked.

"This is it..."

"This is what?" Toothless warbled.

"If I take one more step it will be the furthest away from home that I've ever been..."

Hiccup almost mentioned how far he was from home, but he thought better of it.

_Hobbits really are homely people, and Sam wants little more than his family and his garden. I am really different from them. Toothless is also._

Frodo strode over to Sam and put an arm on his shoulder.

"Come on, Sam."

Sam looked around the field, glanced up at the sky, took a deep breath, summoned his courage, and stepped forward.

"Remember what my uncle Bilbo used to say. It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to."

Hiccup sighed and slowed down to stroll at Toothless's side. Frodo and Sam continued on into the field of corn before them.

"Did you hear that, bud?"

"What Frodo said about adventures?"

"Yeah, our little vacation forever turned into something special, didn't it?"

Toothless purred and nudged Hiccup's shoulder.

"I know. And it is still a young adventure."

"Frodo! Mister Frodo!" Sam's voice sounded afraid.

Hiccup and Toothless bounded ahead to catch up, only slightly worried that something might be wrong.

They pulled up and stared in confusion down the path. Frodo and Sam were staring at each other from only a short distance away.

"It's just something that Gandalf told me. Don't you lose him, Samwise Gamgee, and I don't mean to!" Sam explained.

Frodo gave him an amused grin.

"Sam, we're still in the Shire. What could possibly happen?"

Toothless immediately swung his head to the side and stared into the corn.

"Something is coming..." he hissed.

The sound of rustling corn stalks came nearer and nearer.

"Yeah, you're right..." Hiccup whispered.

Then Frodo and Sam were knocked to the ground where they fell among a pile of vegetables and two familiar Hobbits.

"Frodo?" Merry exclaimed.

"Merry! It's Frodo Baggins!" Pippin cried out.

"Get off him!" Sam shouted as he helped Frodo get to his feet.

"And Sam also! Great!" Pippin cheerfully said.

Merry and Pippin then started gathering up the spilled vegetables, mostly carrots and cabbage.

"Here, hold these..." Merry handed a pile of vegetables to Sam.

"What in Thor's name is going on here?" Hiccup exclaimed.

Merry and Pippin had somehow overlooked him and Toothless until that moment.

"Hey, it's Hiccup and Toothless too!" Pippin laughed.

"Even better! You can help us carry our stuff!" Merry added.

"Hold on just a minute! Why do you have all these? This is farmer Maggot's field! You've been in his crops!" Sam realized.

It was at that moment that they heard the irate shouting drawing nearer alongside the barking of hounds.

"Get out of my field! Just wait till I get my hands on you! Get out of my field!"

Merry and Pippin led the group at full pace through the field.

"I don't know why he is so upset. He is clearly overreacting!" Merry defended himself.

Hiccup and Toothless bounded along after the Hobbits while barely restraining their laughter. They escaped from the cornfield and saw all the Hobbits coming to a stop on the edge of a ledge. They were definitely trapped there.

"Well, that could have gone worse," Hiccup snickered.

Pippin crashed into the other three Hobbits from behind, sending all of them tumbling out of view down the ridge.

Hiccup and Toothless scrambled to a stop on the top of the ridge and watched as the Hobbits rolled, tumbled, and crashed down the slope, eventually coming to rest on the road down below. Fortunately, they all started to get to their feet, so it was likely that nothing important had been broken.

"Uh, what just happened?" Hiccup laughed.

Toothless added his own throaty peals, his tail crashing against the ground.

"They fouled their own flights!"

"That's for sure."

The corn rustled behind them.

"Hey! What are you... oh..."

They spun around and met farmer Maggot. The Hobbit had a pitchfork in hand and a scowl on his face, though he was dismayed at seeing them there. His formerly barking hounds were whining softly and hiding behind their master's legs.

"Hiccup... T... Toothless.." the farmer stuttered.

"Don't worry, I don't bite," Hiccup chuckled.

"What was happening? Why were you in my field?"

"Well, we are heading to Bree alongside Mister Baggins. We ran into a couple troublemakers in your field," Hiccup explained.

"A Brandybuck and a Took," Toothless added.

Despite the situation, farmer Maggot scowled.

"Yeah, they were helping themselves to your cabbage and carrots. Dropped most of what they took though," Hiccup said.

Farmer Maggot was relieved but also alarmed as he addressed them.

"I didn't mean to spook you," the farmer explained.

Toothless huffed at the Hobbit's apology.

"Don't worry about it," he said.

"Yeah. We'll keep our eyes on those troublemakers for you," Hiccup added.

The Hobbit inclined his head toward them and then headed off to return to work. His whining hounds eagerly followed after him.

They both returned to the peak of the ledge and looked down to the Hobbits far below. They were getting to their feet and also gathering something a short distance from where they had fallen.

"Bud, what do you say we fly down after them?"

"I would like that. We have not flown in a while."

Toothless crouched down and waited as Hiccup got into the saddle. They were aloft on the warm afternoon winds just moments later. The sun's warmth gloriously beat down on them while the wind rustled their hair and frills.

The sky held the same peaceful joy for them that it always did.

"Well, that all happened," Hiccup sighed.

"I know. Hobbits are very twisted, at least those two are."

"Have I told you about the Twins yet, bud?"

"They are the twisted Viking nestmates, yes?"

"Yeah. Brother and sister. They were always teasing each other, punching each other, just general silliness. Even back in the training how to fight against dragons, they were more likely to fight each other than the dragons."

Toothless wiggled his ears in amusement as he looked down toward where the Hobbits would be. Then he noticed something odd.

"Hiccup, did Gandalf say that he would come back?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"Because there is a horse and rider down with the Hobbits."

Hiccup glanced down and saw it, a dark horse briskly approaching the place where the four Hobbits had been moments ago. The road was also oddly dark in the trees' shade.

"I'm very sure that he was not coming back so soon. That's not Gandalf or his horse."

Toothless grumble-growled at that.

"We should protect them then."

"Yeah, definitely," Hiccup agreed.

They dove toward the road, slipping between the trees and touching down on the dirt path. It was a tight landing which left little room for Toothless to stretch his wings. Hiccup hopped off Toothless's back and joined him in approaching the stranger.

He paused midstep the moment he saw the situation up close.

The Hobbits were hiding just off the path near the base of a tree. They were afraid of the strange rider.

More revealing than their reaction was the appearance of the stranger and its mount. The horse was pure black and bore a wicked-looking bridle. The horse also displayed no fear at all at the sight of the dragon before it.

The rider was far more frightening even as it crouched at the ground above where the Hobbits hid.

It bore a black cape, dark gauntlets, and spiked boots. A black hood completely hid its face.

Everything about its appearance was menacing.

"Hey!" Hiccup shouted.

The dark figure flew to its feet and spun on them even as the horse reared and whinnied angrily, fighting with the air. A brief silence followed until the tall, shrouded figure reached inside its torn robes and withdrew a long, pale blade.

Toothless bared his teeth and growled freely at the open threat.

"What do you want?" Hiccup shouted.

The shape reached up with its free hand and withdrew its hood.

There was nothing under the hood.

* * *

Hiccup recoiled, backing up against Toothless's chest in true terror worse than the most terrible raids.

Then from the emptiness within the robes came a voice. A hissing voice which pierced straight to his soul and stole away all strength and will. A chill came over him as he fell to the ground and his eyes darkened.

He was back on Berk in the kill ring and being chased by an angered dragon while the crowd cheered for his death.

His father had disowned him and outcast him.

Toothless was dead, his heart cut out, because of his own failure to change his people. He had let Toothless get captured on Berk because he thought that they could change.

"Hiccup!"

He did not hear anything else beyond that cry.

Was it someone there to tease him?

To cast him out again?

To reject him?

Useless.

A failure.

Worthless.

Powerless on his own.

There was nothing around him except an encompassing darkness, a void. There was one shrouded light before him, and a faint warmth behind him.

The shrouded light felt like tendrils of ice slowly reaching out toward him. Alien, cold, and menacing. Powerless to oppose.

The warmth behind was familiar and felt more trusted. It stoked faint memories of the open sky, a warm hum, and trust.

So he clung to it.

In the void.

* * *

Hiccup collapsed against his front while whining terribly. It was not so different from what had happened in that underground den where the not-dead thing had been.

This thing without a head, however that was possible, had hurt his Hiccup, his precious!

"Hiccup!" he bent down and nuzzled Hiccup's trembling head.

This was the second time that something had hurt Hiccup without even touching him. It had some power to chill Hiccup's soul-fire, something that neither approaching a downed dragon nor flight itself could have done.

Pure wrath poured into his soul-fire as he readied a glowing shot while keeping his jaws closed. This thing would have no warning before he struck at it.

When he looked up he saw that the phantom shape had not moved except to point its blade first at Hiccup and secondly at him.

"Burz kulkodar, azat shara!" it hissed with its unseen mouth.

Everything about its voice was vile and wrong. It felt like the words themselves tried to sink under his hide, dig at his heart, and smother the sun itself. That was certainly a command meant for him, though he had no idea what it meant. It did not matter anyway.

He curled his lips, bared his teeth at the dark shape, and unfurled a single wing.

His screaming shot of blue fire flashed in a bright explosion. At the same moment he wrapped a wing around Hiccup to shield him from the wave of fire.

A piercing scream echoed out through the unnatural silence of the forest. The strange darkness that had covered the sky and stretched the shadows was burned away by the sun and his fire.

It was over.

He emerged from under the wing and looked ahead to where the enemy had been. There was nothing left now but a pile of smoking furs and metal. The thrall four-leg-horse had been thrown to the side of the path and was very dead also. A few small fires burned on the ground, but even those flames were dying out.

Satisfied that the enemy was no more, he turned all his attention back to Hiccup. Thankfully, Hiccup was no longer trembling or whining, but he did not yet open his eyes.

"Hiccup, wake up," he softly hummed.

Hiccup stirred, but he did not open his eyes.

So he licked Hiccup in the face.

As usual, that worked as Hiccup's eyes shot open.

"Ugh, I... what... just..."

"Hiccup, you are safe now..."

"I... what was that?" Hiccup groaned, unsteadily getting to his feet again.

Again, he purred comfort and presence to Hiccup to help reassure him.

"That was a very bad thing. It is dead now."

They both looked to the smoking remains. Hiccup shivered again at the sight.

"It is dead. Here, watch."

He stepped away from Hiccup and trotted over to the smoking remains, which he then stepped on. Just like with the other not-dead thing he had killed, there was no body left behind. This one did not even have bones. There was nothing except the metal armor and smoking furs that the dark thing had worn.

He gave the remains a snort and then padded back over to Hiccup. His purr froze when he saw something very strange in Hiccup's eyes.

Shame and fear.

He thought he knew why. This was not the first time Hiccup had collapsed when confronted by an enemy.

Then there was a rustling sound from where the Hobbits had been hiding. They emerged and climbed up onto the road.

All four of the Hobbits were staring at him and the smoking remains in awe and amazement. And maybe a little disgust at the remains of the four-leg. There was a lot of blood that had been spilled.

"That was amazing!" Merry shouted.

"Totally! I didn't know that dragonfire was so explosive!" Pippin exclaimed.

"Just like one of Gandalf's fireworks, one of the big ones!" Merry added.

"Is no one going to ask what that thing was? That... black rider?" Sam grimly asked.

Toothless snorted. Sam did behave like the most practical of the group.

"I do not know what it was. It was almost like the Barrow-wight thing that I killed."

Even Merry and Pippin became far more serious at the mention of that place.

"That black rider was looking for something or someone. Frodo?" Merry inquired.

Frodo and Sam shared a look, considering how much to reveal to their friends.

"It was after me. Sam and I must get to Bree," Frodo explained.

"Bree? Why Bree?" Pippin asked.

"We have to leave the Shire. We are not safe here."

Merry and Pippin then glanced at each other and nodded.

"Buckleberry Ferry would be your best bet. There is no other crossing within twenty miles. And we are going with you," Merry declared.

"You really don't need to do that. You don't even know where we are going," Frodo objected.

"Nah, we don't, but that doesn't matter!" Pippin grinned.

"Yeah, we are your friends. Friends stick together always, especially when the going is tough. You can trust us to stick with you through thick and thin," Merry explained.

"Even if that means leaving your home? Leaving the Shire?" Frodo pointed out.

"Sure will!" Merry answered.

"Yeah, this'll be our little adventure 'There and Back Again', just like your Uncle Bilbo's story that he was working on!" Pippin cheerfully added.

"What is this story 'There and Back Again'? I don't think I've heard it," Hiccup interjected.

Frodo reluctantly spoke.

"It's my Uncle's story to tell, but it has Dwarves, Gandalf, Elves, Eagles, Goblins, and Smaug in it."

Toothless then stepped closer to the Hobbits.

"We should go. We want to get to Bree before sundown, yes?" he asked.

"True, there might be more of those things out here. Probably wouldn't want to meet those things in the dark," Merry observed.

They all spared another glance toward the smoking remains.

* * *

Buckleberry Ferry lay directly before them. It was a simple ferry that crossed the Brandywine river.

It was also well after nightfall.

Toothless listened attentively for any sign of anything nearing them. The noise of any four-legs would be easy to hear in the relative quiet. The wind carried no foul scents to him. Nothing would be able to sneak up on him.

The Hobbits were working quickly to prepare their ferry to cross the river.

Hiccup remained close to his side all throughout. Neither of them had spoken yet about what had happened, the last few hours having been spent making good time across the countryside.

The threat of approaching rain and the uncertain menace from hidden black riders in the darkness had thoroughly spoiled everyone's moods.

Further, it felt best to save this talk for a time when it could be only the two of them.

"Hiccup?"

Hiccup stared off into the distance.

"Are you alright?"

Hiccup closed his eyes and sighed.

"Why did I fall again? Why do I always fail? Why am I so weak..."

He drew Hiccup to his side with a wing. Hiccup must have been feeling great chill because he started sobbing.

"I do not know why that happened to you. But I will always be here to protect you."

Oddly, that reassurance did not make Hiccup feel better. Hiccup walked a short distance away from him and then turned around to stare at the ground before him. Even in the dark he could see the sadness and emptiness that Hiccup was apparently feeling.

"Maybe they were right about me. Maybe I am a waste of space. Useless..."

He growled deeply at that.

"Hiccup! Do not say that about yourself!"  
"Why not? What if it is true!"

He knew that it was not true. Hiccup had great inner-strength and was certainly not useless to him. But it was also true that Hiccup had collapsed twice in these encounters with bad things. There had to be a reason for that.

"Hiccup, listen to me! That bad thing and the not-dead thing that was in the underground den were new enemies that you had not fought before. You did not know what to expect. Now you do. You will be stronger next time."

Then he huffed softly.

"Maybe I need to teach you fighting. You do not trust yourself enough, but you will."

"I don't know. I guess so..."

"Hey, Hiccup, Toothless! We are ready!" Merry shouted from down by the water.

"Go ahead! We will fly to you!" he answered for both of them.

The four Hobbits hopped onto the ferry and began making their way across the water.

He then strolled over to Hiccup and lay his head on Hiccup's shoulder.

"We can ask Gandalf if he knows more about the wight-thing and this black rider. He knows more than we do."

"Yeah, we should do that," Hiccup sighed.

Toothless then turned all his attention to his surroundings. To the perfect silence of the night. To the faint chill that hovered in the air. To the several shapes of pitch black in the shadows under the trees.

Moving shadows.

"Hiccup, get on me now..." he softly hissed.

"What?"

"There are more of them."

Hiccup needed no further encouragement and hopped on his back just as he spun around and flung his wings wide. They jumped from the shore and glided across the river, passing over the ferry that was docking down below.

It felt like only seconds later that they touched down on the far side of the river. The four Hobbits retrieved their packs of supplies and strode up to them.

Together, they all stared across to the far shore where several dark shapes stood watching from on horseback. An occasional piercing shriek flitted across the river, striking a chill into their hearts as they did so.

"How far away is Bree?" Toothless asked.

"A few miles. Why do you ask?" Merry wondered.

"This is why," he growled.

Toothless took a deep breath and roared defiantly across the river, his wrathful voice shivering the sky. The shrouded shapes shrieked in answer and turned away to flee into the shadows.

He snorted defiantly in their direction and then turned back to the Hobbits and Hiccup. They all had their paws clamped over their ears while staring at him in amazement.

"I do not like those things..." he mumbled.

"Pretty sure they don't like you either now, bud," Hiccup gasped.

Toothless purred and flashed his teeth.

* * *

_**Author's Note – The Hobbit term Mathom means a random, useless item which is nevertheless kept around just because...**_

_**Also, I am not sure if the Nazgul's Black Speech is entirely accurate, but I tried to translate it correctly. I leave it to you to guess at what the Nazgul said.**_


	13. Strider

Strider

* * *

Toothless grumbled softly to himself.

Hiccup was unusually quiet. He had been ever since that meeting with the very bad black rider thing. Even more so after his outburst of self-doubting by the water.

Though, to be fair, even the generally happy and talkative Hobbits were far more sullen than usual. Meeting a bad rider out to hunt them was not a life-warming thing. Seeing several of the bad riders was even worse.

The constant, cold rain did not help either. The soft drizzle that had been falling since sunfall had become a true downpour just recently.

The weather could not chill his soul-fire or inside-warmth though, which contributed to why he was doing what he was doing.

He was sitting under a tree, one of his wings outstretched over the four Hobbits and Hiccup to keep them drier and warmer.

_Skies, I command you to stop raining! Now!_

If anything, the rain became heavier.

He sighed heavily and looked up into the dark sky. The worst of the storm was indeed approaching. Rain poured in a river off his back and wings as the wind gusted.

It would have been nice to sit unconcerned in the rain, but he needed to stay alert for any sign of living shadows in the darkness. He had not seen any or heard anything, but those things wanted to make the Hobbits and Hiccup into prey.

_Maybe they learned to fear me after I flamed one of them. They should fear me! Anything that threatens Hiccup or the Hobbits should fear me!_

"Staying warm?" he warbled.

"Yes, not sure what we would do without you, bud!" Hiccup shouted back.

"Probably shiver in the cold!" Frodo chuckled.

"And be totally miserable..." Merry added.

"More than we already are?" Pippin groaned.

Toothless chuffed. Knowing that he was helping to keep them dry and warm greatly warmed his soul-fire.

His thoughts flew back to one specific night when Hiccup had stayed in the cove with him. A storm had flown in very quickly and had forced Hiccup to stay in the cove.

It was the first time he had sheltered Hiccup under his wings.

He had wondered then why Hiccup had preferred his company over that of his own kind, over his own nest. Some curious sniffing of his human had given him the obvious and bad answer.

Hiccup only smelled of himself.

There were no other scents of humans on him.

He was alone in his nest and apparently was not nuzzled or comforted by his pack in any bonding ceremonies. Not even by his own sire.

That isolation even among his own kind was something that he and Hiccup had in common, though their situations were slightly different. Hiccup at least had a nest of his own kind. He himself came from a nest with many other dragons, but none very like him, no other dark wing Night Furies.

The rain got heavier.

* * *

"There it is," Frodo pointed ahead.

Hiccup squinted to look through the steady rain. Ahead was a tall wall that certainly completely enclosed the town.

_I wonder why they have such a large wall. Anyway, cannot wait to get indoors and out of this rain._

He turned back to Toothless, knowing and not liking what was again necessary. Bree was not the Shire, and it was unlikely that anyone here would know about Toothless being a good dragon.

_They might have heard some rumors, but Hobbits don't deal with outsiders that much, so maybe Bree doesn't know at all... Better safe than sorry though._

"Alright bud, you know what to do?"

"Yes, I will stay out here and not be seen," Toothless answered.

"Are you hungry at all?" Hiccup asked while retrieving some of his supplies from the saddlebag.

"No, I do not need anything. You all go to your den and get warm. I will stay under those trees," Toothless nodded at a particularly dark grove of trees a short distance off the road.

Then he trotted off through the rain and melded with the darkness.

"Let's get a move on and get out of the rain!" Pippin exclaimed.

They needed no further motivation and pulled their cloaks tight as they approached the closed main gates. The road was mere mud that sloshed around their shoes.

_I really hope they let us in._

They beat at the gates for a moment before they heard motion from within. Someone, likely a night shift guard, slid open a tiny porthole in the door by the gates.

"What do you want?" the man gruffly asked through the porthole.

"We are heading for the Prancing Pony!" Frodo answered.

"Hobbits, four Hobbits and a man lad. Very strange."

The hooded man opened the small door in the gate while holding a lantern.

"What business brings you to Bree?"

"We wish to stay at the Inn! Our business is our own," Frodo confidently answered.

That assertion satisfied the guard who then stepped aside to let them through.

"Alright, young sirs, I meant no offense. It's my job to ask these questions after nightfall. There's talk of strange folk abroad. Can't be too careful..." he added as he closed and locked the door.

Hiccup beheld the town of Bree in all of its glory.

Mud.

More mud.

A few horses and simple homes.

Shaggy-haired men wearing cloaks and hoods were going every which way in the rain. It was entirely possible that many of them had been drinking. There were some Hobbits out and about. One of the men was even gnawing on a carrot for some reason.

It was apparently a plain, simple village of mostly normal people going about their lives.

"You know where we are going?" Hiccup asked.

Frodo answered by pointing toward a far building.

Hiccup's Common Tongue runes were still limited enough that he could not read the words on the sign. The image of what looked like a dancing horse was enough of an answer.

The five of them made their way with haste through the muddy path and then entered The Prancing Pony.

The patter of rain gave way to the constant drone of conversations, laughter, and shouting. Some type of fragrant smoke lingered in the air, and the smells of ales and other meals were strong as well.

Hiccup looked around at everyone he could see. Unlike his experience in a Buckland tavern, there were no other Hobbits present save the four he was with.

He strode up to the front desk and immediately got the attendant's attention. The man had an impressive mustache and sideburns and a kindly disposition.

"Good evening, masters. My name's Barliman Butterbur, at your service. If you are seeking accommodations, we have a few regular rooms and some cozy Hobbit-sized rooms available. Mister...?" Butterbur expectantly glanced at him.

"Haddock," Hiccup answered.

"Haddock..."

"I am traveling with my friends here. We would all like to stay at the Inn."

"Splendid! Always a pleasure to serve my guests. Haddock, eh? Why do I feel like I've heard that name before?" Butterbur wrinkled his brow in intense thought and confusion before eventually shrugging it off.

"Oh well, it'll come to me eventually."

Coins were exchanged and keys were obtained. The Hobbits took their packs up to their room, and Hiccup did the same, having gotten a room of his own since he would not fit as well in a Hobbit-proportioned room.

Despite being an older establishment, The Prancing Pony certainly had a homely charm in its simplicity. Everything from the wooden bedframes, to the worn rug on the floor, to the old stone fireplaces reminded him of some of the good parts of his old life: simple homes that had recently been rebuilt, furs from hunts hung on the walls and floors, and roaring fireplaces and songs sung at winter festivals.

Then his stomach protested.

_Alright, alright you win..._

He took off his traveling cloak and hood, went downstairs, and saw the table that the Hobbits had taken. They already had food laid out for them.

_Humph, I wonder if they are on dinner or supper?_

Then he remembered that they were supposed to find someone named Strider here. Gandalf had neglected to explain how they would find him, making it sound like it would be impossible to miss this person.

_Maybe I should ask Butterbur. He would probably know if Gandalf or any of his friends have been around here._

He strode over to the front desk and got Barliman's attention.

"Excuse me..."

"Hello again, Mister..."

"Haddock..."

"Haddock, yes, of course! What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering, do you know a man named Gandalf the Grey?"

Butterbur looked off into the distance, as if working hard to remember something.

"Gandalf? Gandalf..."

Comprehension lit in his eyes.

"OH! Yes, I remember him, the elderly chap with a big grey beard and a pointy hat!"

"That's him!"

"I've not seen him in six months," Butterbur glumly added.

Hiccup shrugged in disappointment.

_Oh, well that is a shame. He probably doesn't know anyone named Strider then._

"Are you sure that we have never met before, Mister Haddock? I swear that I know your name from somewhere."

Hiccup shook his head.

"Don't see how. I'm going to join my friends over there. Could I get an ale?"

"I'll bring it right over to you, Mister Haddock."

Hiccup then went over and joined the Hobbits just as Merry returned with what was by Hobbit standards an extraordinarily large mug in his hands.

"What is that?" Pippin exclaimed in awe.

"This, my friend, is a pint."

"It comes in pints?"

"Mrmnhm," Merry answered.

"I'm getting one!" Pippin flew to his feet and left to get another drink.

"You've had three already!" Sam groaned at Pippin's antics.

"What's the matter, Sam? You know he's probably going to drink too much anyway," Hiccup asked.

"I don't really care for being here, surrounded by strange men. They don't look like the friendliest folk," Sam answered.

Hiccup looked around at the tables and booths, thinking to himself that it was not an unreasonable concern. Many of the men did look shady or had unkempt hair. To be fair, the Berk Vikings did not always have the best personal hygiene either. Bath day was infrequent for some of them. Almost everyone made sure to see themselves to the bath houses at least once a month.

On the other hand, there was also a lot of cheerful discussion, laughter, and singing happening in this Inn.

"Got my latest mead shipment in!" "Ole Ferny's lost his ponies!" "Oye, barmaid, you brought me the wrong kid, where's my lad!" "Need a refill of ale!" "Big game hunters heading West!" "Man in the moon!" "More Hobbits... is one of them Mr. Boggins?" "Need more Old Toby!"

"For example," Sam continued, "that man over there in the corner has been staring at us ever since we took this table."

Hiccup looked in the direction Sam indicated, and he noticed that a strange looking, weather-beaten man was sitting alone in the shadows near the wall. The man had a tall tankard in front of him, and he was smoking a long stemmed pipe. A stained traveling cloak of heavy dark green was drawn close about him, and in spite of the heat of the room he wore a hood that covered his face. His eyes faintly gleamed because of the glow of his lit pipe.

The stranger struck a very imposing image, shrouded in mystery as he was.

Hiccup quickly looked away from him and tried to calm himself by chewing on some bread.

_Okay, that is not one of those black riders, but he's definitely interested in us. That cannot be good._

Butterbur arrived just in time with his mug of ale.

"Excuse me," Frodo politely asked, "that man over there in the corner, who is he?"

Butterbur glanced over toward the stranger and shivered once, lowering his voice when he answered.

"He's one of them Rangers. They're dangerous folk who wander in the wild, doing who knows what. What his right name is I've never heard, but around here we call him... wait..." Butterbur looked up at the ceiling in confusion.

It was not an infrequent event for him.

"Str... Gan... Hadd... blimey! How did I forget?" he suddenly exclaimed and slapped his forehead.

"Uh? Forget what?" Hiccup asked.

"Give me a moment, Mister Haddock! I have to go look for something! Now where did you put those, Barliman you fool? One thing drives out another..." Butterbur berated himself as he wandered off.

Hiccup gave Frodo and Sam an amused look.

"I've known crazier," he mumbled.

"Really? Care to tell?" Merry asked.

He was about to begin telling the story of Gobber's supposed encounters with the Boneknapper, as if such a crazy-sounding dragon could possibly exist, when he overheard something at the bar.

"Baggins! Sure, I know a Baggins! He is over there!" Pippin cheerfully waved at them.

Nearly a dozen of the strange men turned to stare at them.

"Frodo Baggins! He's my second cousin once removed on his mother's side..."

Whatever else Pippin was saying was completely lost to him. He, Frodo, Sam, and even Merry understood the significance of what had happened. Their cover of secrecy had just been blown.

_Oh gods... this is bad..._

Frodo agreed as he jumped to his feet and raced toward the bar, likely to try to prevent any further damage.

"Pippin! What are you doing?" Frodo exclaimed.

Pippin had no chance to answer before something happened. Frodo tripped over someone's foot, knocked into someone else by accident, and fell on his back out of sight.

A moment of silence passed as everyone at the bar stared at where Frodo had fallen.

Then confusion and muttering broke out among them all along with gasps of alarm and shock.

_Uh, what just happened?_

He stepped over to the side to get a clear look at Frodo and maybe help him up.

There was no one on the floor where Frodo had fallen.

_Huh? I must have missed him? Odd._

To be fair, there were a lot of people and tables around the bar, and it would have been easy for a Hobbit to go unnoticed amid all the sudden commotion.

He went back to Sam and Merry.

"What happened over there?" Sam asked.

"Not sure. Frodo must have gotten lost in the crowd or slipped away..."

Pippin arrived at the table almost an instant later. The Hobbit looked very confused.

"What happened to him? He was there and then he just... poof!" Pippin gasped.

"Huh?" "What?" "Poof?"

"He disappeared!"

Sam looked up and noticed something that made him fly to his feet in alarm.

"That man is gone now!"

Sure enough, the seat where the stranger had been sitting was now empty. What had happened started to look very suspicious.

_Okay, this is very bad now!_

Butterbur chose that moment to return to the table in the midst of all the ruckus.

"Cannot believe I forgot about these letters. Would you believe it but they are from..."

"There's no time for that. The stranger! Where did he go?" Sam growled.

"What?"

"That man that was in the corner. Does he have a room here?" Hiccup added.

"Well, yeah, he does but..."

"Where is he?" Merry implored.

"You really don't want to mess with..."

"He might have taken our friend!" Sam exclaimed in anger.

"Alright, alright! If you really want to... second floor third room on the right. Take his letter to him too if you please," Butterbur handed him a pair of letters and departed.

Hiccup did not bother looking at the letters since rescuing Frodo was far more important, so instead he shoved them in a pocket.

"What do we do?" Merry gasped.

"We fight!" Sam immediately answered.

They had no time to plan before Sam spun around and started for the stairs. Merry grabbed a chair in lieu of a better weapon, and Pippin grabbed a candlestick. Hiccup patted the pair of daggers that he kept at his hip; he was thankful that he had decided to keep them with him always just in case something went wrong.

They started climbing the stairs, and Hiccup thought about the upcoming conflict.

A young man who had two daggers he did not know how to use, two Hobbits, one wielding a chair and the other a candlestick, and one Hobbit with nothing but his fists. All of them against a large, mysterious man who kept to the shadows and was definitely dangerous.

_Well, we have numbers on him..._

They stood outside the closed door and grimly nodded to each other. Then Sam kicked open the door, and they all flooded inside with a shout.

To be met by a very tall man swiftly drawing a sword. The man had long, shaggy hair that fell down into his eyes, and he also had an oddly neat and thick beard. His tunic was dark and very rugged. His eyes blazed with intensity, power, and... amusement. It was definitely the same Ranger who had vanished from downstairs.

Frodo was also apparently safe and unharmed, standing without concern before the fireplace.

"Let him go! Or I'll have you, Longshanks!" Sam shouted and waved his fists.

Incredibly, the stranger sighed and sheathed his sword.

"You have a stout heart, but that will not save you."

His voice was unassuming, solemn, and firm.

"Who are you, and what do you want with our friend?" Hiccup warily asked.

"I wish to protect you and your friend, Mister Underhill or is it Baggins, from the servants of the Enemy," the man answered.

"How do we know that you are not a servant of the Enemy?" Sam retorted.

"Yeah, how can you prove who you are when you don't even say who you are?" Pippin added.

Interestingly, the man almost grinned.

"You are right to be wary of me. All that I can say to prove myself is that if I wanted your Ring I could already have taken it and killed all of you."

The man held a hand to his sword. It was clear that this man did not make idle threats and was very skilled with his sword. A keen and commanding light blazed in his eyes.

Sam stared at him defiantly, and Hiccup gulped in alarm, knowing that there was no way that Toothless could help him now.

He was definitely doomed if this came to blows.

Then the man gave a great sigh and removed his hand from the pommel of his sword.

"But I am not a servant of the Enemy. Far from it. I hate Sauron and I have spent my whole life opposing him."

Silence followed, no one knowing what to do until Frodo stepped over to the stranger.

"I do not know who you are, but I believe you. You look foul but you feel fair, and I think that a servant of the Enemy would look fairer but feel fouler, if that makes any sense," Frodo mumbled.

The man gave a wry and solemn grin.

"It does. More than you know. It is amusing to be openly said to have an ill-favored look, though not surprising to me. A hunted man sometimes wearies of distrust and longs for friendship. All that is gold does not glitter, and not all those who wander are lost."

"Do you have a name?" Hiccup asked.

The man sat back in his chair after inviting them to sit down, which they did after closing the door. The Ranger barred the door, which should have felt ominous but did not.

"I have had different names in my journeys through the years. You may call me Strider."

"Strider!" they all exclaimed with surprise.

_Well, how about that? What a coincidence._

"Wonderful, we were told by Gandalf to look for you here," Hiccup said.

"Were you?" Strider looked surprised, "That is strange. I have not heard anything from Gandalf about your arrival."

"No? He told us that he would let you know about our coming here," Frodo explained.

Strider was confused.

"I have been staying here in Bree for many weeks now. If Gandalf were to share a message with me it would probably be in a letter, but I have not received a letter from him in over a month."

Hiccup had a faint suspicion of something and retrieved the two envelopes from his pocket. He still could not read the runes on the outside of the envelopes.

"Is one of these yours? Butterbur gave them to me a few minutes ago."

Strider took both letters and handed one to Frodo after looking at the address. The Ranger looked both amused and frustrated by something.

"I see that Barliman's memory failed him again. It is also Gandalf's fault for relying on such an unreliable but well-meaning man."

This was evidently not the first time that something like this had happened.

Strider and Frodo both opened their respective letters and read by the firelight.

"Well, Mister Frodo, what does it say?" Sam eagerly asked as Frodo read the letter.

"It is from Gandalf. It says that we can trust Strider to lead us to Rivendell. There is a way to test him to see if it truly is Strider, but I know now that he is not lying. He said something already that this letter would have had me ask him as a test. This man is Strider."

Strider took longer reading his letter. He appeared to reread several passages, as if not certain that he had read them correctly the first few times. Then he sighed heavily and looked out the window into the rain.

"So I was right. It is the One. I wondered if it was only a lesser magic ring, which would still be a powerful tool even if not a great ring. I know of your quest, Frodo Baggins, and I will aid you on it. The other part of this message, however, I can hardly believe."

"What is it?" Frodo asked.

Strider stared very intensely at Hiccup, as if trying to judge something of his character. There was some force of will in Strider's appraising look.

"That there is one more who is traveling with you, and that this other is a dragon."

The Hobbits all turned to stare at Hiccup.

_Alright, here goes nothing. Hope I don't screw this up..._

"It is true, sir. Toothless is definitely a dragon, and he is not like Smaug or any other dragons you may have heard of," Hiccup answered.

"Yep, Mister Haddock and Master Toothless helped out the Shire and were living there with us before this whole Ring business started," Sam piped up.

"Yeah, they helped us all by clearing out the wight in the Barrow-downs," Frodo added.

Strider warily glanced between him, Sam, and Frodo, and then he retrieved both letters and tossed them in the fire.

"I would not believe it if Gandalf did not attest to it, but he did. Where is this dragon now?"

"He is staying just outside Bree. We didn't think he would be welcome somewhere that doesn't already know him," Hiccup explained.

"He is outside the walls of Bree? I want to meet him as soon as I can."

Hiccup felt pleased by this rather warm welcome from this total stranger who was unafraid of meeting Toothless.

_Gandalf did say that he would have more influence where we were going. His word is important after all!_

"Great, we can introduce you to him in the morning."

"Now would be better," Strider firmly answered.

"Uh, alright, we can go right now."

"We'll head back to our rooms and go to sleep," Merry sighed.

"Yeah, I am beat..." Pippin yawned.

Strider looked thoughtful and wary of something.

"No, get your blankets and your things and sleep here in my room. Your rooms might not be safe. Bar the door after Haddock and I leave, and do not open it for anyone else. Do you understand me, Frodo?"

Frodo nodded, and the four Hobbits got to work. Hiccup heard Merry and Pippin whispering to Frodo about the Ring, so they knew the full truth of what was going on now.

Hiccup retrieved his rain cloak from his room and met a similarly-prepared Strider downstairs.

There were many things about Strider that did not make sense, even given the very little that he knew of the strange man. His mild, deliberate voice contrasted starkly with his wild, rough appearance. His way of speaking felt too polished for him to be a true ruffian. He was definitely dangerous, but he was also in evident control of himself and the situation.

Strider was also not one to waste words because he said nothing at all as they walked through the light rain to the main gates.

Hiccup did not try to make smalltalk either.

"Do you know what time it is to be going out... oh, Strider..." the guard started in surprise.

"We will back shortly," Strider briskly answered.

"I'll be here as usual," the guard nodded and let them out.

It was then just the two of them standing in the rain outside the main gates of Bree. Strider gestured at him with a hand partly wrapped in cloth.

"Please lead on, Mister Haddock."

"I will, but first I want to tell you don't threaten him or me. He is very protective of me."

"I understand," Strider slightly nodded.

_Alright, go time!_

He led Strider toward the dark grove of trees slightly off the muddy road. His heart raced quickly at the approaching meeting. Something like this definitely would not have worked on Berk.

Or would it have?

Maybe if he had asked his father to come with him into the woods on some quality father-son time, maybe then he could have introduced his dad and Toothless under less stressful circumstances than something like an arena or anywhere in the village. In hindsight, that sounded like a much better plan than the abandoned idea with the arena and the graduation ceremony.

He winced under his hood and tried to banish such thoughts from his mind.

Just as expected, he noticed a very dark shape hidden among the trees. It would have been easy to miss if he were not looking for it.

"Wait here."

Strider stopped and waited.

He continued ahead to meet Toothless and crouched down before the sleeping Fury who had his head on his forearms.

"Hey, Toothless..."

Toothless stirred very faintly, his eyes twitching under his eyelids.

"Bud, can you wake up?"

He put a hand on Toothless's nose as had helped wake him up in the past.

This time was no different as Toothless's eyes immediately shot open and fixed on him.

With slit eyes.

And curled lips.

Then the Fury's eyes immediately widened as Toothless blinked and shook his head.

"Grr, Hiccup, what was..."

"Are... you alright, bud?" Hiccup gasped.

Toothless grumbled at something and rubbed his head with a paw, pointedly looking elsewhere.

"I was... having a bad dream. Why... did you wake me?"

"We... found the man Gandalf wanted us to look for. Strider wants to meet you now."

That got Toothless awake and to his feet very quickly. The opportunity to meet someone peacefully was one he surely wanted to take seriously.

"Where is he?" Toothless warbled.

"Follow me," Hiccup answered and put a hand on the Fury's neck.

They walked together from that dark grove into the slight clearing where Strider stood.

_Even if this is only a simple Ranger, it is still good for Toothless to meet more people who are not out to kill him._

Hiccup tried to imagine how it must look to the man to see him emerge from the darkness alongside a large, dark shape with green eyes that glowed in the darkness.

He saw the moment when Strider noticed them because the man immediately stiffened, though, much to Strider's credit, he kept both his hands visible and off any weapons. The Ranger remained still and standing tall as they approached through the dark and the rain.

Then they stood only a few paces apart, Toothless and Strider staring at each other.

Neither of them moved.

"So this is Toothless," Hiccup nervously began.

"This must be Strider," Toothless lifted his head and slightly snorted.

If Strider was surprised that Toothless could talk, he did a good job hiding it. Though, apparently all dragons in Middle-earth could speak, so that would not be surprising.

"And you must be the Night Fury who Gandalf wrote to me about. The dragon who is different from all other dragons."

Toothless sighed.

"So I have heard. I only want to protect my friend Hiccup and the Hobbits."

"Truly? You have no desire for gold or a hoard?" Strider prodded.

"Why would I?" Toothless retorted after a very slight pause.

"Because that is what dragons do; that is what they are. They hoard gold that they take by killing."

"I do not understand it," Toothless then muttered.

Strider reached up and removed his hood, and his doing so soaked his long hair in the rain. Hiccup refrained from chuckling to himself.

_The rain might help as a shower for him. He looks very rough._

"Neither do I, but I accept what I see and what Gandalf told me. You know of the Ring, yes?"

Toothless growled openly at that, which certainly made for an impressive image with the rain dripping from his chin.

"I hate that very bad thing! That ring of fire. It feels like it wants to reach out with its teeth and..."

Toothless closed his eyes and looked away, so Hiccup lay a hand back on Toothless's head in reassurance. The Fury noticeably calmed and leaned into his hand.

"The Ring tried to do something to him. It is not safe for him to carry someone who has the Ring, which is why we are not flying Frodo to Rivendell," Hiccup softly explained.

Strider nodded slowly and spoke softly.

"I know well about the corrupting power that Great Rings can have. Too well. Why it would have some power over him without him having it, I do not know."

Strider then put his hood back up and looked around at the dark forest.

"We should speak more, but it is too dangerous out here. I know what was hunting you and the Hobbits."

"What do you mean, out here? Outside of Bree?" Hiccup looked toward the distant lights of Bree.

"Yes, it is not safe for you, Toothless, to stay out here," Strider answered.

"But he can't really go into Bree itself," Hiccup objected.

"He can if they do not know he is there."

Hiccup and Toothless glanced at each other in confusion.

"Toothless, can you jump the walls?" Strider asked.

"Easily," he snorted.

"I will have a barn free for you. Most of the people should be asleep, so we can get you in without them seeing you," Strider explained.

Hiccup nodded in agreement, pleased that Strider had thought all of that out already.

"What do you say, bud? Should we give this a shot?"

"Yes, I would like to sleep out of the rain and away from danger," Toothless nodded.

"Very well, I will call to you when it is time," Strider said.

Hiccup and Strider turned back to Bree's main gates, walked silently and swiftly, and were let inside. It was only then that Hiccup fully realized how comforting and much safer it was to be inside the walls when there were black riders possibly nearby. In hindsight, leaving Toothless outside was a very foolish and inconsiderate thing to do, for which he felt miserable. But on the other hand, it would have been difficult to hide Toothless inside Bree without someone willing to help on the inside.

He followed after Strider to an enclosed stable just inside the perimeter wall. The ranger opened the door and led out a very handsome and proud stallion. The horse still snorted at being led out into the rain to an adjacent outside stall. At least, the horse protested until Strider gently took its head in an arm and whispered into its ear. The horse immediately calmed down and was led without protesting.

_That's just like Gandalf did. I wonder if Strider knows that Elvish also._

Strider returned, inspected the stable, and took a moment to clean out the little manure, lay down some fresh straw, and light a single torch inside. It was not lost on Hiccup that Strider was so considerate.

Apparently satisfied, Strider came out of the barn and put his fingers to his lips, giving a piercing whistle like a birdcall.

A darkness appeared up on top of the sturdy wall seconds later.

Toothless made for a very impressive figure, perched up there on the wall in the rain with his wings still spread from his leap. He jumped down to the ground an instant later, landing smoothly but with a splash in the puddles. He kept low to the ground as he darted over to their side and slipped into the barn.

They let themselves inside the barn and closed the door behind them.

"Well done, bud, no one saw us," Hiccup cheerfully greeted him.

"How do you know?"

"No screaming."

"What did the Vikings say about me?" Toothless rumbled back as he slowly spun in place to curl up.

There was just barely enough space for him to do that, and he definitely knew better than to try to burn his bed.

"Never shows itself, fair enough, you are a sneaky dragon..." Hiccup chuckled as he sat down against Toothless's side, heedless of the mud and straw on the ground.

Strider then stepped closer to the resting Toothless, and the man inclined his head slightly.

"I wish that you had a better place to stay, but you will be much safer here than beyond these walls."

"Maybe," Toothless hummed, "I already killed one of the black riders."

Strider stiffened at that and slowly shook his head.

"You do not know what they are? Neither of you truly do."

"Not really, but he did kill one. There was nothing left but robes and metal," Hiccup explained.

"And there was the Barrow-wight. I also flamed that thing," Toothless added with a faint growl.

Strider leaned against the barn's wall and gazed at them.

"I can believe that you vanquished a Barrow-wight. However, you did not kill that black rider. They cannot be killed because they are neither living nor dead."

It was only the solemn sincerity with which he said that which kept Hiccup from chuckling at how contradictory that was.

"What are they then?"

A distant, haunted look came over Strider's features. The flickering torchlight illuminated half of his face as he stared off into another world.

"They are the Nazgul, the Ringwraiths. They can feel the presence of the Ring and are drawn to it. They were once great kings of men, mighty and lordly."

"What happened to them?"

"Sauron the Deceiver gave to them nine Rings of power as gifts. Filled with greed and pride, they took the Rings and used them to become greater. Their wills slowly weakened until they stopped thinking for themselves. Their wills became Sauron's will without them ever noticing. Their bodies are long gone now, mere phantoms of what they once were, though they are still enough a part of the world to kill and do Sauron's bidding. Destroy one of their forms now, and they will be remade far away to continue anew in Sauron's service. Can you two believe that?" Strider whispered.

Toothless was the first to answer while laying his head on his paws.

"I believe it. I lived in a nest of dragons that were controlled by one monster dragon. It could control the others and twist their thinking to make them obey it."

Strider frowned.

"About that Barrow-wight, I assume that you refer to the Barrow-downs East of the Old Forest."

"Yes, we destroyed it to help show the Hobbits that Toothless is a good dragon," Hiccup explained and shivered.

Toothless grumbled.

"How is that possible, that living dead thing of bone?" he growled.

"They are fell spirits from Angmar, a kingdom of men who served Sauron and one of his servants long ago. The spirits claim a dead body and fill it with malicious will. Only fire and light can break their hold on a tomb," Strider answered.

"I never thought that I'd see anything like that," Hiccup whispered and averted his eyes.

"The wight did something bad to Hiccup. It made him fall asleep..." Toothless explained.

Strider nodded.

"Yes, those spirits and their haunting song are very perilous to those who do not know the danger beforehand. The same is true of the Nazgul, though they are much weaker in the day and against foes who are defiant. Fear is their greatest weapon."

"You sound like you've seen a lot of the world," Hiccup mused.

Strider gave a very grim smile.

"I have indeed journeyed far in my years and seen things that most never see. I have seen the Far East of Harad, the Dwarven realms of Erebor and Moria, the Forests of Lorien, the Plains of Rohan, Edoras, Minas Tirith, the ruins of Osgiliath," Strider paused before continuing, "and these lands of lost Arnor. Never have I seen or heard tales of a dragon like you, Toothless."

Something about how he said that was odd.

"Wait, have you seen any other dragons?" Hiccup warily asked.

"Only once and from a great distance," Strider answered.

Hiccup and Toothless both inhaled and gasped at this revelation. Toothless's tail even went forgotten at his side.

"What was it like?" he eagerly asked.

"It was a cold-wyrm up in the Grey Mountains. It was bigger than you and had no wings."

Toothless's jaw fell open.

"No wings!" he exclaimed in horror.

Strider almost smirked in amusement. Then he pointedly glanced toward the riding gear on Toothless's back.

"I see that you do not mind carrying your friend into the sky. How did you two meet and where are you from, may I ask?"

They spared each other a weary and amused glance, knowing that this was probably going to be a story that they had to recount many times.

Hiccup answered first.

"We are from Berk, an island far North and West of the mainland. Even Gandalf didn't know where we are from. As for how we met, uh, do you want to take this one, Toothless?"

Toothless nodded and unfurled a wing to drape it over him.

"That monster dragon made other dragons hunt to catch prey for it. I flew with the other dragons to protect them from humans, and Hiccup shot me from the sky with a net-thing."

"Bolas, that's what they were called..." Hiccup interrupted.

"Whatever... I fell from the sky, and Hiccup found me later. He could have killed me, but he did not do it. He let me go. But I lost a tailfin when I fell."

He lifted the end of his tail for them all to see.

"That grounded me. Hiccup found me again and brought me fish to eat while I was grounded. We eventually became friends, and he made me a new tailfin that works with him flying with me."

"I am kind of an inventor," Hiccup mildly explained.

Strider gave him a small nod.

"I can see that. Why did you two leave your island?"

"Because the Vikings there, those are my tribe, were... are still at war with the dragons. My people would have killed Toothless, so I left with him. I flew away from my father and everyone else I knew."

"How long have you been gone?" Strider kindly asked.

"Gods, it has been over four months now between our time in the wild and in the Shire. Hard to believe it has been that long, huh, bud?"

"I know. Four moon-cycles of peace, mostly," Toothless softly answered and yawned widely.

Hiccup also yawned.

"My apologies for keeping you awake, Toothless. We will let you get your rest now. I hope that we can leave Bree before dawn," Strider said while getting to his feet.

"Does that sound good, bud?"

"Yes, but can you stay a while, Hiccup?" Toothless whispered.

"Sure."

"I will be in my room," Strider dismissed himself and stepped out of the barn by the side-door.

He left behind the torch, which still gave the inside of the barn some light.

"Alright, what's the matter, bud?"

Even in faint light it was clear that Toothless's ears went back with worry.

"It was the dream that I had when you woke me up."

Hiccup vividly recalled that moment only a few minutes ago. Seeing Toothless's eyes narrowed to slits while staring at him had, for a brief moment, been frightening in a way he had only truly seen once before.

"What was it?"

Toothless sighed and rearranged his head on his paws.

"I was back on Berk in the place where the trapped dragons are kept. The Vikings were sending... many fighters to fight me. I had to kill them, again and again, to stay alive."

"That's terrible."

"It is worse. I started liking killing them. I finally killed the last one, and I was set free. The dead Vikings all looked like you."

He covered his head with his tailfin.

"Oh, bud. It was just a bad dream. I'm sure it doesn't mean anything."

"There is more," Toothless whispered from under the tailfin.

"What?"

"I... am... afraid..."

Hiccup knelt at Toothless's side.

"Bud, those black rider Nazgul things should be afraid of you. You showed them that."

Toothless flicked away his tailfin, and Hiccup gasped at what he learned in the moment that followed.

There were tears leaking from Toothless's eyes. Dragons, or at least Night Furies, could cry.

"It is not the... black riders I am afraid of..."

"What then?"

Toothless warily looked down at the ground before himself.

"I am afraid of myself."

"Why? I don't understand," Hiccup pleaded.

"Neither do I..."

Hiccup was not satisfied with that being the end of the talk. There was something else going on here, and Toothless was definitely trying to avoid it.

So he grabbed Toothless's muzzle and leaned his own forehead against it. They remained like that in silence for a very long time.

"Please tell me. I cannot help if I don't know what it is."

Toothless whined softly and slowly pulled out of the embrace, staring down at his paws.

"I... did not remember you when you woke me up. For a moment, I thought you were... an enemy. It was like I was not me..."

"Well, I might have startled you by waking you up like that. It was my fault," Hiccup reasoned.

"That was not the first time it happened. My thinking does feel more... twisted... when I am around gold. And on our first day in the Shire, when we were resting under the stars, I felt like I needed to go down into Hobbiton and find something... probably the Ring. But I did not even know about it then..."

Hiccup frowned. What Toothless just shared sounded more worrying, if still very unexplainable. This was the first time Toothless openly told him about these issues.

"Alright, we can, uh, ask Gandalf when we get to Rivendell. He would probably know better than me what is going on. Until then, just remember that I trust you always. You're my brother; I know that you would never hurt me."

Those words must have helped, as Toothless gave him a very faint purr.

"The plan is to leave early before sunrise. We should both get our rest now. It was a long day," Hiccup yawned.

Toothless nodded and yawned as Hiccup started for the door.

"Hiccup?"

Hiccup paused at the door and wearily glanced back at him.

"Toothless?"

"Thank you for everything..." the Fury whispered.

Then Toothless pulled a wing over himself.

Hiccup slipped outside the barn, closed the door, and stepped into the now-gentle rain.

_Any time, bro..._

Then he headed back toward the Prancing Pony for some more food and as much rest as possible.

* * *

_**Author's Note – One of the better changes that I think Peter Jackson's adaptation made was to give 'Strider' a full character arc instead of being a mostly complete character who has no to little self-doubt.**_

_**Speaking of Peter Jackson, he made a cameo appearance in this!**_


	14. Into The Wild

Into The Wild

* * *

Hiccup rolled over in bed, roughly swatting away the hand on his shoulder.

"Mister Haddock, wake up! We are leaving soon," Sam whispered.

Sure enough, the Hobbits were all packed and would be ready to leave after breakfast.

He, however, was not. It was very warm under the covers.

_Ugh, come on..._

Still, he knew the wisdom of leaving before dawn. It was more likely they and especially Toothless could leave without being seen and followed.

He reluctantly rolled out of bed, put on his traveling cloak, and followed the Hobbits downstairs. They were the only people awake except for the attendant. They ate in silence a quick breakfast of hard bread, which the Hobbits were not impressed with.

"What's breakfast without bacon?" Pippin groaned.

"A disaster and an affront to breakfast itself," Merry answered.

"I'll agree that I miss the bacon," Hiccup agreed as he chewed on the bread.

Frodo and Sam were oddly silent as they ate.

Strider shortly joined them, sitting down at the same table. He looked as rough as always, almost as though he had slept in the same gear he always wore, which he probably had. His hair was very unkempt.

"Good morning," Merry yawned.

"I hope it will be. Haddock, a word with you," Strider whispered.

"Yes?"

"Would your friend be willing to carry supplies for us? I would suggest we get a pony in addition to my horse, but that may not be needed. I would not presume to treat him as a beast of burden," Strider mildly explained.

"I can't think why he wouldn't carry some more."

"Would you please ask him?"

Hiccup nodded, got up from the table, went straight to the stable, and let himself inside. Toothless was still coiled up on the ground in the same place, his head under his wing.

Hiccup paused before reaching out to gently stroke the wing.

He remembered seeing Toothless's eyes narrowed to slits and his lips just slightly curled. It had only been for an instant, but that instant had been far too long.

Something was definitely wrong with his best friend, and he had no idea how to help him without knowing what that problem was. Toothless's words about feeling strange when around gold were definitely worrying.

Would reaching out to touch him as he had many times before cost him an arm this time? Worse? Would Toothless wildly turn on him and try to hurt him, whether intentionally or unintentionally?

He banished the thought and put a palm on the wingskin, gently rubbing circles.

"Toothless..." he whispered.

Toothless stirred and shuffled in place, slowly bringing his head out from under the wing. His eyes were wide and blinking furiously to rid himself of sleepiness.

"How did you sleep?" Hiccup softly asked.

Toothless yawned toothlessly.

"Well enough. No bad dreams that time..." Toothless purred as he got to his feet.

"Good to hear. We are about ready to leave Bree."

Toothless held himself still as Hiccup put the ropes and saddle on his back. They could irritate his hide if worn for too long, especially if they were wet as they had been yesterday.

"Strider wanted me to ask if you would be willing to carry some more packs of supplies?"

"Yes, of course I will."

Hiccup then put a palm on Toothless's cheek.

"Are you... alright, bud? Honestly."

Toothless sighed and ruffled his wings.

"Yes, I just wish I knew what was... wrong with me..."

"I'm not sure I'd say that anything is... wrong with you," Hiccup grumbled while looking away.

He knew that he was not being entirely honest with himself or with Toothless.

"I'll be right back with everyone."

Toothless settled down to wait until Hiccup returned with the Hobbits and Strider. It was still dark because the sun had not yet risen, but he could see well.

His rest had been dreamless with no bad-thinking hunting his peace. There had been no seeing himself fighting against and killing many humans who turned out to be Hiccup.

The thought of escaping into the wild was definitely comforting. The wild outside of human cities was what he knew well and could best survive in.

_I could do with some true hunting._

Even as he thought about that, he realized that there was also an appeal to living in human cities. Cities had distinct advantages over the wild, mostly in the certainty of there being food and good company.

_I never thought I'd want to be in human city-nests..._

He eventually heard people approaching outside his temporary den.

Hiccup returned by opening wide the main door and then coming over to hold his head.

"Hey bud, will you go and hop outside the wall? We will meet you out there."

He wasted no time, bounding out of the den, keeping himself low to the ground and hidden, and easily jumped the wall with a flap of his wings.

Hiccup, the four Hobbits, and Strider with his horse proceeded to the front gates, which were ominously broken open. The guard stopped them.

"Oye, what'cho going out there for?"

"That is our business," Strider answered.

"Well, I feel I should warn ya. There're strange folk out there. Did ya hear what happen'd at night?"

Strider crossed his arms on his chest.

"I know that the alarm was raised."

The guard furiously nodded.

"Big, hooded folk on dark horses, black riders everyone's calling them. Showed up well after midnight and asked to be let inside... in the name of M... Mor... Mordor..." the guard stuttered.

"What happened?" Strider asked.

"We wasn't going ta let them in, but they rode down the gate. We raised the alarm before they could get into Bree proper or hurt anyone, and the black riders fled into the wild."

Hiccup blinked, realizing the obvious.

_That's where we are going. Good thing we have Toothless with us. Really hope Strider knows what he's doing._

"Thank you for the warning," Strider calmly answered.

The guard shrugged and stepped aside.

"It's yer lives then... not my problem if ya die outside the walls."

They walked out through the ruined gated and entered the woods.

Toothless saw them approaching outside the walls and among the trees, so he bounded over to them. Strider had his horse with him, and a few quiet words from the man calmed the horse.

"Good job, bud. No one else saw you," Hiccup nodded.

Toothless snorted and rolled his eyes.

"No screaming in fear, just like last night in the rain?"

"Yep, you got it," Hiccup smiled.

The Hobbits dropped a few packs on the ground before them.

"Master Toothless, do you mind helping us with our stuff? We picked up a few more bags," Sam mildly asked.

"Sure," he nodded with a glance to the saddle and ropes that held Hiccup's stuff.

Hiccup strapped a few more packs to his back and the riding equipment.

"Master Toothless indeed..." Hiccup chuckled.

"Yes, I am!" he preened.

Then they were all ready.

"Alright, we are ready to go!" Pippin cheerfully said.

"Yeah, what is the plan, Strider?" Merry added.

The man glanced back at them from the side of his horse. He was definitely appraising them.

"I will lead us into the wild through paths only I and my kind know. Through the Midgewater Marshes, to Amon Sul, and then tracking the East Road. Toothless, you and Hiccup should stay on the ground so as to not give away our position."

They both nodded in agreement.

"Sounds great! What are we going to do about breakfast?" Pippin inquired.

"We've already had it..." Strider answered.

"We've had one, yes. What about second breakfast?"

Strider did not respond in any way except to turn away and start leading his horse.

"I don't think he knows about second breakfast, Pip," Merry explained.

The shock on Pippin's face was obvious.

"What about elevensies, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, supper, he knows about them, right?"

"Don't count on it!" Merry added.

"Oye!" Sam shouted while lunging toward Pippin.

Sam snagged a thrown apple that would have hit Pippin in the face. The apple had come from up ahead.

"There! There's second breakfast for you..." Sam exclaimed as he flipped the apple to Pippin.

Frodo just shared an amused glance with Hiccup and Toothless, both of whom snorted and rolled their eyes.

* * *

Very little filled his blood with warmth like a true hunt. The last true hunt in the wild had been on that far island before he and Hiccup had flown to this land. Since then though, he had satisfied himself with rabbits, fish, the grazing four-legs that ate the Hobbits' fields, and already-killed land prey that were gifted to him by the Hobbits. Those were good.

But they were not hunted by his teeth and claws.

A dragon that could not catch its own meals was weaker and smaller in its soul-fire. He would never let than happen to him.

He avoided stepping on any branches as he kept his nose to the grass. The four-leg had passed this way and marked its path.

More following of the trail while keeping himself low to the ground. Not a purr or a growl escaped from him.

Then he paused where he stood.

The prey was digging with its tusks at the ground under a tree across the small clearing.

_What do they call it? Something like the pigs the Hobbits have in pens... Dogs... no. Hogs... maybe that is it._

He considered how to go for the kill. Claws and teeth were definitely his preferred method in the past. The only problem with that way of killing is that he needed to be close. The prey might be able to escape into the trees if it saw him.

If he were hunting only for himself he probably would have enjoyed the challenge and the chase. But he was hunting also for Hiccup, the Hobbits, and Strider.

Fire was a more reliable option.

He readied his fire, stood tall on his hind legs, and shot at the prey. Hiccup had previously told him that his never missing his target was something that the Vikings had used to describe him.

A Night Fury never misses.

Then he padded over to the dead prey, the hide of which was partly on fire where his shot had hit it. He put out the small fire by stepping on it with a paw. Then he sniffed at the dead prey, wrinkling his nose in displeasure.

_Why do humans and Hobbits like their prey burned? It ruins the taste of blood._

Then he remembered seeing dead humans, dead Vikings, that had been hit by his fire. While he had not specifically tried to kill them in the raids, some of them had gotten in the way of his shots. He had inspected their dead bodies and had nibbled on one to see if it was worth eating, eventually deciding against it. Other dragons would and did eat humans, dead or alive, but he was not so sure about it back then.

Something about the humans had always been different from true prey. Prey did not have soul-fires. Prey was only food walking around the world. Prey had no purpose except to make more of their kind and to be eaten by predators such as himself.

Could prey think, care, feel, or show mercy? Soul-fire was needed to do those.

Prey would probably think of him as a monster. But he thought of the thought-thralling nest-Queen as a monster. Was she more than him in the same way that he was more than the four-leg prey?

He snorted and shook his head of such flightless thoughts.

_She thought of nothing but herself. She cared for no others. She is a monster to all dragons, and I am a monster to prey. That is as it should be._

He bent down and sank his teeth into the hog's hide, lifting it from the ground and turning back for the camp.

* * *

They all ate well.

There were almost no complaints.

"This could do with some more seasoning..." Pippin complained.

"I prefer it medium rare, myself," Merry added.

"Just a few wild herbs... some parsley, thyme, rosemary... that would better hit the spot," Sam agreed.

Strider and Frodo slowly shook their heads at them while attending to their portions.

Toothless ate a haunch that was set aside for him.

"More warm blood would be good," he added with a growl.

The Hobbits looked over at him in a mix of amusement and alarm.

"What?" he grumbled.

"Typical dragon..." Merry bemoaned.

"He likes his meals very... rare. Nothing wrong with that," Hiccup explained.

Toothless hummed in agreement while flashing the Hobbits a look.

"Maybe next time I will eat the prey myself and not bring any for you..."

"Hey now, that wouldn't be fair. We are a team, you see," Pippin countered.

"Team? What?" Toothless barked in confusion.

"Yes, you catch the food and we eat it. Teamwork."

Merry cheerfully slapped Pippin on the back.

"Agreed, Pip. It is a very appropriate arrangement. We get to do the quality control."

Toothless huffed and turned away from them to sit on his haunches, grumbling and crossing his paws on his chest as he did so.

"Useless Hobbits."

Then he returned to eating.

* * *

Strider passed the reins off to Sam and then slowed down to walk with Hiccup and Toothless.

"Mister Haddock, do you have any skill with a blade?"

Hiccup blinked in surprise.

"With a blade? Uh, not really. I'm not much of a fighter at all."

"Have you ever practiced with a weapon?"

A shrug.

"Maybe a little with an ax, but I'm terrible with it."

Strider nodded and stepped aside for a moment. He used his dagger to slice away a cutting of some strange plant and then returned to them.

"You do not have the build of a typical warrior. To have skill with a sword, an ax, a spear, or any such weapon you must have enough strength and dexterity to use them."

Hiccup gave another shrug.

"I was training to be a blacksmith. It was better for me to make the weapons for others who could use them since I couldn't."

"Have you ever practiced with a bow?" Strider asked.

"With a bow? Not really for fighting. Fighting from a distance was not really my tribe's style, even if some of them did have bows for hunting."

"But you are very different from the rest of your tribe," Strider countered.

Hiccup thought about it more seriously, again thinking back to Toothless's suggestion to him.

A bow was definitely a different type of weapon, far more suited to tactical combat. Strength was still important to be able to draw the weapon, but accuracy was also crucial. Now that he thought about it, he had been decent in the practice hunts he had been taken on in the Berk forest.

He had shot down Toothless in the night when the dragon was flying at full speed.

Maybe...

"That might work."

"What is a bow?" Toothless asked.

"One of these," Strider said, walking forward to his horse and retrieving his bow.

Toothless nodded in recognition.

"That would be good for you, Hiccup. You would stay far from the enemies and be safer, even though I will always be there to protect you."

"Where would I get a bow and arrows?" Hiccup wondered.

"I am sure that the Elves could provide you with what you need," Strider answered.

The mention of this strange people reminded Hiccup of when they saw the Elves passing in the night.

"You know the Elves, sir?"

Strider looked away from them both and was silent. His gaze was into a different world.

"I do know them very well. I was raised in Rivendell."

"So you know Elvish?"

"I do..."

Strider still stared off into the distance with a very fond look about his features.

"Rivendell is like home for you?"

"It is... a home for me, yes, though I have not seen it in many years."

"How long has it been since you were there?"

"Too long," Strider whispered.

Hiccup put a hand on Toothless's shoulder.

"We've been away from home for a long time too. Months now."

Toothless grumbled softly.

"Berk and the nest with the Monster; I am never flying to those places again. Those are not home to me; they are not my place."

Hiccup frowned slightly at that. For Toothless to not want to go back to Dragon Island made perfect sense. For them to not go back to Berk meant that he himself would not be able to see any of the Berkians, any of his family, again.

That was all far off in the future, if ever.

"What about your kind, Toothless? Where are they?" Strider asked.

Unsurprisingly, Toothless's ears fell slightly.

"I do not know. I was always alone, the only one of my kind."

"You do not know what happened to your parents?"

"No. They might have been eaten by the Monster."

Hiccup winced at how likely and terrible that sounded. It was unlikely that they would have turned tail and flown away, leaving him alone there.

It was also possible that Night Furies didn't have families; some creatures were solitary by nature. Maybe his egg was intentionally left there in the nest. But something about that explanation didn't feel right, given how Toothless was fond of finding his own kind and also how caring the Fury was to him.

"What Monster?" Strider asked.

"A very big dragon that controlled others and made them hunt for it. I was in its flock until Hiccup happened to me."

Strider sighed.

"I know something of what being alone must have been like. My father was killed when I was only a young lad, and my mother has long since passed."

Toothless hummed softly in consideration.

"Do you have any kin of your own? A mate or young ones?"

Strider only stared off into the distance.

"No. Not yet. I do not know if..."

"Hey, Strider, are you sure this is the right way?" Pippin shouted from ahead.

"I am very certain," Strider faintly grinned.

"Then what about this big marsh in the way?" Merry added.

"Yeah! We've lost the path!" Pippin explained.

There was indeed a very large marsh in their path. There were many pools of water and short shrublike trees throughout.

All six of them stopped walking at the edge of the marsh.

"That is our road," Strider explained with a gesture ahead.

Without exception, the Hobbits groaned.

Hiccup glanced down at his shoes and sighed.

_Great, they were too clean anyway. I just hope the bugs aren't too bad._

* * *

Toothless loosed a burst of flame at a particularly dense flight of bugs. They fell dead and were replaced by even more buzzing annoyances.

Then he growled and shook his paws, trying to get the mud off them by staying on the most stable ground.

"Are you sure we should not fly?" he growled to Hiccup.

"Yeah, it wouldn't be fair to them, and we should stay hidden."

Hiccup still frowned, feeling the sting from another bite on his neck and swatting away the mosquitoes.

All the Hobbits were wearing their cloaks and hoods to have some protection from the hungry bugs.

Pippin slipped and fell into a pool of rancid water.

"What do they eat when they can't get Hobbit?" Merry protested.

Strider still led the way while holding his horse's reins. He somehow knew the most stable path.

Most impressively, he never complained about the elements.

Or the bugs.

* * *

Night had fallen, and all were gathered together in a small clearing in the marshes. Strider had somehow found enough dry timber for a small fire.

"What are we going to do for kindling?" Sam wondered.

"Yeah, everything is wet here," Merry agreed.

Toothless stepped forward and purred while smirking at them all.

They had a warm fire seconds later.

Strider inclined his head as he tended to the fire, keeping the flame alive.

"That would have taken me a long time with my steel and flint."

"An advantage of traveling with a dragon," Hiccup smiled as he went to rest against Toothless's side.

Strider then reached into his pack and pulled out many cuttings of some strange, fragrant plant. He held them above the fire just long enough to get them smoking, and then he tossed them immediately around the Hobbits.

"And this is an advantage of traveling with a Ranger."

"What is this plant for?" Frodo whispered while holding a smoking cutting.

"Yeah, it's just a plant," Pippin said while looking disdainfully at the apparent weed.

Strider was bemused by that.

"It is a plant the smoke of which insects do not like."

Sure enough, there were no insects at all currently bothering them.

"Amazing." "Fantastic." "That's useful." "Good to know."

Strider then got up and retrieved his bow.

"Glad to hear it. You all stay here and get some rest. I will take first watch."

None of the Hobbits looked inclined to argue, all of them being exhausted from a full day of walking. They all started bunking down near the small fire. Toothless lay down partly around them all with Hiccup immediately at his side under a wing.

"So, who wants to tell the first story?" Pippin asked.

"Story? What?" Hiccup yawned.

"Oh yes, it's tradition when camping," Merry explained.

"You call this camping?" Sam groaned.

"Close enough," Pippin chuckled.

"I like it. This pack-bonding. Hiccup has stories he can tell," Toothless grinned.

Hiccup reached over and flicked an ear in revenge.

"Really, Toothless?"

"You were volun-told! Get talking," Merry chuckled.

"Alright, how about our first flight together?" Hiccup offered after a moment of thought.

"This will be good. Do not forget to tell them that you almost killed us," Toothless interjected.

"Who is telling the story? That's right, I am, thank you very much. Useless reptile..."

Hiccup sighed and glanced at the eager Hobbits. He launched into the story, beginning with how he learned the different tailfin positions and the difficulties getting Toothless to wear the saddle.

Toothless had laughed at that point and interjected that if he was going to have to carry a human on his back then that human would have to work to catch him first.

All the Hobbits had laughed at the unintended crashing into the sea stacks, and they had gasped in alarm when the fall from the skies was related.

"And then this guy must have forgotten that I don't have scales because he flamed right in front of us and then flew through it!"

"I was very excited to be flying again! And you were fine."

"Yeah, except for my eyebrows. They're still growing back..."

Toothless snorted and mouthed something unknown.

"Alright, that's my story. How about you two, Merry, Pippin?"

The two troublemakers shared a glance and a nod.

"The fireworks!" they both exclaimed at once.

"What?" Hiccup wondered.

"It was during Bilbo's party. Did you see one very big firework that looked like a dragon?"

"Yes, we did," Toothless answered.

"We were... involved in that," Merry began.

"Yeah, Gandalf looked like he needed help shooting off all his fireworks in time, so we... decided to help him by launching some ourselves," Pippin added.

"So we took the biggest one we could find."

"It was glorious," Pippin breathed in awe.

"We kind of got carried away and stuck it in the ground without thinking. We were still inside a tent," Merry groaned.

"Your idea!" Pippin exclaimed.

"Of course, Gandalf found us covered in soot and guilty. He twisted our ears and made us do all the dishes after the party."

"Totally worth it..."

Frodo burst out in laughter which Toothless and Hiccup echoed. Everyone then looked at Sam and Frodo once they had recovered themselves.

"I was thinking I might sing something for us all," Frodo sheepishly offered.

"What is it?" Hiccup eagerly asked.

"Something my uncle wrote from his journeys long ago. It seems fitting with what we are doing: leaving home and all."

Frodo took a breath and closed his eyes.

"May it be an evening star... Shines down upon you... May it be when darkness falls... Your heart will be true."

"You walk a lonely road... Oh, how far you are from home... Believe and you will find your way... A promise lives within you now."

"May it be the shadows call... Will fly away... May it be your journey on... To light the day."

"When the night is overcome... You may rise to find the sun... Believe and you will find your way... A promise lives within you now."

Frodo fell silent.

It was a silence only broken by the buzz of distant insects and the crackle of the fire.

"I like it. We are on an adventure together, and who knows where it will go?" Hiccup sighed.

"We already know that. We are going to Rivendell where we will leave the Ring with the Elves. Then it will be their problem, not ours," Frodo explained.

Frodo turned to Sam and nudged his shoulder.

"Sam, your turn now!"

Sam looked very bashful.

"I don't know if I should sing this one since it is not a happy song."

"Go for it anyway. Sad songs can be very powerful, if they are sad for the right reasons," Frodo reassured him.

Sam looked up at the stars.

"Alright, you got me thinking about this when you mentioned Rivendell and the Elves. It is about an ancient King of the Elves."

"Gil-galad was an Elven-king... Of him the harpers sadly sing... The last whose realm was fair and free... Between the Mountains and the Sea."

"His sword was long, his lance was keen... His shining helm afar was seen... The countless stars of heaven's field... Were mirrored in his silver shield."

"But long ago he rode away... And where he dwelleth none can say... For into darkness fell his star... In Mordor where the shadows are..."

His voice trailed off into a long, solemn silence.

"Sam, I didn't know you knew that story," Frodo whispered, breaking the silence.

Sam shrugged.

"There's more to the song, but I don't recall any more of it. The rest was too sad for me."

No one said anything else, though they all started yawning. The fire had burned low and was only a few crackling embers. Everyone wordlessly agreed to start turning in.

Hiccup stared up at the stars, visible on this cloudless night.

_The countless stars of heaven's field..._

Having heard about that Mordor place many times now, he knew that it was not a good place.

_I'm glad that we don't have to go there._

* * *

The sound of very soft singing woke him up later. He knew that he didn't imagine it because Frodo also stirred.

Together, they got to their feet and crossed the short distance over to Strider, who had returned from wherever he had wandered off to. The Ranger was sitting alone on the other side of the small clearing while smoking a pipe.

Strider was also singing a slow, mournful song in a language Hiccup did not know. That was a shame. The song sounded almost Elvish. He really wanted to know what...

"Who is she? This woman you sing of?" Frodo asked.

_Oh, right. Frodo knows Elvish._

Strider was not surprised that they had approached him.

"It is the Lay of Luthien."

There was something very solemn in his voice.

"What is it about?" Frodo asked.

"It tells of the meeting of a mortal man, Beren son of Barahir, and Luthien Tinuviel, the immortal daughter of the Elf King Thingol. Beren saw her dancing in a glade, and he named her Nightingale, or Tinuviel. He wished to wed her, but her father, not wanting his daughter to wed a mortal man, set an impossible task for him. He had to retrieve as bride-price one of the three Silmarils from Morgoth's crown."

"Excuse me, but who is Morgoth?" Hiccup quietly asked.

"Morgoth is the Greatest Enemy, of whom even Sauron is only a servant. This Ring is what binds Sauron to existence now, but I have heard it said that all of Arda is Morgoth's Ring, in a way."

"I'm not sure I understand that at all," Frodo said.

"You do not need to know more for this story. Working together, Beren and Luthien snuck into the Dark Lord's fortress and took one of the greatest of jewels, a Silmaril, from Morgoth's crown. It was meant to be an impossible task, but they achieved it and escaped afterwards. But Beren was eventually slain by one of Morgoth's beasts, and he died in Luthien's arms. She chose to give up her immortality, and she died. The story sings that they met again beyond the Sundering Seas and were granted a special grace because of how sad their tale was. They were allowed to live again, but only mortal lives. They lived happily together in peace until the end of their days. Thus, the fairest Elf that ever was is sundered from her kind. Though they are gone now, their line still lives in the house of Elrond, the Kings of ancient Numenor, and their... descendants."

Strider sighed and resumed puffing his pipe.

There was something about that song that deeply moved Strider during the telling. Something beyond it being only a sad story about lovers parted.

Then Strider turned on them and gave them a kind smile. There was a strength in his gaze and his voice that contrasted greatly with his wildly long hair and haggard appearance.

"You should both get your rest. We do not stop tomorrow until we reach Amon-Sul."

"What is Amon-Sul?" Hiccup asked, not remembering seeing that place on any maps.

"You might know it better as Weathertop."

* * *

_**Author's Note – Whenever I can appropriately do so I will work Tolkien's great poetry and songs into this story. Some of the choral pieces produced for the films will also be included. I also feel obliged to point out that Bill the Pony is not going with the Hobbits. However, we heard a rumor in the Prancing Pony that Bill Ferny has lost his ponies. I am going to presume that those ponies are gallivanting about in freedom or have found Tom Bombadil.**_


	15. Fire Dragon

Fire Dragon

* * *

They continued on through a land which was nothing but barren or grassy hills, most of which had many outcroppings of rock. There were no signs of civilization anywhere nearby: no roads, homes, or cities. Meals were rushed without lighting any fires that might give away their position, and that inability to cook proper meals greatly frustrated the Hobbits.

Hiccup and Toothless took up the rear of the procession, keeping more distance between the Fury and Strider's horse. Hiccup thought that the horse was gradually becoming more accepting of Toothless's presence the more that Strider spoke to it in Elvish, but he wasn't entirely certain of that.

Toothless had also suggested that he walk there because he would hear the sounds of any pursuit before the humans could. He did not tell anyone that walking back there also kept him as far from Frodo and the Ring as possible.

They neither saw nor heard any obvious signs of pursuing black riders anywhere around them. But they would both, every now and then, feel or hear something strange, especially after nightfall.

Toothless would stop walking and would tilt his head to the side, saying afterwards that he thought he heard something. But there was never anything visible on the slopes.

Hiccup would feel a chill rustling of the grass and hear a sound that was almost like a shriek echoing on the wind. But he could not tell if the sound was the wind or something else.

Toothless and Strider alternated taking the watch during the night. The group took shelter among the rocky outcroppings or around large boulders. The Hobbits lay beside each other in their sleeping-packs; Strider did not allow them to make any campfires for warmth.

Hiccup tried to stay awake with Toothless to keep him company whenever possible.

The nights were filled with an oppressive, creeping, and ominous silence which was made all the worse by not seeing anything strange.

* * *

Toothless was lagging slightly behind the group, so Hiccup slowed down for him.

"Bud, how are you doing?"

"I am well."

"Toothless..."

Toothless grumbled and sat down on his rear, shaking a front paw as he did so.

"I wish we were flying more..."

"Yeah, same here. But as sneaky as you are in the dark, flying would definitely give us away in the day."

"True, it would. Not being able to fly is twisting when those black riders might be after us."

Toothless glanced at his back, bare of any of the riding equipment, though he was carrying some supply bags for the Hobbits.

Hiccup frowned and scratched Toothless's neck. The Fury's mention of the possibly pursuing Nazgul, the black riders, sent a shiver down his spine. He also tried to not think about what had happened the last time he had encountered one of the Nazgul.

"Do you really think anything is out there?"

They looked ahead to the group of Hobbits being led by Strider. The terrain had gotten steeper and had more hills after several days of marching. But they could still see far around them, and there was nothing else moving on the hills and slopes.

Toothless growled and started walking.

"I have not seen anything, but I can feel... a cold in my soul-fire. I feel like prey to a hunter I cannot see."

"The Ring?"

Toothless's ears fell as his eyes narrowed on Frodo up ahead.

"That pull is always there; I can feel it even now. No, this threat feels different, like I am being watched."

Hiccup remembered Toothless mentioning something about an eye, somehow connected to the Ring, that was looking at him. That was an ominous thought.

"Maybe we should think about happier things. Did you get up to any trouble that I don't know about in the Shire?"

Toothless huffed indignantly.

"I do not make trouble. No, I was a good Night Fury who did not eat the Hobbits' prey-animals."

"But you wanted to," Hiccup teased.

"Yes! They are prey, and prey are for eating. But I can control myself and not eat prey in another's flock."

"Yeah, maybe you could try human and Hobbit food for a change. Strawberries and cream are very good. Beer and ale are good also. Ha, just think of a drunk dragon trying to fly straight!" Hiccup laughed.

Toothless grinned, lifted a paw, and nudged Hiccup's shoulder.

"Huh?" Hiccup wondered.

"You have stepped in waste, though you do not know it."

"Bud, I have no idea what you mean by that."

"You will when I foul your flight."

"Foul my flight... oh... I'm really afraid now."

"You should be."

Hiccup rolled his eyes and decided to ignore whatever Toothless was threatening him with. The Fury probably didn't have anything to tease him about anyway. Then he looked around to the desolate landscape around them. It was all so different from the warm green that they had both known.

"I miss the Shire," Hiccup sighed.

Toothless nodded and warbled in agreement.

"It is a good place, but it is small, as you said."

"I said that? I suppose it is. The world is much bigger than only the Shire."

"We should fly in new ranges eventually," Toothless proposed.

"Yeah, letting more people meet you would be good. You could help change their minds about dragons," Hiccup wholeheartedly agreed.

Toothless then paused mid-step and glanced at Hiccup.

"We are going to a city of Elves. We should ask them if they know of any dragons like me."

"Definitely. Gotta get there alive first. We don't want a black rider to carry me or Frodo off!"

Toothless growled and glanced around at the empty wild.

"Do not joke about that..."

"Bud, I'm just trying to lighten the mood. Someone should. Merry and Pippin haven't helped much with that recently."

They both knew that was true. All the Hobbits were more irritable and grumpy, definitely because of the long march everyone had been on with minimal food and rest. Strider seemed to have exceptional endurance, which made sense given his rough life in the wild.

Toothless then stretched his limbs and wings and flicked his tail.

"We all need much rest and sleep soon," he grumbled and yawned.

"No argument there," Hiccup agreed.

* * *

Hiccup stared in awe at something incredible upon one of the most prominent hills before them. It was the ruins of an ancient watchtower built upon the highest of a set of hills. The remaining standing towers rose like teeth around the tallest slope.

This was what Strider had called Weathertop.

"That is amazing," he breathed.

The ranger stepped up next to him and had a very solemn look in his eyes as he crossed his arms.

"It was glorious once, an outpost from which the great King Elendil looked for allies in the Last Alliance. King Elendil swore an oath of allegiance and friendship to the Elven King Gil-galad upon that tower. Nothing is left of Amon-Sul now but a circle of collapsed stones and a few spires," Strider explained.

"And we are settling down up there tonight?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes, it is the most defensible place anywhere around here."

Hiccup still frowned.

That the place was defensible was definitely true, but there was something about its appearance that was eerie. It almost reminded him of another place, the barrow, that had held a true terror in its depths. Or maybe some of his reaction was from remembering seeing an entire city that had once been grand having been completely abandoned, and then seeing more ruins here.

There were so many echoes of the past around for those who knew to listen.

"I'm about beat anyway. Did we have to march all day?" Merry complained.

"Yeah, maybe you rangers can march for days without stopping, sleeping, or having a proper seven meal day, but we are Hobbits..." Pippin also complained.

Sam shook his head and, showing no signs of weariness, continued marching on at Frodo's side. Toothless hopped up to Hiccup's side and nudged him.

"Hiccup, my paws hurt some," Toothless whispered and licked a forepaw.

"I understand. My feet are sore also. But we're almost done for the day," Hiccup sighed.

They all ascended the path that led up to the peak. There were old steps that had fallen into total disrepair. It had taken the entire evening to make it to the peak, and it was just after dark by the time they arrived. At the peak lay a small clearing with piles of collapsed stone, rotted wood, and what looked like the remains of old campfires.

"What's with all this stuff?" Merry wondered.

"Rangers sometimes would make camp here," Strider explained.

"This is not where I'd go for camping," Pippin grumbled.

The Hobbits began to unpack their things and roll out their sleeping bags. They were disturbed by Strider drawing his sword.

"What's wrong?" Hiccup asked in alarm.

The ranger pointedly looked around at the fading light off on the horizon. There were ominous dark clouds rolling in high over Weathertop, but there was no rain or lightning. Everything was very quiet and calm.

"I am going to look around and make sure that we are safe here. Stay here on the peak and do not do anything stupid."

"What? Stupid?" Pippin indignantly exclaimed.

"Yeah, like what?" Merry added.

Strider nodded at the campfire they were getting ready to make.

"Something like lighting a fire that would be visible from here to the horizon."

Pippin, Merry, and Sam grumbled and started to put away their cooking supplies.

Hiccup rolled his eyes, though he was also impressed at how thoughtful Strider was.

_Yeah, that would have been really stupid to give away our position up here. Good of him to remind them. Guess it is cold jerky tonight for all of us... again._

"These are for you. Keep them close," Strider added while tossing several short blades onto the ground before the Hobbits.

Hiccup blinked in surprise at the sudden appearance of so many weapons.

_I had no idea he had so many weapons with him. He really is prepared for anything._

The Hobbits, however, looked from him to the swords in confusion. They began picking up the blades one at a time, clearly at a loss with what to do with them.

"Stay here..." Strider instructed.

"Uh, Strider, what do we do with these?" Pippin asked while holding a short blade.

"Stick the enemy with the pointy end?" Merry chuckled.

"Yes, Merry. That is the idea," Strider nodded.

Then he whipped around, left the peak, and vanished into the darkness.

"Time for dinner and supper!" Sam declared as they retrieved the jerky and hard bread.

The Hobbits gathered together and nibbled on their supper while grumbling.

Hiccup noticed Toothless sitting on his rear over by a ledge on the eastern side of the peak. The Fury had his wings spread wide to gently roll and ripple in the wind as though he was gliding.

Hiccup went over to him and leaned against his side, hearing and feeling his soft purring.

"Well, that is quite a view," Hiccup said.

The landscape around them was barren with smaller ruins all along the slopes of the hills. While the height would normally allow them to see far, they could not see all the way out to the horizons because of the dark, rolling clouds overhead and over the hills and also because it was after sundown

"Yes, it is," Toothless agreed with a grumble.

"Hey, what's wrong? I know that look, bud..."

"It is nothing important. I just..." Toothless sighed, "it has been five days since we went flying."

"Yeah, I don't like it either."

"But you are not a dragon. I want to touch the clouds and stretch my wings in the open sky. Being stuck on the ground makes me feel like... like prey."

Hiccup winced, remembering well how Toothless when grounded in the cove would sit and stare up at the birds or the sky when not occupied with him. Fortunately, there was an easy fix for that problem.

"So let's go fly now."

"Now?" Toothless warbled in surprise.

"Sure, it's dark enough that nothing will see us. It would be good for both of us to go flying."

Toothless's lifted ears and swaying tail gave away his thoughts.

"Okay, a short flight. I would like that."

Hiccup briefly left to retrieve the needed gear and to let the Hobbits know that the two of them would be flying.

"Are you ready?" Toothless paced impatiently when he got back and started putting on the equipment and ropes.

"Alright, cool your tail..."

"You cool your tail."

"Sorry, bud, don't have one..."

Hiccup finished and then hopped onto the saddle.

They jumped from the ledge and were soaring on the winds moments later. Toothless aimed himself into the breeze and gradually floated higher until they reached the clouds.

Then he growled softly and flew with haste up into the clouds, furiously beating his wings.

"What's going on?" Hiccup shouted over the wind.

"Wait!" Toothless shouted back.

The thick clouds swirled around them thicker than anything they had flown in before. Spinning shrouds of shadow roiled all around.

Still higher they soared until...

They broke through the top of the clouds with a spin which Toothless turned into a smooth glide into the wind.

There were no clouds above them now as they glided in the clear and empty sky with all the stars emerging and the bright, full moon glowing in the heavens. The dark clouds rolled below them like an ocean that stretched out to the horizons and reflected the starlight and the moonlight.

"This feels better," Toothless sighed and then gave a piercing roar of delight.

"What feels better?"

"Everything! The sky, my soul-fire, my thinking, it all feels better!"

Hiccup just grinned and shook his head.

_I know that flying is fun... Maybe he wasn't joking about dragons needing to fly to be happy. There's probably something to that. What point is there having wings if he cannot... use them..._

He winced again at how his thoughts again reminded him of how he had crippled his best friend.

"Hiccup, we should try the tailfin thing!" Toothless eagerly suggested.

"Alright, yeah, let's give it another shot."

He pulled the lever and heard the click of gears and roll of pulleys. Then the tailfin snapped into position.

"All you now, bud!"

Toothless turned his attention to the open sky before him and began practicing the most basic of flight motions. They flew long in silence, doing gentle turns, loops, dives, sprint-flights, and hovering in place. Then Toothless settled into a silent, steady glide.

"How is it?" Hiccup asked.

Toothless found that a rather difficult question to answer. On the one paw, the flight was more stable than his last attempt at flying this way. On the other paw, it was still not as stable as true flight would be with both his tailfins. He was slower to react when flying like this than he was with Hiccup guiding the flight. Some of that was probably because of own lack of practice over the last few moon-cycle months.

But he also feared that he had truly lost some of the flight-knowledge he and all dragons were hatched with.

"Better, but it is still not good enough..."

Hiccup bit his lip while thinking about the entire tailfin contraption. It was difficult to think about any other ways to keep the artificial tailfin stable and responsive to the natural fin on its own while also letting them switch back and forth between solo-flight and shared flight. It introduced too many needed gears, lines, and points of failure.

_Maybe if he had something only on the tail, something that strapped around the tail and mirrored the real fin by using a pulley system. Not sure how that would work, but he might be able to keep more stability..._

His idle thoughts started to form into an idea of something he could make if he had a good forge to work at and had the right supplies...

Then he realized the implication of what he was contemplating. There was an aspect of making that device that he did not like; something felt wrong about it.

_No. He doesn't truly need flight like that... alone. I'll always be there for him. We fly together. That is how it should be._

He froze, holding tighter to the saddle.

_I don't know what I would do... or be... without him._

Toothless stiffened under him, his wings suddenly stretching out to their full length.

"What is going on?" Hiccup wondered.

Several more moments passed in which nothing happened as they glided. Toothless did not answer him. It was just long enough that he started getting worried.

"You okay, bud?"

Then Toothless looked over his shoulder at him.

The Fury's eyes were narrowed to slits.

It looked like something from his most haunting nightmares, seeing that familiar face, usually so full of feeling and care, now empty of emotion and very menacing.

All sound ceased except for the pounding of his heart. Even the wind whipping his hair was silent.

"Toothless..." he whispered.

The mere sound of his voice made Toothless wince and toss his head with a whine.

A hand gently scratching the Fury's neck further got the distraught dragon's attention.

"You are stronger than whatever this is..." Hiccup leaned forward and whispered.

A weak growl and moan followed.

"Come on, bud! Fight it!"

Toothless wildly shook his head with a snarl and then glanced over his shoulder to look back at him. The Fury's eyes were narrowed, but in panic and concern this time instead of the emptiness that had been there moments before.

"Hiccup!" he gasped.

"Toothless! What just happened?" Hiccup fully embraced Toothless's neck.

"It was... looking for me..."

"What?"

"The... eye of fire..."

"Why now?"

"The Hobbits!" Toothless barked in alarm.

Toothless spun in place and dove into the clouds, racing for the ground as fast as he could. The wind began to scream in pain at his passing.

They emerged from the clouds in a full dive above Weathertop.

That was when they saw something terrible.

There were many dark shapes on Weathertop. A lone, tall shape was swinging around a flaming torch at the dark shapes.

Hiccup instantly knew what those dark shapes were.

_Black riders!_

Hiccup's memories of his last encounter with one of these living shadow-things were so shameful. To slump uselessly to Toothless's side as the dragon destroyed the enemy was a painful reminder of how useless he really was on his own.

But this time he was in the air with Toothless, in the air where the black riders could never follow.

"Let's show them what you've got!"

Toothless snarled and readied his fire as he dove. He wanted them all to hear his dive that could make even the air howl in pain.

And they did.

All motion ceased as the black riders looked up at him. The Hobbits were all huddled together on the ground for protection.

Then his first glowing shot flew through the darkness and struck a black rider in a massive blast of fire.

A shrieking wail went up in the air in the same moment that the black riders recoiled from the fire, from the light and the heat which they feared.

He circled around the peak and fired a pair of additional shots, both of which hit their targets. He knew that he never missed. Strider scored a pair of strikes of his own, sending two of the riders away shrieking in phantom pain from having been set on fire.

_He is a very good fighter!_

Toothless then dove and landed roughly next to the Hobbits. He protectively stood in front of them and flared his wings to cover them while looking around for any sign of remaining enemies.

Strider flung his torch almost all the way across the peak, striking a remaining black rider in its non-existent face. The rider was completely engulfed in flames in an instant.

Hiccup was left awed by that.

_Wow, I guess he doesn't miss either._

"Is that all of them?" he whispered.

Toothless just snarled while baring his teeth. Strider bounded over to their side as well.

And a lone dark shape slowly strode into the clearing from out of the shadows. The black rider stayed far away from them. The same as the rest of them, it bore a large hood that completely shrouded its head.

"Begone! Servant of Mordor!" Strider commanded while brandishing his sword.

The black rider hissed and pointed its pale blade at them.

"You have no right to speak to a King, ranger!"

Its voice, somehow both deep and airy, echoed from the shadows around them and felt like tendrils of ice that reached out to strangle their hearts and smother their courage. The fires retreated from this rider's presence. All strength in their limbs began to fade at the unknown strength this rider possessed. The fire's flickering light withered as if under a spell.

Until the roar of defiance shattered the hissing spell the black rider's words had woven.

Hiccup clamped his hands over his ears, feeling as Toothless's roar echoed in his own chest. That roar that had once terrified him in past raids was now a beacon of defiance. It kindled enough strength in his heart that he was able to draw one of his small Barrow-daggers and stare back at the black rider without shying away, the same as Strider was doing.

The black rider gazed directly at him, and it recoiled with a slight hiss. Then the black rider turned its attention to Toothless, staring long at him without saying anything.

"Why do you resist your fate, Uruloke? Have you forgotten?" it hissed.

Toothless's answer was a glowing ball of flame that struck the black rider in a massive explosion. They all recoiled from the blast and turned away, feeling the heat from the fireball. Then the flame began to die down.

This black rider, unlike its comrades, had survived the strike and was walking away toward the precipice, though it stumbled as it retreated, weakened and weary. It halted on the edge and turned back to them as it lifted its pale blade which it then pointed in their direction.

More specifically, at Toothless.

The shrouded figure silently held the menacing pose, and then turned away, jumped from the ledge, and vanished into the night with a shrieking cry.

Silence fell over Weathertop except for the crackle of the fires and the wailing of one Hobbit.

"Strider!" Sam shouted.

Everyone gathered close around Frodo as Strider inspected the injury just under Frodo's shoulder.

Hiccup hopped down to the ground, knelt at Frodo's side, and saw the stab wound. Fortunately, he knew it was likely not a fatal injury since it missed all the vital organs. It looked like the Nazgul had tried to stab Frodo in the heart but had missed.

"What happened? How bad is the hurt?" Toothless whispered and nosed his way closer.

Strider picked up a fallen blade, a small black dagger partly covered in blood.

"He has been stabbed by a Morgul blade..."

"What does that mean?" Sam fearfully exclaimed.

"These blades are cursed and have poisons I know not of," Strider frowned and looked very worried.

Hiccup wondered at the mention of a weapon being cursed.

_I don't know about that. Maybe they could be poisoned, but cursed? That sounds too..._

Before his eyes, the blade crumbled to ash which blew away on the breeze.

_Okay, cursed, definitely cursed... oh my gods, this is very bad..._

"Let me see the hurt!" Toothless demanded.

They let him bend down over Frodo and sniff at the wound. It did smell to him like there was a rot in it.

"Let me lick it!"

"What?" "Why?" "Gross..."

"Huh?" Hiccup asked, also confused at Toothless's suggestion.

"Why do you want to do that?" Strider hastily asked.

"Because," Toothless lifted his head, "I always lick my hurts, and doing that helps the hurts feel better and heal faster."

"Are you saying that your licks have... healing properties?" Hiccup asked in shock, despite the situation.

"Yes, they do."

"Do it!" Frodo gasped in evident pain.

Toothless complied without waiting and bent down to lick the stab wound. He froze for an instant when he saw the bright, warm, beautiful, precious Ring right there...

Then he closed his eyes and thought only of Frodo's hurt which he had to tend. He did so and got as much drool as possible on the wound.

It was very difficult to ignore the tug, the pull of the golden Ring he was so close to in that moment. That powerful, whispering fire was so close to his own soul-fire... if only he could take the Ring and listen to it and hoard it and...

Hiccup's standing at his side with a paw on his neck helped a lot in ignoring that calling.

Then he stepped back, turned to the side, and spat out all the taste of Hobbit blood. Unlike the blood of prey, there was nothing warming about tasting it.

"Mister Frodo, how do you feel?" Sam eagerly asked.

"It might... hurt a little less..." Frodo winced as his eyes struggled to focus on anything.

"This is beyond my skill to heal. He needs Elvish medicine as soon as possible," Strider darkly added.

"Is he going to die?" Pippin gasped, his usual jovial abandon completely gone.

"In a way, if we do not make haste, now!"

Hiccup thought that there was something odd about that evasive answer.

_I should ask about that._

They packed in record time and departed from Weathertop after Strider slung Frodo over his shoulder to carry him. They ran down the long stair, and then Strider put the wounded Hobbit on his horse that had been left tied up down below. They turned their path for the east, knowing that none of them were going to get much rest that night. Remembering that there were black riders somewhere behind them in the darkness helped them find the strength to continue onward.

As did Frodo's being wounded and needing help soon.

"Keep up!" Strider shouted back at the Hobbits.

They were very weary, but they picked up the pace at his insistence. Hiccup ran ahead to walk with him.

"Strider," Hiccup began quietly, not wanting to involve the other Hobbits in this talk.

"What did you mean back there when you said he would die in a way?"

They both glanced to the apparently unconscious Frodo on horseback at Strider's side.

Strider then slowly shook his head and grumbled.

"I would rather not say. We must get him to Rivendell as fast as we can. You are sure that Toothless cannot safely carry him?"

"Bud!"

Toothless bounded forward from the rear of the procession and joined them.

"Yes?"

"Are you sure that you cannot carry Frodo? He really needs to get help soon," Hiccup asked.

Toothless's ears went back, and he grumbled softly while looking away into the darkness.

"I wish I could, but the Ring feels... very strong now. I feel its whispering even now. I wish I knew why... it does this to me."

Strider handed Hiccup the horse's reins, stepped closer to Toothless, and gently put a hand on his neck.

"That you know its danger makes you safer against it. The most dangerous type of hunter is the one the prey does not know exists."

Toothless blinked and lifted his head, purring with approval at him.

"You are a hunter."

Strider nodded, stepped back to Hiccup, and took back the reins.

"I have lived in the wild for decades; I know the way of the hunt. The Ring is the greatest hunter of us all."

Hiccup glanced again at Strider in disbelief.

_Decades, what? He doesn't look that old at all._

Toothless warily hummed while staring at Strider.

"Strider, what did that black rider mean when it was talking to me? It said something I do not understand."

"Uruloke," Strider answered, "it means 'fire dragon' in old Elvish. I do not know what else the Nazgul might have meant by calling you that."

"Does Mordor have dragons fighting for it?" Toothless warily asked.

Hiccup also started in surprise at that obvious question he had not thought to ask.

_That would be very bad if the enemy is using dragons as weapons. Gods, I hope not._

"None that I know of. That is why Gandalf worked to get Smaug killed decades ago. He did not want to risk Smaug allying with Mordor."

Strider then frowned and looked up to the sky.

"I have heard of the servants of the Enemy having great, dark-winged beasts, but not dragons like you."

"Are they dragons at all?" Toothless wondered.

"I do not know where they come from. They are called fellbeasts, and the Nazgul supposedly use them as mounts."

Hiccup and Toothless shared a glance. They both knew that this was definitely something they needed to learn more about.

"Great, just what we needed. Black riders on wings..." Hiccup grumbled.

Strider looked backward behind the procession at the retreating shape of Weathertop. Hiccup also looked back with a shiver at how dread and ominous the peak looked in the dead of night.

A faint, whispering wind picked up and ruffled his hair.

"I do not think we have lost the Nazgul, even though they fear the flame. Hiccup, Toothless, would you go aloft and keep watch for us? Let us know if we are being followed. I will tend to Frodo as we continue."

Hiccup had no chance to answer before Toothless bounded over to his side and crouched down. The Fury was very eager to get aloft again, so they went up without speaking. Toothless raced for the sky, eventually settling down into a steady glide high above the Hobbits and Strider.

He did not let them out of his sight this time, keeping his gliding flight below the cloudcover.

Silence followed between them, neither wishing to speak first about all that had happened. So much had just gone wrong and could still go wrong.

Neither of them knew how bad Frodo's situation was.

"Do you see any of them, bud?"

"Not around the Hobbits. They are safe... now..." Toothless softly whined.

They followed the procession on the ground until the clouds began to part, slowly revealing the moon's glow above.

"Alright, out with it. What is bothering you?" Hiccup scratched Toothless's neck.

Toothless glanced back at him, the dragon's visible green eye very heavy and filled with doubt.

"I should have been there to protect them. Frodo almost died..."

"Bud, those things came from nowhere. We thought everyone would be safe up on the tower. You didn't do anything wrong."

Toothless growled and shook his head.

"If I had not wanted to go flying... I already failed them..."

"Hey! Snap out of it! I counted... four of those black riders that you flamed. Better than I could do, anyway..."

"But you are not a fighter. That is not what you are meant to do."

Hiccup grumbled and sat upright while crossing his arms in the wind.

"Something else is bothering you, bud. What is it?"

"I... do not know if I can say..."

"Who can you talk to if not your best friend?"

Toothless whined softly before answering.

"What did that black rider mean about me resisting my fate?"

"I really don't know. What matters is that you do resist it. Whatever that black rider or that Ring is trying to do to you, you always fight it!"

"How? What if I am not strong enough and... I would not forgive myself... if I hurt you..."

Hiccup leaned forward and lay down on Toothless's back, gently scratching at his neck as he did so.

"You would never hurt me. I trust you. And you will never have to fight it alone. I promise. Brother."

Toothless reluctantly grinned back at him and purred softly before turning his attention back to the lands around the Hobbits and Strider.

Privately, he still felt very twisted in his soul-fire. He had already failed to protect someone he cared for. All because he had a deep, natural want to go flying at what turned out to be the wrong time. Or maybe the black riders had waited for him to leave and then struck. Either way, he still blamed himself for this.

_I will not fail them again._

He also shivered slightly at the thought of how easily the twisted soul-fire in the Ring affected him. Why did that eye of fire flash in his thoughts and fill him with anger and fear?

_Hopefully Gandalf can help give me answers._

* * *

_**Author's Note – Everything is still happening more or less per canon. For now. **__**The word Uruloke is Quenya, and Sauron's Black Speech is very distantly related to this language.**_


	16. Fight And Flight

Fight And Flight

* * *

Four days with minimal rest had left everyone feeling miserable. Hiccup shuffled along while Toothless's tail dragged on the ground. The Hobbits were slowing down, and even Strider was looking weary.

Still, they pressed on. Toothless had spotted several dark shapes trailing after them in the distance. The knowledge of what was behind them was motivation enough to keep them going. They had all crossed over a large river late in the afternoon and were settled down for some rest when it became apparent that Frodo's condition had gotten worse.

"He's going cold!" Sam shouted in alarm.

They crowded around the comatose Hobbit laid out by the fire. The fire's heat did not appear to help Frodo feel better.

"The... pale... king..." Frodo mumbled in his sleep while shivering despite the ambient heat.

Strider again pulled aside the top of Frodo's shirt, revealing the stab wound.

Hiccup blanched and looked away from it, as did Merry and Pippin. The wound which had looked clean immediately after he was stabbed was now a sickly purple color, clearly with some infection.

A rustling disturbed the branches, making all of the standing Hobbits, Strider, and Hiccup spin around in alarm while drawing blades.

A deep purr and glowing green eyes reassured them only moments later as Toothless bounded up to them with a rabbit in his jaws. He dropped the dead rabbit by the fire and loped over to their side.

"How is he?" Toothless whispered.

"Not well. He needs help as soon as possible," Strider muttered while looking around the clearing.

"He's not going to die, is he?" Pippin exclaimed in evident worry.

"Sam, do you know the Athelas plant?" Strider asked, ignoring the prior question.

"Athelas?" Sam muttered in confusion.

"Kingfoil."

"That's a weed..."

"It can help to slow poisons. Go find some, quickly all of you, but stay close!"

The other three Hobbits departed to begin searching. Strider then turned to Hiccup and Toothless.

"You two stay with him. I am going to search also."

"We will," Hiccup agreed.

Strider also vanished into the night, leaving them alone with Frodo. Hiccup did not know what he could do for the Hobbit other than be here and keep him company. Toothless also settled down a short distance from the Hobbit.

Seeing the kindhearted Hobbit shivering and in pain was so terribly wrong, mostly because there was nothing they could do for him. Toothless's extra licks over the last few days hadn't done anything once the infection began to show.

"You should sleep, Hiccup. I will watch for us," Toothless whispered.

"But I..."

Hiccup tried and failed to stifle a yawn.

"Alright, wake me up if anything happens..."

He lay down at Toothless's side and was covered with a wing an instant later. While that was comforting, it did not help with the soreness.

_Gods, my feet... I hope one of them doesn't fall off..._

Frodo's occasional wince of pain or indistinct mumbling was far worse than his own exhaustion.

* * *

A heavy nudge in the side woke him up what felt like seconds later. He did not feel rested at all.

_Oh, come on..._

He opened his bleary eyes and saw Toothless's green ones only inches away.

"Hrmn... what?"

"Something is coming," Toothless hissed.

Hiccup struggled to his feet and walked over with Toothless to stand with Frodo. Frodo moaned and rolled over onto his side.

Hiccup heard something approaching through the darkness. That unknown something was big and on horseback.

"Be ready, bud..."

Then the source of the noise became clear as a white horse in light riding gear bounded into the clearing. The horse had a well-groomed mane and long, pure hair.

Also visible in the moonlight was the woman who rode on the horse. Her riding robes and long brown hair seemed to flow around her with an ethereal grace.

She put a hand on her horse's neck, and the horse slowly strode closer, displaying no fear of Toothless.

The woman though was very alert and glared directly at them.

Hiccup stared at her in awe and confusion. She was very beautiful, but it was an alien beauty. Her ears looked slightly misshapen, or maybe not.

Strider and the other Hobbits emerged from behind the shrubbery moments later at the same time that the strange woman dismounted.

Strider walked directly up to her and began speaking in a tongue that sounded like Elvish.

Hiccup resisted giving himself a facepalm.

_Oh, she is an Elf! Amazing!_

She must have been satisfied by whatever Strider told her because she turned away from Toothless and bent down to Frodo. She inspected the wound while Strider chewed up some herbs and put the herbs into the stab wound.

Meanwhile, her horse that had stayed at her side then confidently strode up to stand before Toothless without showing any fear. It snorted in his face.

He snorted back.

It whinnied softly and bounded back to her side. Despite the situation, Hiccup chuckled softly at that strange interaction.

_That is one brave horse..._

Then the Elf spoke.

"He is fading... we must get him to my father..."

Her melodious voice rolled over them like a soft, slow zephyr.

Strider immediately bent down and picked up Frodo, carrying him over to the Elf woman's horse.

"There are five wraiths following you. I do not know about the other four," she added.

Hiccup gave a wry grin at that and nudged Toothless.

"See, you must have gotten those four," he whispered.

"Uh, what are they doing?" Sam asked in bewilderment.

Strider and the Elf were whispering together, sharing a plan of some kind. They both glanced over to him and Toothless and then whispered some more before reaching an agreement.

She hopped into her saddle and took the reins while tightly holding Frodo.

"I do not fear them," she said aloud for all to hear.

Strider reluctantly nodded.

"Ride hard and do not look back. We know what to do. We will buy you time."

She threw another glance toward Toothless and then to the darkness around them all.

"Noro lim, Asfaloth! Noro lim!" she cried in her tongue like song.

The white horse sprang away with a neigh and flew like the wind into the night.

"What are you doing? The wraiths are still here!" Sam shouted in alarm.

Strider stared out after the Elf woman until she vanished, and then he returned to their side.

"Yes, Sam, the Nazgul are still here. They have been tracking us, and they think that we have the Ring with us. Of course we would keep the Ring with the ranger or near where the dragon can defend the Ringbearer," Strider explained.

"We are a diversion?" Hiccup wondered.

Strider nodded, pleased that he had understood the plan.

"Yes, she can ride faster and harder than we can now with how weary we are. Even if we only delay the Nazgul for an hour, that hour might be all she will need."

"What do we do now?" Merry asked.

"I say that we stay here and rest. Pretend that nothing happened. I will take first watch," Strider volunteered.

The promise of rest encouraged the Hobbits, though Sam still looked distraught at the thought of Frodo being taken ahead. Sam also had questions.

"Strider, you knew that Elf-maid."

"You see well, Master Gamgee. I do... know her. She is Lady Arwen Undomiel, daughter of Elrond the Lord of Rivendell."

The ranger's voice was oddly solemn as he said this.

"It has been long since I saw her or those of her house," Strider added in a whisper.

"How far is it from here?" Hiccup wondered.

"With a strong Elf-horse like Asfaloth, they might be in Imladris, in Rivendell, by midday."

Toothless rumbled in curiosity.

"Is it normal for an Elf-female to ride alone?"

"No. Lady Arwen is no warrior, but she is brave and can ride very fast. She will see him safely to Rivendell."

Strider sighed heavily.

"Hiccup, Toothless, I would have you both get your rest while you can. You can fly after them if the Nazgul pass us by."

Toothless purred in agreement and curled up by the fire while offering Hiccup a place at his side. Hiccup accepted the offered tent and closed his heavy eyes without any further discussion.

He still thought that there was something strange about the encounter.

_Strider knew more than he let on. He knew her, and she trusted him about Toothless. Maybe I can ask later what's going on._

* * *

Hiccup tossed and groaned when he felt the paw on his shoulder.

_Not enough sleep! Gods, can't I just get some rest?_

"Hiccup, wake up," Toothless nudged him again.

"Alright, alright... I'mmm up."

It was not even close to dawn yet, but he still got up, stretched, and munched down some stale bread.

"Get any good rest?" Hiccup yawned.

"Not really..."

"Me neither. Feel at all better about... what happened?"

"Some. I wish I knew what was wrong with me..." Toothless sighed.

"Do I have to twist your ears, bud?"

"What? No! Why?"

"Because you are being... how do you put it... twisted. I don't think anything is wrong with you. We can ask Gandalf when we see him. Hopefully soon."

Toothless nodded in agreement and turned his attention back to their surroundings. Everything was silent and still in the darkness.

But Strider was wide awake and waiting for them by the fire's embers.

"What is it?" Hiccup asked him.

"The Nazgul have passed us by. Our deception could not last forever. Would you please fly ahead along the road and follow her to Rivendell?"

Toothless yawned and stretched his wings.

"Yes, we can do that," he answered.

"We will follow as we are able. Fly fast," Strider stepped back.

Hiccup hopped into the saddle, and they were aloft in the night sky in seconds.

"I might sleep for a whole moon-cycle though," Toothless groaned once they leveled off.

"I know what you mean, bud. We could all do with a good rest after this..."

They turned their flight to the east and began following the road with as much haste as they could make.

Many lengths passed underwing as they continued along the road. A massive forest covered the lands north of the road. There were still no signs of any horses.

_Maybe she would stay off the road, but why would Strider tell us to follow the road?_

Hiccup couldn't see anything himself, which meant that Toothless would have to be the one to spot their quarry.

Dawn eventually began to arrive with the sun rising over the far horizon. The wind blowing from the east felt cold. The land continued getting hillier until a very large and misty range of mountains appeared in the distance. Even from so far away it was clear that they were enormous mountains.

Toothless then stiffened and growled.

"Bud?"

"Down there!" Toothless snarled.

There were five dark shapes on horseback chasing after a white horse on a plain.

That was all they needed to know.

"Don't miss, bud!"

Toothless leaned back and slapped Hiccup with an ear.

"I do not miss!" he barked.

Down they dove over the field, coming up behind the black riders that seemingly had not noticed them.

A single shot struck the ground between two of the black horses, killing both of them.

Toothless spun up into an arc and wheeled around toward the three remaining riders. They spread out further and kept under the trees, still following in pursuit of the white horse.

"What did you say about not missing?" Hiccup teased.

"I killed two of them with one shot! How about you try!" Toothless roared back.

"I'll get right on it! Gotta figure out how to be a dragon first though!"

Toothless rolled his eyes and huffed at how twisted the idea was, though he knew that Hiccup was only teasing. Then he growled as he picked out his next target. The black riders were clearly pushing their horses very fast and had been forced into the open.

_Perfect!_

Another quick dive brought him into a perfect position over one of the black riders.

Then his flight was fouled as he tipped to the side. Something flew through the air next to him. Hiccup had made them turn slightly.

"What!" he barked and recovered his flight.

"Toothless! You okay?"

"Yes, what happened?"

Hiccup tapped Toothless's left wing and pointed toward one of the black riders.

"That one over there threw a dart at us!"

"Oh... I did not see it..."

"Nevermind that! Let's go!"

They beat their flight ahead toward the racing riders.

"Let's try this again!" Hiccup shouted.

Toothless snarled and readied another shot. The rider below him, the same one that had thrown the dart, screamed its terrible cry.

Then it and its horse vanished in a purple fireball.

The other two were further ahead and had somehow closed the distance on the white horse which was weaving through the trees.

Toothless growled at how difficult it would be to get a clear shot.

The nearest hills started to grow into actual mountains at their side.

"No good shot?" Hiccup shouted.

Toothless flew ahead to try to get a better angle, but the trees were very thick.

However, Arwen and her horse rode ahead across a shallow river that came from what looked like a massive valley. Amazingly, the two black riders stopped at the water's edge, as if hesitating for some reason.

That moment was all he needed.

Another bright flash of fire consumed their horses as a shrieking cry went up from the shore.

Then the chill cry was gone, and the sun shone brightly again.

Toothless leveled off into a steady glide high above the racing white horse. Both he and Hiccup caught their breath, only then appreciating that the sun had been slightly veiled by shadow. Neither of them knew for how long though.

"Bud, those riders will be terrified of you by now..."  
He snorted with pride as smoke trailed from his maw. It had felt very good to loose his fire.

"They should be! I am a Night Fury!"

"Yep, you are amazing even during the day," Hiccup chuckled.

Then Hiccup looked down at Arwen and her horse and passenger.

"So about this Rivendell place, she is probably going there now. Follow her?"

"Yes!"

The road that Arwen and the horse were taking more or less tracked the river while also leading up the slope toward a hidden valley flanked on both sides by cliffs.

Toothless dove for a small ledge on the side of the cliff and roughly landed there, perched on a rock with his tail hanging over the edge.

There, they both stared into the hidden valley in stunned, silent amazement.

The sun had risen far enough in the sky that it cast its light down into the valley, illuminating the world within. The sheer, white cliffs had all kinds of green plants and trees growing on them. It was a very verdant valley.

The rushing river flowing from the valley grew from a series of steady waterfalls, the mist of which formed eternal rainbows in the morning light.

Most amazingly though, set into the side of the valley near the waterfalls and among the tall trees was a series of structures the likes of which Hiccup had never seen before. Homes, gardens, and trees were interspersed throughout, and the buildings looked constructed to be very open to the air. Many of the structures had spires, columns, arches, bridges, and gathering places like great halls and outside spaces overlooking the valley. While possessing an alien beauty, it was also a small city with perhaps no more than a hundred people who could live there.

The air itself smelled of age, of history, and of peace.

"That... is... something..." Hiccup gasped.

Toothless snorted.

"Yes, it is something."

"Come on, bud! Even you have to admit that this place is beautiful..."

Toothless nodded and purred.

"Yes, it is. This... Riverdell?"

"Rivendell."

They remained there a while longer doing nothing except staring into the awe-inspiring valley. Then they finally saw a white horse race up along the main road to the gates of the city. Arwen, her horse, and Frodo went inside.

It was finished. The Ring was now safe in Rivendell.

Hiccup patted Toothless's neck.

_I'm glad that is finished._

"Alright, Gandalf said that he would be here. Shall we go introduce ourselves?"

Toothless answered by crouching on the rock and then leaping into the open sky. He gradually soared deeper into the valley which he filled with a joyful roar.

The distant rumble of the waterfalls became a soothing and relaxing noise the closer they flew to them. Finally, he soared over the main gates. Inside the gates were a number of figures dressed in flowing robes. Elves, probably. All those people were looking up at them.

And there was one figure in particular that caught their gaze. A tall shape in a grey robe. The shape also had a very long beard.

"There's Gandalf! He's here!"

Toothless observed the many Elves down there, definitely waiting for him to act. He was unsure what to do.

"Hiccup, what should I do? Is there a ceremony for entering a nest-city?"

"How about we land outside the gate and let them meet us?"

They glided in over the river and then touched down on the large, stone bridge over the shallow, rocky river. Hiccup hopped down and stood at Toothless's shoulder.

The gate slowly swung open, and Gandalf strode out at the head of a number of Elves. All the Elves were clad in loose robes and generally had long hair. Their ears were also shaped slightly pointy. They also had a number of bows with fitted arrows.

"Please don't shoot!" Hiccup shouted.

"There you two are! See, didn't I tell you all!" Gandalf exclaimed to the Elves.

Gandalf's appearance looked haggard though. Hiccup was not sure what could be the cause of that, except for Gandalf's likely having to do a lot of traveling.

One of the Elves spoke to the Wizard in their Elven tongue. Gandalf frowned at whatever was said.

"I do indeed! We can trust the dark one. He is not like his far distant kin. Master Haddock, Toothless, how was your journey here?" he leaned on his staff.

"We made it, even though I feel like my feet are about to fall off..." Hiccup groaned.

"And there were the black riders!" Toothless hissed with a thrash of his tail.

Gandalf grew visibly weary at the mention of those things.

"Yes, I had hoped that you would not encounter the Nazgul, but I see that you did at some point. Where did it happen, with Frodo?"

"Weathertop," Hiccup answered.

"Strider is with the other Hobbits now, yes?" Gandalf asked.

"He is. We left them before dawn to fly along with Arwen. Good thing too because some of those black rider Nazgul things were after her. Bud, care to tell everyone what happened to the black riders?"

Toothless gazed back at all the Elves standing behind Gandalf.

"We learned that those bad things do not like dragonfire."

Gandalf laughed heartily, shaking his beard as he did so.

"Indeed. The Nazgul are creatures of the dark and the cold. They fear light and warmth, both of which your fire makes plenty of. I should know."

Toothless smugly purred at the memory of their first meeting. Then he stepped forward and sat down before Gandalf.

"May I enter this... nest-city?"

"Yes, indeed you may. It was difficult, but I convinced Lord Elrond that your human is not too great a threat and that we can trust him here in Imladris."

Toothless lifted his head and laughed heartily. Gandalf and Hiccup joined in immediately.

The Elves were a mixture of confused and slightly amused.

"Gandalf, where were you?" Hiccup asked once everything settled down.

"Beg pardon..."

"Why couldn't you come with us? You could have helped against the Nazgul."

Gandalf's remaining grin faded and was replaced with the same weariness he had seen there before.

"I will tell you, but that is not a tale for now. I was planning to join back up with you, but... I was delayed..."

"Delayed? I thought a Wizard was never late," Hiccup wondered.

"I am not, when I am free to act under my own power."

Hiccup and Toothless shared a glance, wondering about Gandalf's admission that he had been held up by something.

Gandalf then beckoned with a wave for them to follow. The Elves parted around him to leave plenty of space for them to pass.

"You must be weary. I went ahead and prepared lodging for both of you. There were not many places that can accommodate a dragon, but I found one."

"What about Strider and the Hobbits? Are they still in danger?" Hiccup asked.

"They should not be. The Nazgul care only about finding the Ring. The Hobbits and a lone ranger are unimportant to them. Still, I had Elrond send out several parties of Elven warriors to search for them. You need not worry about the Hobbits or Strider now. Shall we?"

Gandalf led them through the city. Up flights of stairs, around gardens and groves of trees, and alongside the ancient buildings.

All along the way the Elves gathered to watch Toothless's peaceful passing.

"Gandalf, where is Frodo?" Toothless asked.

"Frodo is being tended to by Lord Elrond. That stab wound needs treatment that only Lord Elrond has the skill to provide, though it may never fully heal."

Toothless whined softly.

"My licks usually helps hurts get better, but that hurt was not healing."

"A stab by a Morgul Blade indeed carries a curse and terrible poison. Left untreated, such wounds would eventually turn the victim into a wraith. But he will live; I am sure of that."

Hiccup shivered at the mention of the victim becoming a wraith. He also wondered if that is what had happened with the Barrow-wight.

_Maybe that is what Strider meant that Frodo would die in a way..._

They ascended one more flight of stairs, and then they saw where they would be staying: a stone guest-house high up in the city. The front door, which was large enough to accommodate Toothless, opened onto the main path. Inside, the guest-house was very simple with only one bed, a fireplace, and some furniture of a strange design. Everything looked intentionally designed to be flowing or curved, elegant even. The outside balcony was cleared and opened into an unobstructed view of the valley and the waterfalls. The guest-house was just large enough for Toothless to maneuver around inside.

"You will have to forgive me, Toothless, but I did not know what you would want, if anything," Gandalf admitted.

"How about a pile of gold to sit on?" Toothless warily chuckled.

"And with that I am already doubting myself. You would not believe how skeptical Lord Elrond was when I told him about you."

"I do not need anything that I do not have, but," Toothless tilted his head and pointed with a paw, "I still need answers to questions about... many things."

Gandalf nodded in understanding.

"And you will have them. For now though, you should both rest after your long journey. Hiccup, I shall have a change of clothing roughly in your size brought to you in the morning. I shall send for you to be shown the bath-house as well."

Just the mention of that reminded Hiccup that he had not enjoyed a proper bath since leaving the Shire. He knew that a long bath would be very enjoyable and...

_Wait a minute..._

"Gandalf, is there a reason why you mention that?"

"There may be a reason, or there may not be. As for you, Toothless, I shall have some fish brought up for you in due time."

"I would like that," Toothless answered.

"Hiccup, I will also have you shown where the restrooms are. However, there are none of those that can accommodate a dragon."

"What are restrooms? Are those where you sleep?" Toothless asked.

"No. They're where humans or these Elves... relieve themselves..." Hiccup answered.

Toothless nodded, understanding the problem. Many animals would drop their waste wherever they were standing. He always ran deep into the woods to do that away from anyone and to not foul his own den.

"I will have Hiccup fly me out of this city so I can relieve myself somewhere else."

Gandalf then turned to depart, but he paused at the door and glanced back at them.

"I wonder... did you get my message in Bree?"

"Yes, we did eventually. Barliman gave me your letters for Frodo and Strider," Hiccup answered.

Gandalf laughed freely, obviously very pleased.

"Did he? Wonderful! I had my doubts. The next time I see him I shall lay upon his beer an enchantment of surpassing excellence for seven years!"

Hiccup blinked.

"Uh, you can do that?"

"As far as you know, yes I can!"

The Wizard then spun around and departed, leaving them alone. They both wandered back out onto the balcony where they watched the clouds go sailing by, heard the echoing roar of the waterfalls and the singing of birds, and felt the warm wind.

Peace at last.

"I'm glad it's all over now," Hiccup sighed.

"I am also. I wonder what is next."

Hiccup then worked at Toothless's rigging to remove it. Everything, even the tailfin, came off to prevent any itching.

"That is better," Toothless purred while stretching.

"You're welcome, bud."

Hiccup then yawned freely and walked back inside over to the warm, inviting bed. He had not seen a proper bed in a couple weeks. Then he fell face-first into the bed and did not move or bother snuggling under the covers or taking off any of his dirty clothing.

Toothless also yawned and went back inside. He collapsed next to the bed and then vanished under a wing. The last things he heard were Hiccup's snoring against the constant crashing of the waterfalls.

* * *

_**Author's Note – I feel that I should give a shout-out to Glorfindel, the Elf who rescues Frodo in the books. If you did not know, Glorfindel is a re-incarnate Elf who once slew a Balrog, though he died in doing so. That should give you some idea how powerful he truly was.**_


	17. The Spark

_**Author's Note – This is a chapter that I think many of us have been waiting for. Just like Gandalf, we have questions that need answering. It is time for some answers and a glimpse behind the curtain into the world-building I have been doing.**_

* * *

The Spark

* * *

Toothless and Hiccup had slept well after dawn after going to sleep in the afternoon the previous day. That was how tired they had been after the escape from the Shire, long journey in the wild after leaving Bree, and the race to get Frodo to safety.

Toothless awoke first, padded outside to lay on the ledge, and stared out over this Rivendell nest-city. Listening to the constant crashing of the waterfalls in the distance was very peaceful.

But it was also different from the Shire.

The Shire was more filled with activity and life, Hobbits walking every direction while doing something, while Rivendell was almost graceful and calm. Both good places clearly had a fondness for growing things though.

_There was not much growing in the Monster's nest or Hiccup's island._

Hiccup eventually woke up and joined him in silently staring out over the valley. Just as had been true yesterday on their arrival here, Hiccup was at a loss for words, which very rarely happened.

"Excuse me!" a strange voice called out.

A new and clearly nervous Elf was standing at the entrance to their den. The Elf had a couple baskets, one of which visibly had fish wrapped in leaves.

"My Lord Elrond wished for me to bring you some food, good dragon."

Toothless inclined his head while Hiccup went to meet the Elf and took the basket.

"Thank you, good Elf. What is your name?" Hiccup asked.

"I am Lindr, Masters Haddock and Toothless," Lindr bowed respectfully, "I was also to bring some bread and a set of our attire for you, Master Haddock."

Lindr gave Hiccup the other basket which was filled with fine clothing and a single loaf of bread.

"Thank you, Lindr."

"Master Haddock, Mithrandir wished for me to show you to the bath house after your long journey," the Elf added.

"Okay, that'd be good."

Hiccup brought the fish over to Toothless.

"Think you can stay here while I take a bath?"

Toothless smirked, leaned forward to sniff him, and then barked in apparent alarm.

"You need one!"

"Very funny, I suppose you think you're very clever?"

"Yes, I am," he huffed.

Hiccup dismissively waved a paw his direction and then left with the Elf. Left on his own, Toothless turned his attention to the basket of fish and carefully retrieved one of the fish, setting it on the ground. But there was a problem.

The fish was still wrapped in the big leaf.

He grumbled and pawed at it, carefully slicing through the leaf with a claw.

_Why would they put the fish in a leaf? I do not eat green food._

He returned to the outside ledge once the final fish was disposed of. It had not been a large meal, but he would not complain about that. Then he lay down on his belly to rest in the peace of the morning's rising sun.

It felt very good to not be afraid of anything now. No hunters out for his hide, no not-dead living bones or shadows hunting for him, no tempting gold nearby, and no ring of fire to whisper twisted things to him.

He had found peace for now.

So why did it feel that something was still missing? What else could he need?

He huffed and closed his eyes.

_I still need answers about what happened to me..._

Hiccup eventually returned from the bathhouse and was now wearing the new green furs he had been given.

"How are the new furs?"

Hiccup spun in place, and the new furs flowed around him. He looked very much like an Elf because of what he was wearing.

"They are so soft that they feel like air. It still feels strange to wear them since they are so different, but I like them! How about you, bud, fish taken care of?"

"Am I a dragon?"

"Fair point. Why did I even ask?" Hiccup shrugged and came over to stand with him.

"You were not thinking. What should we do now?"

"Gandalf was going to come by to visit us later. How about we go on a flight first?" Hiccup proposed.

"Good idea. I need to relieve myself too."

Hiccup put all the riding equipment back on him. They were aloft in the cool morning air only a few wingbeats later.

Toothless closed his eyes in peace as he soared above the spray of the waterfalls. It felt very good and warming to fly for fun and peace instead of needing to do so to protect against a danger. But it was also a practical thing for him.

Finding a place to relieve himself was not a problem when he and Hiccup had been out in the wild. That was not so easy to do in a human, Elf, or Hobbit nest-city. He was not going to leave his waste sitting around like other animals would. He knew the importance of cleanliness and not fouling his own den or ranges.

But that meant that he had to ask Hiccup to fly him somewhere to answer this need. He did not like it at all, but it was a necessary part of life now and would always be so.

_At least the winds are cool and peaceful._

* * *

Gandalf came by to visit them in the middle of the morning. The old man set aside his staff and took a free chair.

"How are you both doing this fine morning?"

"Very well. Thanks for having the fish, bread, and clothes sent to us earlier," Hiccup answered.

"Oh, it is nothing. The Elves have great courtesy for their guests. I do hope that neither of you need meat to eat. That is something that would be in very short supply."

"Fish is enough. How is Frodo?" Toothless asked.

"He is doing well, much better. By the grace of Lord Elrond's skill, he is beginning to mend. A few more hours of that poison in him and... it would not be so good for him now."

"That's a relief. I'm glad he will get better. He definitely didn't deserve what happened to him," Hiccup frowned.

"No. None do. That is one of the dangers of going on an adventure. There is no guarantee that one will come back unchanged or at all."

Gandalf then folded his wrinkled hands on his lap.

"I promised both of you that you would have answers to anything you wish to ask. If you would wait a few minutes more, Lord Elrond will join us. He especially wishes to meet you, Toothless."

"He is the Chief or King here?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes. He is the Lord of his house and of this ancient refuge. He is among the oldest of beings in Middle-earth."

"How old is he?"

"He is over six thousand years old."

Hiccup's jaw fell open as he was struck dumb.

"Yes. Elves do not naturally die of age, although they do fade..." Gandalf sighed.

"What... what does that mean?" Hiccup finally recovered his voice.

"They grow weary of the world, of seeing the change and fading of ages. This world is not their true home. That is why they leave for Aman, the Undying Lands West of the sun and East of the moon."

Hiccup tried to think about unending life such as the Elves apparently enjoyed. It was hard to think about.

"I can't imagine what that would be like to live forever. It must be amazing to never die."

Gandalf gave him a weary smile and leaned forward in his chair.

"Mortality was a gift to Men, to you humans, though none see it that way now. You Secondborn, once your work in the world was complete, could find rest and have your fea, your very souls, pass on to what awaits. Elves could not pass in that way. They grow sad and emptier the longer they stay here in Middle-earth. That fear of death that humans now have is the greatest victory the True Enemy ever achieved."

Hiccup frowned.

"I don't understand. What True Enemy? Is that Sauron?"

Gandalf frowned and considered whether to answer, eventually deciding to speak.

"Melkor, the greatest of the first created beings and also the shaper of many fell creatures including dragons. Sauron is only a servant to Melkor, now known as Morgoth."

Toothless blinked and lifted his head at that, now very interested since this concerned his kind.

"Melkor made dragons? How?" he asked.

Gandalf stroked his beard.

"That, I do not know. Evil cannot create; it can only twist and corrupt what already has life, the Flame Imperishable. Perhaps he took lesser creatures that already were and corrupted them or twisted them into what became dragons. Why they have always been more than mere beasts... well, that is another matter..."

Hiccup frowned, not liking that explanation of dragons' origins at all.

_Dragons were corruptions of something? What?_

"But they were all bad creatures, right? They only did what he wanted... evil things?" Hiccup asked.

Interestingly, Gandalf shook his head at that.

"They were great, clever, dangerous, cunning, greedy, and cruel, yes. But they were not perfect servants. The very first true dragon and the father of them all, Glaurung, disobeyed his master in battle, and he also claimed his master's treasures for his own hoard. The dragons were more like willing allies of the Enemy than they were true slaves. It was possible for them to not obey his every wish."

Then Gandalf grumbled, seeing their confusion.

"My apologies. You do not know the history of this world. I have had much time to think about you, Toothless, and how it is possible that you could be. I only mention that history because I believe that the dragons, despite everything else about them, had freedom of will all along. They could choose what they would be and whether they would act for good or ill. Every one of them that we know of: Glaurung, Ancalagon the Black, Scatha, the fire drake of Gondolin, Smaug, and the nameless ones of the First Age, chose darkness. Of course, that they had choice makes their deeds all the worse because they could have done differently but did not. If they were blind slaves who could not do otherwise, then they could not be faulted."

Gandalf paused and grinned while nodding.

"For some reason, I believe you will be different, Toothless."

"That is my hope also," a new voice greeted them.

Hiccup and Toothless stood to attention to meet the new Elf who had snuck up on them.

It was obvious who it must be.

Elrond's face was ageless, not old or young, and his eyes held the memory of many joys and sorrows. He bore a shining, gem-lined, and silver circlet on his brow. His colored robes flowed like a waterfall to his feet and behind him on the ground. His arms were crossed behind his back.

He looked Lordly, wise, strong, wary, and deeply solemn.

Hiccup stared at him in wonder.

_And he is over six thousand years old? Gods..._

Elrond fearlessly strode straight over to Toothless. The Elf bore no weapon and yet he carried power with him in his bearing.

"Tell me, dragon, what do you want?" Elrond respectfully asked.

"I want peace, somewhere I can live with my friend, and I would like to find my own kind, if they live."

"And you truly have no desire for gold or power?"

Toothless averted his eyes, clearly struggling with himself as he stared at his paws.

"I know that I should not. But I have been... forgetting myself more. Being around gold or the Ring feels dangerous and twisting to me. I want to know why."

Elrond stared at him and then went to retrieve a chair which he sat in next to Gandalf.

"I was alive in the First Age when the great dragons still lived. Never have I seen or heard of one like you. I know that you spoke truthfully now about that temptation you feel. Gandalf tells me that you are both not from our world."

"We flew southeast from my home before we came to the mainland. It was not safe for him where we are from," Hiccup explained.

"Over the Bay of Forochel is what I believe," Gandalf added.

Elrond looked very thoughtful and also uncertain about something.

"I can assure you that there are no lands in the waters you speak of. Not anymore. They were all lost in a cataclysm long ago," the Elf eventually said.

"But that is where we came from," Hiccup objected.

"Was there anything... strange about your passage here?" Elrond inquired.

Toothless nodded and ruffled his wings.

"Yes, there was. There was a place in the sky where I heard or felt something that I had to go to. Then it was as if I was flying into a... narrow sky... or a small path, if that holds wind for you."

Elrond and Gandalf immediately looked at each other in open and wary surprise.

"That cannot be coincidence," Gandalf muttered.

"Wait, you know something!" Hiccup exclaimed.

"Possibly. I do not understand how it might be, but what you said, Toothless, sounds very familiar," Gandalf answered.

"What is it?" Toothless asked, his tail twitching in anticipation.

Elrond stood up and paced, eventually leaning back against his chair. The Elf Lord's gaze was into a far distant world.

"When we Elves leave Middle-earth for Valinor, we do so by sailing a Straight Path that only we Elves know of and are allowed to sail. Valinor was once part of this world, but it was sundered, removed from Middle-earth in the Second Age. You could not fly to Valinor now even if you flew above one of our ships that was sailing there. Not unless you had permission to fly there."

That was all very confusing, so Hiccup decided to think about it later, not that it would likely make any more sense then.

"I do not believe that either of you are from any part of Middle-earth or even the Arda that we know," Elrond added.

"What does that mean for us?" Toothless grumbled with a glance to both of them.

"We do not know any more than that. You were likely summoned from a place removed from Middle-earth in the same way that Valinor is removed from Middle-earth. Without knowing how you were brought here I cannot know if you can ever return to where you came from," Elrond solemnly added.

Hiccup frowned at that apparent confirmation of something he suspected. The idea of going back home was still there deep inside, but he knew that it was a fantasy and very unlikely to happen.

"Well, I kind of did say that it would be a little vacation forever," Hiccup chuckled.

"Yes, you did," Toothless grinned.

Surprisingly, the calm, solemn, and wise Elrond almost cracked a smile.

"Is that from whence his name comes?" Elrond asked Hiccup with a nod to Toothless.

"Yes, he has retractable teeth. The name kind of stuck..."

Toothless just snorted and rolled his eyes.

"It could have been worse. I might have been named Hiccup," Toothless muttered.

Elrond looked to Hiccup with clear amusement.

"It is a tradition that my old tribe had to name kids something hideous. I was also smaller than the rest of them, so I got an even worse name. Mistake."

"That is a curious and cruel practice," Gandalf frowned.

"I agree. Hiccup is not a mistake," Toothless firmly declared.

Then he gave a soft hum and looked over to Elrond. His tail twitched as he thought about an idea. _This probably has little lift, but..._

"You are a healer, yes?"

"I am," Elrond answered.

"You healed Frodo with your power, with magic?"

"Call it magic, art, skill, or power, yes, I did all I could for him to draw the poison from his wound."

"Do you think you could heal my tail?"

Elrond blinked.

"Your tail?"

Toothless curled his tail around and fanned the one remaining fin.

"I lost the other fin in fighting against humans... before I knew Hiccup. I cannot fly well or at all now that I am missing a tailfin."

Elrond looked down at the injury and was clearly deep in thought.

"May I touch it?"

He held up the tail for the Elf to inspect and feel the old wound.

Hiccup, while calm on the outside, felt very unsure about this request. Toothless did not truly need a new tail, after all. There was nothing wrong with the one he had now. That he would ask for an entirely new tailfin, if such a thing could be given, was a little disturbing.

_Does he not trust me? I will always be there to fly with him. He needs me, and I need him. That is how it should be._

"My apologies, but I do not think there is anything I can do to replace lost limbs. There is no power I know of that can do such a thing," Elrond finally answered after stepping away.

Toothless hung his head and closed his eyes, resigning himself to that answer.

"I did not think so, but I did hope..." he muttered.

Elrond took his seat again next to Gandalf as a soft breeze fluttered through the open balcony. Then the Elf spoke softly.

"Please ask anything else you wish. To meet and speak freely with a benevolent dragon, I will give you all the time you need."

Toothless grumbled in thought for a moment. Then he pinned the one question which most bothered him now.

"Do you know why the Ring or why gold does something bad to me? I never had those twisted thoughts before."

"It only started affecting you when you came to Middle-earth?" Elrond asked.

"Yes."

"Tell me about it and what has happened to you."

Toothless glanced at Gandalf.

"The first time was outside the ceremony for Bilbo. Hiccup and I were resting on a hill far outside the party. Then I wanted to go down into Hobbiton and find a... precious thing."

"Precious?" Gandalf warily asked.

"Yes. I did not know about the Ring then."

Gandalf frowned.

"How curious. Precious? When were the other occasions?"

"In Bree. At Weathertop. At the gold hoard in the Barrow-downs."

"You were in the Barrow-downs? Why?" Elrond asked.

"We went there to flame a wight and show the Hobbits that I am good. I killed the dead thing deader."

"It was Frodo's idea to help get us in the Shire peacefully," Hiccup explained.

Toothless's tail tapped on the ground as he softly growled.

"The worst time was when I first saw the Ring: when you, Gandalf, first learned what the Ring was and wanted to know if I could fly Frodo here with it. Frodo showed me the Ring on his paw and..."

"And what happened to you? What do you remember?" Elrond prodded.

Toothless hung his head and snarled softly to himself.

"I remember strange, twisted wants and a bad voice. It was almost like someone else was looking for me and hunting me."

Gandalf stirred and leaned forward.

"Back in the Shire when you did not know about the Ring but you heard its call, why did you not go to it?"

"Hiccup was with me, sleeping under my wing. That calling... almost wanted me to choose it or him. I stayed with him."

Gandalf smiled very widely, though he also looked like he was trying to hide that smile.

"The only power strong enough to resist the Ring's influence, even if only for a time. Anyway, I know what was happening to you, Toothless, and why you felt the Ring when you did."

"What?" he eagerly asked.

"Please, tell us!" Hiccup added.

"Bilbo used the Ring to magically disappear from his party. Putting on the Ring makes the wearer invisible. I also heard that there was an incident at the Prancing Pony in which a certain Hobbit patron vanished from sight."

Hiccup frowned and remembered a strange detail about that night.

_Uh, Frodo might have. That did seem strange that he just disappeared. I thought nothing can fade from sight like that._

"The Ring makes the wearer vanish?"

"Yes, they exist more in the Wraith world, which is why the Ring-wraiths can see a Ring-wearer more easily. To our eyes, someone wearing the Ring would be unseen, maybe no more than a shadow in the sunlight."

Then Gandalf's expression became more grim.

"This is beyond any doubt to me, now that I have thought about it. You obviously felt the pull of the gold treasure in the Barrow-downs. Further, the Ring was being worn and used every time that you felt that other power, Toothless. That power was Sauron's will trying to tempt you to join him or else to control you and break your will."

Silence followed that statement. Hiccup reached out and rested a palm on Toothless's neck to reassure him.

"Why me? Why does it do that to me, but not to Hiccup?" Toothless warily asked.

"Do not be sure that it has no power over him. Maybe it has not tried to tempt him yet. Humans are the easiest of the races to corrupt," Elrond answered with a scowl.

Gandalf grumbled as he and the Elf calmly but coolly regarded each other.

"The hearts of Men are easily corrupted, but they have strength still. We cannot give up on them."

Elrond frowned.

"There is no great strength left in the world of Men. The blood of Numenor was spent and even that people fell into shadow. They are scattered, divided among themselves, and leaderless."

"There is one who could yet unite them and retake the throne of Gondor," Gandalf answered.

Elrond looked away, lost in recollection.

"He left that path long ago and prefers exile. We can speak of this later," Elrond then muttered.

Gandalf nodded in agreement and then turned back to Toothless.

"You said that you could not speak aloud before you came here to Middle-earth, correct?" Gandalf asked.

"Not with human words. I could talk a little to the other dragons where I am from, even if many of them spoke with their body only," Toothless answered.

Hiccup patted Toothless's shoulder.

"Do you know why he can talk now? His being able to talk helps a lot with getting people to trust him."

Gandalf frowned and leaned on his staff, possibly delaying giving an answer or maybe he was just being very thoughtful; the Wizard was frequently lost in his thoughts.

"Gandalf, we spoke of this. He deserves to know the truth," Elrond then broke the silence.

"The truth? Please tell us," Hiccup implored.

"I want to know. What is it?" Toothless added.

"Alright, fine. This part is all conjecture, but... I have an explanation for why you can feel the Ring's being used and why you gained our speech when you arrived here," Gandalf sighed.

Hiccup and Toothless glanced at each other and eagerly awaited the explanation to this most amazing thing that had happened to them, however crazy the explanation would be.

"You remember how I said that Sauron put his very spirit, his soul, into the Ring so that he could control all others? His master, Morgoth, did the same thing to all of Arda. This world itself is Morgoth's Ring, so to speak. I also believe that he put a spark of his spirit into the dragons once he shaped them. That may be why they were more than simple beasts and also why they shared some of his powers, such as control of other's thoughts. You now carry a small piece of his... evil influence... in you also simply from existing in this world. That spark of Udun knows when its master's will is present through the Ring."

A tense silence followed as Hiccup and Toothless thought about that, neither of them liking it at all. Toothless started pacing while staring at his paws.

"I... am... evil?" Toothless then sighed.

Gandalf immediately shook his head.

"No, you are not. You have the ability to be evil and you now feel some temptations that you did not have before, but you were also gifted the knowledge of how to speak once you returned to this world. Further, you know of the danger within you. That awareness makes you stronger than others who thought they were great and fell to temptation. From your own actions, we know that you can choose what you will be and how you will live. You remember what it was like to not have those wants."

"That is much to think about," Toothless muttered, his eyes downcast.

"Indeed. These are matters of conjecture usually reserved to the greybeards," Elrond softly added.

Hiccup stepped over to Toothless and rested a hand on his neck to reassure him. He also wanted to change the conversation to something possibly happier and which both he and Toothless wanted to learn about.

"Excuse me, Lord Elrond, you said that you have known of other dragons. Are there any others in Middle-earth now? I know that Smaug died about sixty years ago," he asked.

A moment of silence followed before the Elf answered. He did so warily, as though he was unsure of something.

"The great fire drakes are likely all gone now. I believe that Smaug was the last of them. Might there be some cold drakes still alive beyond Erebor or in the Grey Mountains, the Northern Waste, or the Withered Heath? Possibly."

Toothless immediately perked up and rose to his feet.

"The Northern Waste? Withered Heath? What are those?" he asked.

Elrond reluctantly answered.

"The Northern Waste is a frozen land empty of most life, as far as we know. Men once lived there long ago in a different Age, but no more. The Withered Heath is a large, burned, and barren valley in the Grey Mountains far in the northeast beyond Erebor. That valley is where the great dragons of the past lived and bred. There is nothing like them living there now."

"That doesn't sound appealing at all," Hiccup grumbled.

The Elf Lord gave Hiccup and Toothless a considerate and almost unsettling gaze as if he were staring through them.

"What happens next now that the Ring is safe here?" Hiccup asked, feeling a little uncomfortable under the Elf's intense stare.

Gandalf answered.

"That remains to be seen. Lord Elrond has summoned a council of some of the most important leaders of the races. They will decide in several weeks what will be done about the Ring. Have you both thought of what you will do afterwards?"

They glanced at each other.

"Toothless wants to find other dragons, and I would like to do that also. We both like the Shire too," Hiccup explained.

Elrond turned to Toothless.

"The dragons naturally of this world are not like you, Toothless, as I am sure you have likely guessed. Do let me know if you both plan to go on such a quest. I wonder... You both are welcome to remain here in Imladris as long as you wish."

"You have my thanks," Toothless answered.

Elrond gave a great sigh even though a spark of amusement danced in his eyes.

"Toothless, I would ask that you hunt away from here if possible. You can find deer on the slopes of the Misty Mountains. Provisioning for a dragon, even one as small as you, might become... problematic for us here."

Toothless chuckled.

"We can do that."

Then he turned with a questioning hum to Gandalf. There was a nibbling question he still had not gotten answered.

"Are you going to tell me what that fire is now?"

"What fire?"

"The fire on your finger."

Elrond flew to his feet at that comment. Gandalf also suddenly leaned forward. Hiccup thought that was strange, which it was.

"Did you show them?" Elrond hastily asked Gandalf.

"No, I did not. Toothless saw through its being hidden entirely on his own. How, I do not know. Perhaps some affinity with fire," Gandalf grumbled.

"This is most alarming that the concealment was broken," Elrond frowned and sat down.

Hiccup was completely confused by this exchange.

"I do not see the harm in telling these two the truth in my case though. Especially considering how appropriately it relates to his situation," Gandalf added.

Elrond leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, almost seeming to fall asleep. Hiccup glanced at Gandalf in confusion, and the Wizard held an open palm toward him in a gesture of patience.

_What is going on?_

"She does not object," the Elf then opened his eyes after an extended pause.

_Huh? She?_

"Do you both swear to tell none about what I will show you?" Gandalf then asked in a firm yet calm voice.

They both agreed.

Gandalf then held up a hand, and there was a ring upon a finger where before there had not been a ring. The ring held a bright red ruby that almost glowed or had flames swirling from within the gem.

"This is Narya. One of the three Elven rings of power. I am not an Elf, but I wield it against the forces of shadow."

"Why did I see fire on your finger?" Toothless wondered as he stared at the ring.

"Because Narya is a ring of fire. The three Elven rings each have their own unique powers. Narya's strength is in helping to inspire others to resist despair and control: the same as how fire can sustain life and burn away the dark and the cold."

Even as Toothless stared at the red ruby in the ring, he knew that there was truth in Gandalf's words. The lingering cold in his soul-fire from all that he had heard about his own origins faded. Now that he thought about it, that cold was especially absent whenever he was around Gandalf.

"It is a magic ring like Sauron's Ring?" Hiccup wondered.

"Yes, and no. It was never tainted by his malice, nor were the other two Elven rings, Vilya and Nenya, air and water, respectively. All of their powers are bound to the One Ring though, as it is the Master Ring."

The way Gandalf spoke felt ominous.

"Is there a problem with that?"

Elrond looked incredibly weary in that moment.

"That depends on the solution we come up with, though it is clear what must likely happen. That is a discussion for the council, if at all," Elrond answered.

Toothless got to his feet and then looked up at Gandalf and Elrond.

"You have given me much to think about. May I freely walk and fly around Rivendell?"

Elrond inclined his head to him.

"Yes, you may. I have spread the world among all who are here. You will meet no objection from any of my people. Many of us were awed by seeing your flight this morning."

"You have my thanks, again," Toothless dipped his head in acknowledgment.

Hiccup moved to join him when Gandalf started in surprise.

"Oh, one more thing! Mister Bilbo Baggins wanted to meet you, Toothless!"

"He is Frodo's kin, true?"

"Yes, he is also the Hobbit who had the distinctive pleasure of meeting with Smaug and living to tell the tale."

"I will meet with Bilbo then. I want to hear it all from him. When will we see him?"

"Later in the afternoon. Bilbo has taken to sleeping a lot more now," Gandalf answered.

Hiccup whispered in Toothless's ear, and they both nodded in agreement.

"We are going to take a walk and... think about everything you've told us."

"Certainly, good talk. You know where to find me. I will be... around," Gandalf smiled.

Elrond also inclined his head slightly and left with Gandalf without saying anything more.

Toothless and Hiccup then left the guest house and walked into a small grassy clearing on the edge of the cliff. Toothless stepped over to the edge and then sat down, silently staring out at a distant waterfall.

Hiccup wasn't sure what to say to him after hearing all that.

"So... that all... happened..."

Toothless sighed and closed his eyes.

"Hiccup, am I a monster?" he whispered.

"No."

"But you heard all that they said. I am different now because I have... a bad soul-fire in me."

"I don't know about that. They said that you can choose what you will be. So maybe you feel tempted by gold now. Just don't listen to that or to the Ring."

"What if I cannot? What if I am not strong enough?"

"You are. You are also a very stubborn dragon."

Toothless huffed and flicked his tail.

Hiccup continued.

"Plus, whatever it was that happened to you also let you talk to me. That is a good thing."

"True, some good hatched from it," Toothless admitted.

Hiccup then walked up to Toothless's side and gently took his muzzle in his hands. Some additional assurance was needed.

"Toothless, you listen to me. I am here for you if you ever need help."

"I know."

"Just promise me that you will ask for help if you need it."

"I will."

Toothless then grumbled and glanced up at the clouds.

"Can we go flying? I want to fly to help clear my thinking."

Hiccup laughed and turned back for their guest house where the riding gear was being kept. He had taken it all off after their arrival from their morning flight to keep Toothless from getting too uncomfortable.

"About time you asked!"

Up in the sky they again felt that peace that came from being in the sunlight with the wind whipping their hair and tickling frills and wings. Spins and loops followed as they danced above the clouds and then dove down waterfalls into the valley. Then they settled into a glide with the wind.

"This feels better," Toothless sighed.

"I know. Flying never gets old."

"Elrond was being tricky!" Toothless laughed and glanced back over his shoulder.

"What about?"

"He also had a ring on a finger."

"Did he? I didn't see one."

Toothless hummed.

"I did not want to say anything after they were surprised by my seeing Gandalf's ring."

"Maybe Elrond wants his ring to be secret too."

"Then we should not say anything about it," Toothless proposed.

"Good idea."

Neither of them said anything else as they soared above sparkling, crashing waterfalls while thinking about how they had been brought to Middle-earth and everything that had happened to them so far.

* * *

_**Author's Note – There were several hints in this chapter. One of them is far more obvious than the others. I will say no more.**_


	18. Beside The Fire

Beside The Fire

* * *

Hiccup sat in a chair while reading a book. The runes were incomprehensible, but he could at least appreciate the maps of Middle-earth and the fine drawings of Elvish architecture. Toothless dozed on the floor next to him, his head hidden under his tailfin. Everything was peaceful and quiet, save for the constant, distant roar of the waterfalls.

"Mister Haddock, are you in there?" a frail voice called out.

Hiccup hopped up from the chair in surprise at the familiar voice.

"Is that you, Mister Baggins?"

Toothless's ears flew up as he got to his paws.

"Yes, I am him, and that name is me!"

Bilbo slowly entered the guesthouse, his crutch clicking with each step. Hiccup saw him and restrained the gasp of alarm and surprise. It had only been a couple months since he had arrived in the Shire and since Bilbo had departed, but those couple months had left a noticeable impact on the Hobbit.

Bilbo's hair was now more grey and curly. His face and arms were incredibly wrinkled, and he had a notable hunch as he shuffled along with a pile of papers in his arms. The Hobbit was dressed as fine as he had before with his waistcoat buttoned up, but he also wore a new blanket around his shoulders.

And his eyes, so tired with age now, were fixed on Toothless as Toothless stared back at him. Bilbo's eyes quickly grew wide with awe.

"So it is true... the good dragon is real," he breathlessly said.

"Yes, I am real," Toothless snorted.

Hiccup eagerly went over and greeted Bilbo with a handshake.

"So good to see you again, Mister Baggins. Your nephew was very good to put me up in Bag-end after you left."

Bilbo recovered himself, chuckled, and set aside the papers on a table.

"Of course he would! All Bagginses are very accommodating of guests. Even if it does do inexcusable damage to the pantry or the plumbing!" Bilbo grumbled with a smile.

"Excuse me?" Hiccup asked in wonder.

Bilbo waved a hand at him.

"Oh, don't worry about it. Just an old Hobbit lost in memories, remembering the passing of years and adventures long ago, and thinking about voices at the door. And now it is time for me to meet a good wyrm!" he clapped his hands and faced Toothless.

"Wyrm? What is that?" Toothless asked.

Bilbo then strode over to stand before Toothless. The Hobbit looked him up and down while grumbling indistinctly to himself.

"Actually, you are right; a wyrm is flightless. You have wings, so you are a drake. A fire drake, I presume?"

Toothless smirked and held his head and shoulders very proudly.

"Yes, I have fire! Very hot fire!"

"I can attest to that!" Hiccup chuckled.

Toothless rolled his eyes and then hummed at Bilbo.

"Bilbo, you are kin to Frodo, true?"

"I am. I took him in after his parents died. He has been like a son to me. You see, I never married. Never found the time for it..."

"He is a good Hobbit. He helped me and Hiccup live in the Shire."

"Did he? Well, he is a special Hobbit, indeed. Takes after me in his love of adventure and worlds far away..."

Bilbo frowned and leaned on his crutch.

"I do not know how to greet a friendly dragon. I'd offer to shake your hand, but you don't have one."

Toothless snorted and leaned forward toward Bilbo. The Hobbit understood what to do and gently took his muzzle in his hands, giving him a gentle scratch.

"Well, this is something I've never done before..."

Toothless purred softly to him.

The Hobbit stepped back with a very wide grin and then a grumble.

"Pardon me, but I would sit down."

Bilbo waddled over to the nearest chair and dropped into it, rubbing his knees as he sat there.

"Eleventy one years and age has finally... caught up with me..."

Hiccup took the chair next to him. Bilbo now truly felt like an Elder, and that meant that he was even more deserving of respect.

"Mister Baggins, we have both heard a lot about you. We know that you met Smaug."

"I did."

Toothless stepped closer and lay down on the floor before them.

"What was he like? I want to know about dragons in this world," Toothless then asked.

Bilbo sighed and leaned back in his chair after closing his eyes.

"He was very... different from you. Imagine a dragon whose head is as large as this house. He killed where he wished, when he wished. And as he liked to be described, he was the chiefest and greatest of calamities. Sitting on his mountain of gold as he was, I believed it. The last thing he said before he flew off to burn an entire city was that he would show us revenge."

"I do not understand why he would do that," Toothless grumbled and looked down at his paws.

Bilbo shrugged. Hiccup thought that he looked very tired or somber.

"Malice. Pride. Greed. Power. Cunning. All of them together. They are what made him so great and terrible at the same time. I brought some sketches of him that I made years ago. Want to see them?"

"Please," Hiccup answered for both of them.

Bilbo struggled to his feet, and Hiccup and Toothless eagerly followed him over to the table. They both wanted to see what Smaug looked like in more detail than a vague outline or related story.

Bilbo took out the drawings and smoothed the paper.

_Somewhat like a Monstrous Nightmare but no horns. No forearms. Different shape to the head. Claws on the tips of the wings. And much bigger. Yeah, that is nothing like any of our dragons._

Hiccup nudged Toothless's shoulder.

"What do you think, bud? Recognize that?"

"No, I have not seen a dragon like that one," Toothless answered, glaring at the drawing.

Bilbo then sighed as he made his way back to his chair. The Hobbit looked especially weary for some reason.

"I still have dreams of his voice. That rumbling echo and growl that felt like it came from the earth was so menacing. His cleverness in seeing through my riddles, I was outmatched by him. If I had been more clever or more careful, he would not have... barrel-rider... I messed that up so much. That was the hint, you see... there is little worse of a feeling... than to sit there and watch a disaster happen from afar when you can do nothing about it."

"Excuse me, I don't understand," Hiccup grumbled.

Bilbo waved a wrinkled hand at him.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just the regrets of an old Hobbit who wishes things had been different. Remembering the past and celebrating what was... is just... not enough. I find that writing helps, hence my story."

"Yes, you said that you would be working on your book. How is it coming?" Hiccup asked, wanting to change the subject to something happier.

"My book! There And Back Again! Quite well. I've been very productive! No more confounding relatives to take up all my time and never leave me a moment of peace. The quiet here in Rivendell helps a lot, as I'm sure you can imagine."

"It does feel very peaceful, but this is also different from the Shire," Hiccup agreed.

Bilbo wearily sighed and shuffled in the chair.

"It is that. The Shire is more filled with doing and action, but Rivendell is more filled with thought and reflection. In these twilight years of my life, I have started taking up poetry. You wouldn't mind if I share some with you?"

"Please, I'd like that," Hiccup answered.

"I want to hear this also," Toothless purred.

Bilbo leaned back in his chair, crossed his hands, closed his eyes, and smiled.

"I sit beside the fire and think... of all that I have seen... of meadow-flowers and butterflies... in summers that have been."

"Of yellow leaves and gossamer... in autumns that there were... with morning mist and silver sun... and wind upon my hair."

"I sit beside the fire and think... of how the world will be... when winter comes without a spring... that I shall ever see."

"For still there are so many things... that I have never seen... in every wood in every spring... there is a different green."

"I sit beside the fire and think... of people long ago... and people who will see a world... that I shall never know."

"But all the while I sit and think... of times there were before... I listen for returning feet... and voices at the door."

Bilbo fell silent and said no more with his eyes still closed and his breaths slow. He was clearly very deep in poetic reflection.

"That was beautiful," Hiccup whispered.

Bilbo slightly nodded.

"Frodo learned a lot of poetry also, and he..."

Bilbo started snoring.

Hiccup and Toothless shared a silent glance and then left the guest-house to leave the elder Hobbit to his rest.

"Bilbo must have lived an interesting life," Toothless hummed once they left the building.

"I know. Definitely more than what most Hobbits would want."

They wandered together through the city and then settled down on a walkway that overlooked a waterfall and a cliff. From there they could see all the way down the valley to the distant river. They could also clearly see the main road that led into the valley and up to the main gate. That winding road had a small group of shapes that were even now preparing to cross the bridge up to the main gates of Rivendell.

"Toothless, is that them?"

"Yes! The Hobbits and Strider!"

"Let's go!"

They were off, dashing and running down flights of stairs and past confused Elves.

Finally, they arrived at the main gate at the same time that their companions entered.

"There they are!" "We made it!" "How is Mister Frodo?" the three Hobbits clamored.

"He is fine. Frodo is safe now," Hiccup told them.

The Hobbits and Strider were all visibly relieved to hear that.

"Hey, nice robes!" "Do we get any?" "Where is Mister Frodo?"

"Uh, thanks. Maybe. Up in the healer's house. Top floor on the right."

An Elf, Lindr, approached the Hobbits, spoke to them, and took them away while another attendant took Strider's horse to the stables.

Meanwhile, Strider glanced between the Hobbits and him and Toothless; the ranger had a very amused look.

"Hobbits will be Hobbits?" Hiccup chuckled.

"Indeed. Is Gandalf here?"

"Yes, he is. Bilbo is also. You didn't run into any real trouble out there, did you?"

"There were no Nazgul pursuing us. We have you to thank for that, Toothless."

The Fury flashed his teeth and purred.

"They should they fear my fire now!"

"As they should. I never imagined that dragon fire could be used for good."

Then Strider froze, staring at something behind them. Hiccup followed his gaze.

The Elf-maid, Arwen, who had brought Frodo ahead was approaching them. She had forgone her traveling attire and weapon and now bore loose, flowing robes. She also had a circlet on her forehead, much like her father Elrond, and her hair was parted down to her shoulders.

She stopped before Strider and crossed her arms.

"So, a Ranger enters Rivendell after long in the wild. And he certainly looks the part."

Strider's clothing was ripped at the sleeves, his hair was in desperate need of washing, his beard was ragged, he certainly smelled of sweat and grime, and he was clearly exhausted.

But there was a solemn yearning in the look in his eyes.

"Lady Arwen," he inclined his head.

Oddly, she stepped closer to him at his words, and she looked at him with... sympathy, compassion, and fondness. Then she took his rough hands in her own.

"Estel..." she whispered.

"Undomiel..." he whispered back.

Holding hands, they walked away toward a garden while speaking softly in the Elf language.

Hiccup and Toothless watched them go.

"They are not mates yet," Toothless observed.

Hiccup rolled his eyes at how blunt Toothless could be.

"No."

"Why not? I do not understand the ceremonies."

"Maybe her father does not approve. Maybe they just are not ready. Maybe... oh gods... think about it. He is a human, and she is an Elf. She would not grow old, but he would."

Toothless gave a sad purr.

"Maybe that is why they are not married," Hiccup sighed.

He briefly thought about their situation as they departed. It seemed very tragic that they would fall in love, if that is what had happened to them.

"Bud, what do you say we go see the other Hobbits?"

"Yes, we should," Toothless answered.

Hiccup let his thoughts drift as they made their way back toward the guesthouses, for that is where the Hobbits would likely be put up. He kept thinking about Strider, the simple man and Ranger, and Lady Arwen, immortal daughter of an Elf-lord. It also reminded him of a story that he had been told on the journey so far.

_I wonder how they met?_

He also remembered Bilbo's words, seemingly regretting that he never had a family of his own. Bilbo either didn't have enough desire for one or just never got around to it because of other obligations, which were basically the same reason anyway.

Which of course brought his own thoughts back to Berk and to Astrid.

_She is very brave and dedicated to the tribe. No one can argue against that._

_Maybe I have to move on from liking her too. If only that was so easy. Kinda knew that would follow from leaving, and apparently we cannot go back even if we wanted to._

He groaned.

_So, if I am to find someone in Middle-earth I could be with instead... let me see... she would need to be fine with Toothless, be able to put up with my craziness, love adventuring, want some kids eventually, I guess, and... yep, I'm doomed... that's never going to happen..._

"Maybe I'll just be a crazy, feral, vigilante, dragon-man or something..."

Toothless grunted in confusion.

"Ignore that, bud. Wasn't talking to you."

"Did you say something, Hiccup?"

"Nothing important."

"You never do..."

He shoved Toothless's shoulder, and it was not effective.

Toothless shoved him back, and it was very effective.

* * *

Toothless woke up late at night without disturbing Hiccup's sleep. He silently walked over to the balcony outside their shared-den. Then he stood with his front paws on the railing and his wings stretched out to flow in the faint wind.

He stared up at the sky and the bright moon while listening to the songs of bugs, the crackle of the fireplace in their den, and the crashing of the distant waterfalls.

_That was a bad dream..._

Two different fires had been burning in his soul-fire, almost tangling and biting at each other to burn hotter and brighter. One flame burned with dark light and was filled with a void, an emptiness that wanted to be filled by... greatness, will, shining and precious gold, and power. The other fire burned with a softer light that was far brighter and stretched toward the open sky, the sun, and the wind.

He could not see which fire was stronger or would win.

_I have a bad soul-fire in me now. It... twisted my wants._

He glanced back over his tail at Hiccup, still deep asleep.

_But it also might have given me human words, helped me remember how to talk, or something like that. All dragons have words, but I... forgot, or lost that... somehow._

Then he huffed at himself and walked back inside to lay down beside the fire and Hiccup's bed.

_There must be a way to get that bad soul-fire out of me._

Almost at the same instant he thought that, he realized a possible problem. A very big problem that was very thought-twisting.

_But what if I lose my words then? What if that twisted-me is truly me?_

A weary sigh followed the realization that he did not know himself anymore.

_Am I more than my wants? Am I free?_

He settled for listening to the crackle of the fire and the crashing of the waterfalls until he finally fell asleep.

* * *

"Mister Haddock, do you mind taking a stroll with an old man?" Gandalf asked while idly stuffing his smoking-pipe.

"Sure, do you know any?"

"Begging your pardon?"

"You said old, not ancient."

Gandalf huffed, lit his pipe, and blew a smoke ring at him.

"You, young man, should count yourself fortunate that I do not change you into something... most unnatural."

"I'd really rather not, wait, you can do that?" Hiccup stuttered.

Gandalf puffed on his pipe and grumbled without looking at him.

_He said that most of his power is hidden. Maybe he is not joking..._

"Gandalf, are you serious about that? Can you... change someone into something... unnatural?"

Gandalf blew another smoke ring his direction and then chuckled.

"My dear lad, I was amusing myself at your expense. No, I cannot change someone into something unnatural. There is only one power now to truly transfigure, and that is a power that no being in Middle-earth can share with another."

That was very reassuring. Not that he was afraid that Gandalf would do anything bad.

"What did you want to show me?" Hiccup then asked.

"Oh yes, there are many old relics here in Imladris. I thought that you would especially like to see some of the most significant of them."

"Sounds good."

Hiccup eagerly followed after Gandalf after letting Toothless know that he would be away for a while. Toothless said that he planned to spend the rest of the day fishing down in the river.

Gandalf led him to one of the many buildings on the highest level of the city. The building had an open, sheltered walkway and an interior courtyard open to the sky.

The construction of the place continued to amaze him. The pure stones, manicured trees and plants, multitude of gardens, waterfalls and pools, and graceful railing on the walkway were very beautiful and elegant.

_This is not Berk. They would not have seen a need for all this back home._

Gandalf stopped him in front of a mural on the wall.

"This is what I most wanted to show you."

The mural was of a man on the ground, holding out a broken sword toward a terrifying shape that loomed large over the man. The dark shape was clad in black armor, wielded a large mace, had glowing eyes, and had a ring on a finger.

"Is that..."

"Yes, this depicts the moment of Sauron's defeat after he slew two Kings of Men and Elves, Elendil and Gil-Galad. Isildur, son of King Elendil, cut the Ring from Sauron's hand, banishing him from the world and destroying his bodily form. He did it with this blade here."

Gandalf gestured to a pedestal behind him. On that pedestal was a sword shattered into several pieces.

"Wow. Berk went more for hammers and axes than swords. Couldn't it be reforged?"

Gandalf looked very thoughtful.

"Perhaps. These are all the shards of Narsil. The Elven smiths could possibly reforge it if they saw a reason to do so. If there is one who would wield it again. It is humbling to know how much of the past is around us all the time."

"I know. Toothless and I saw an entire ruined city by a lake a couple days after we got here."

"Annuminas, that is what the city was named. It was once the capitol of an entire kingdom that is gone now. Destroyed by one of Sauron's deadliest servants."

Hiccup stared back at the mural, lost to his thoughts of what was once long ago.

_I wonder if someone can ever rebuild that place. It was amazing even abandoned._

"What was that servant?"

"The Lord of Angmar, a powerful sorcerer and the greatest of the Nazgul. He is responsible for Frodo's wound, the wight in the Barrow-downs, and the decline of... the Dunedain."

Hiccup stared at the shards of Narsil while trying to draw his thoughts from the terror of the Barrow-downs. He felt a faint chill even now, so far from that terrible tomb.

"I'll never forget that cursed place. The whispering, that haunting song, being so tired, falling asleep. Same thing for the first black rider Nazgul we met. I'd be dead if not for Toothless. Several times..." he sighed.

Gandalf kindly put a hand on his shoulder.

"Think no less of yourself for that, dear lad. There are foes that very few men, not even the bravest soldiers, can bear to stand against. Those Nazgul can make even the strongest soldiers get down, hide, and pray that they won't be found."

Hiccup reluctantly grinned at Gandalf's choice of words. It was also reassuring that his own weakness to the Nazgul and the wight were not because of himself being especially weak.

"Good thing that the wight was also weak to fire and light," he pointed out.

Gandalf smiled at that.

"Indeed. They banish many beings of shadow. The ancient smiths who crafted blades for use in the war against Angmar also enchanted their weapons to be most effective against the forces of Angmar and its fell Lord. The men who fought Angmar long ago were buried with stores of such blades. You may have seen such in the Downs."

Hiccup sighed, suddenly feeling very out of place in this world.

"I had no idea that curses and enchantments were real..."

"There are far less of those now than there were in ancient times, but there are a few relics that linger throughout the lands," Gandalf explained.

"Is that what the Nazgul are? Is a curse why they still exist?"

Gandalf frowned.

"The Nazgul are echoes of nine Kings of Men; they are all that are left of those men. I believe that Sauron holds their Rings in his dark tower, Barad-dur. It is a curse, in a way. But it cannot be broken because nothing is truly left of those people now."

Hiccup reluctantly nodded and then stared at the mural. He envisioned a lone soldier standing defiantly against a foe that looked almost like a jotun or one of the lesser gods, for it appeared that was what Isildur had essentially done against Sauron.

That defeat of the enemy was the result of bravery, loyalty, stubbornness, and refusal to give up even when all hope had faded.

* * *

Toothless stared back at his opponent while sitting on his haunches. His tail tapped on the ground in agitation. Then he wrinkled his nose and stared up into the sky while growling at himself.

"Have I beaten you?" Bilbo chuckled.

"No! I will pin this word-twisted riddle!" he barked and stamped a paw on the ground.

_'The more there is the less you see'..._

_That does not have any lift. Something that is bigger is easier to see. Maybe I am not flying this thought-flight well. There is some word-twisting here._

"I will give you a hint. Night Fury..." Bilbo grinned.

_That is also twisted. How would the name of my type of dragon be a hint? What is so special about my kind that could... be hard to see in the dark..._

He eagerly glanced up at Bilbo.

"Darkness!"

Bilbo clapped his paw-hands together in approval.

"This is very fun! Another!" Toothless eagerly asked as his tail swayed.

"You sure love riddle games!"

"Yes! It is fun to test my thinking. Another!"

Bilbo paced, eventually looking back up at him with a grin.

"I bet you can get this one. 'If I drink, I die. If I eat, I live. What am I?'"

Toothless looked up at the nearest waterfalls.

_What does water kill? But the same thing can eat and must eat. Not something with soul-fire..._

"Fire!" he barked.

"Right again!"

He hopped to his paws and pranced happily around the Hobbit in elation while not hitting him with his tail.

_Riddling games are very fun!_

Bilbo pointed a finger at him.

"Now, Toothless, it is your turn. Give me one."

He sat down and hummed deeply, trying to think of a good word-twisting that Bilbo would not be able to think about. He had several good ideas as the wind gusted through the valley, and he decided to start with an easy one to pin.

"They fly at night, they hide in the day, and they cannot be caught or touched. What are they?"

Bilbo pulled his furs around himself, apparently for warmth. That concerned him since the air was not very cold.

"Are you cold, Bilbo?"

"Only a little, don't mind me..."

He huffed at how stubborn and rock-headed Bilbo was being, even if the Hobbit was very old. It reminded him much of Hiccup when his friend was being thought-twisted. So he stepped closer to Bilbo's side and rested a wing over him to help share warmth.

Bilbo reached out with one of his weak arms and gently stroked the wing. The Hobbit looked and felt very sad or thoughtful; it was hard for him to tell which.

"Well, I will have to add a chapter to my book to include you. That is for sure. Stars is the answer."

He purred. That was indeed the answer.

"I fly without wings and cry without eyes," Bilbo continued.

He stared up at the sky, watching as the distant clouds floated on and...

"Clouds! What is always flying closer but you can never touch or be in?"

"Tomorrow or the horizon. What belongs to you but others use more than you do?" Bilbo asked.

"My name. What is so weak that speaking can break it?"

"Silence," Bilbo answered.

The Hobbit then went silent for many wingbeats before finally giving a faint grin.

"Toothless, I have one more for you. 'It is more precious than gold, but it cannot be bought. It can never be sold, but it is only earned if it is sought. It can be broken and fixed. It does not live at birth and dies not with death'."

That was a tricky, tail-twitching one that had him grumbling in thought. Human and Hobbit ideas of buying and selling were strange ones. He growled in frustration until he admitted defeat.

"That riddle has me pinned. What is it?"

"Friendship," Bilbo whispered.

That one touched his soul-fire and left him with a soft purr. It was definitely true that friendship was more than any amount of gold. He would never forget that riddle and answer.

"I like that one very much."

"Toothless, did you know that I once riddled with someone else on my last adventure there and back again?"

"No, I did not."

Bilbo solemnly nodded.

"I did. He was good at riddling games, but all of his riddles were of dark things, doom and gloom. Probably because he lived underground and never saw the open sky and the sun. Your riddles and the ones you got were all very different from that."

He shrugged at Bilbo's comment.

"I am a dragon. I like being in the sky; I am not meant to be under the ground."

"Yes, indeed. You are no Dwarf," Bilbo chuckled.

"Dwarf? Are those like small humans?"

"They are, but they are also different. They do very well living underground as great miners and craftsmen of the mountains. Erebor is their home now."

Bilbo sighed and closed his eyes.

"Take it from me, an old Hobbit, nothing is more important than the friends you make along the journey of life."

He bent down and calmly looked Bilbo in his eyes.

"Why are you sad, Bilbo?" he softly hummed.

"I... am remembering old friends... who are not here anymore. No matter how much I think back on those fond memories, no matter how much I celebrate them, they are not the same. Memory is not what the heart desires. I keep wanting to hear returning feet and voices at the door. You... you keep your friend Hiccup close always. Frodo too, if you can."

He gave a purr and a nod.

"I will. Hiccup is as a brother to me, and Frodo is close kin also."

* * *

Hiccup leaned against the balcony's railing at sunset, his robes flowing gently in the wind. Toothless, his wings fully outstretched, was basking in the last of the evening light up on a higher balcony.

Everything was peaceful and had been for the last couple weeks since their arrival in Rivendell. In that time he had thrown himself into learning about the past of this world and into learning more of his runes. Bilbo had been eager, in-between his long spurts of writing his own book, to help him learn more runes and geography.

The other Hobbits, Frodo included, came over and similarly leaned against the railing.

"This never gets old. I still can't believe how beautiful this is," Hiccup sighed.

"Yes, it is beautiful, but I miss my garden," Sam said.

"I miss Farmer Maggot's garden." "Yeah, just about time for the harvest." "Too bad we can't help him out." "I know, right." "It's been a while since we had proper meals." "Exactly, Pip, too long since we had bacon and sausage." "Running low on Old Toby too." "Not sure what we'll do without it." "Be miserable, that is what."

Merry and Pippin were very eager to get home also.

Hiccup rolled his eyes at the Hobbits and their homesickness. He then shared a glance with Frodo, who also looked pleasantly amused by his friends' reactions. Frodo had made a very fast recovery, something about Elrond's treatment and Rivendell itself promoted that, and his stab wound was already scarring over and healing. Frodo still looked noticeably thinner and weaker, but that was to be expected for someone with such a recovering wound and who had been bedridden for over a week.

Sam, apparently mildly frustrated, strode over to Frodo.

"Mister Frodo, I know I wanted to see the Elves and all, and we did everything that Gandalf wanted us to do. But we're just Hobbits; we aren't meant for great adventures like this. Fighting against dark lords and black riders and the like."

Frodo clasped Sam's shoulder and smiled at him after a moment.

"I know, Sam. You are right. We did what Gandalf wanted. The Ring," Frodo held a hand to his chest where the Ring was hidden on a chain under his clothing, "will be safe here in Rivendell until they decide what to do with it."

"Then it will be their problem," Merry observed.

"Yep, and we can hit the road and go home!" Pippin added.

"How long is it until that Council, Mister Haddock?" Sam asked.

"A few more weeks for everyone to travel here. Gandalf and Elrond want to introduce me and Toothless, mostly Toothless, to everyone there."

Frodo came over and stood at his side on the balcony to watch the sunset and the dragon proudly sunning himself.

"That will be quite a meeting. Just think about all those proud Men, Elves, and Dwarves meeting a good dragon," Frodo sighed.

Hiccup grimaced at the thought of what was going to happen. Lots of proud, likely-stubborn leaders of humans, Elves, and Dwarves were going to suddenly and unexpectedly meet a dragon.

"Yeah, what could go wrong? I'll be happy as long as no one tries to kill anyone."

"That's a good place to start!" Pippin cheerfully agreed.

"Yep, set the bar very low, and it is easy to exceed expectations!" Merry explained.

"What are we going to do in the meantime? That's still a few weeks away," Sam asked.

"I'll be spending a lot more time with Bilbo; he wants to teach me some of Middle-earth's languages," Hiccup answered.

"I can help with that also," Frodo offered.

Hiccup smiled and nodded in thanks.

Merry came over and leaned against the railing also.

"Yeah, we definitely should take it easy here..."

"Do we ever not?" Pippin wondered.

"True," Merry shrugged.

Sam stood at Frodo's shoulder.

"Well, if we're going to be staying here, then I want to see more of the Elves' gardens and enjoy how beautiful this city is," Sam sighed.

"Indeed, Sam. There's plenty to see here in Rivendell," Frodo answered.

Hiccup stared up to Toothless, still perched on his high ledge and clearly enjoying himself.

"I like that plan," he wholeheartedly agreed.

The mission was already over, as far as it concerned him and the Hobbits. The Ring would be someone else's problem after the Council, and then...

He wasn't sure what would happen after that.

"Alright, you all coming to supper and dinner?" Pippin cheerfully asked.

"Supper? Where?" Merry wondered.

"Over there!" Pippin pointed at a clearing before one of the larger buildings.

Sure enough, there were a number of Elves working at something in that clearing.

"What's the occasion?" Frodo asked.

"Don't know. It's more than the usual small dinner they have," Pippin answered.

"How can you know that?" Sam protested.

"I just know," Pippin grinned.

"Anything about food or fine dining, Pippin would know," Merry explained.

Hiccup rolled his eyes.

_Hobbits..._

Frodo turned to him.

"Hiccup, want to bring Toothless with? I don't know if they have any food for him, but he will like the company."

"Good idea. I'll go get him! See you there."

* * *

Hiccup and Toothless arrived at the dinner table and saw that Lord Elrond, Gandalf, Frodo, and Bilbo were already there at the head of the table. Sam, Merry, Pippin, Strider, and Arwen were seated beside them. It looked like they were the last to arrive at the dinner or the party, whatever this was.

"There they are! Get over here!" Merry waved them over.

They strode over to the table, and Lord Elrond stood to greet them.

"Masters Haddock and Toothless, you are most welcome to join us."

"Thank you, Lord Elrond. What is the occasion?" Hiccup asked.

The table was covered in food, mostly green food but also breads and cheeses on plates, and bottles of wine along with wineglasses.

"The occasion is celebrate Frodo's recovery. I took the liberty of having some fish prepared for a certain guest."

Toothless purred and bent his head.

"You have my thanks," he said.

Hiccup and Toothless strode down to the spots saved for them. Hiccup took the open seat beside Strider while Toothless sat on his haunches at the open end of the table. An attendant brought out a basket of fish that were seasoned with strange herbs that neither of them had smelled before. Then the fish went onto a very large plate before Toothless.

Even though the fish had been burned, Toothless knew that he was not going to turn his nose from the fish.

"Strider, how have you been? We haven't seen much of you," Hiccup kindly asked.

The Ranger looked very different now. Strider had cleaned up very well and was now clad in Elven attire, much like himself. He also looked much better rested.

"It has been a very long time since I was last here in Imladris. I have been reading, walking, and speaking with those who are most dear."

Hiccup saw Lady Arwen smile from across the table. He wanted to ask about their situation, but he knew that it was not his business.

Elrond gestured with a wave of his hand, thus beginning the dinner. Unsurprisingly, the Hobbits made the most ruckus, calling out to each other to pass the plates or bottles.

"No, no, the big one!" Merry pointed.

Pippin took his knife and fork and gently tapped on the table in his impatience.

"Stop that! You'll blunt them..." Bilbo scowled.

Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin froze and glanced at each other.

"Frodo, Sam, do you know what to do?" Merry grinned.

"We do indeed! Did you hear that, everyone? Bilbo said we'll blunt the knives!" Frodo laughed while smiling at Bilbo.

Bilbo sighed and crossed his arms on his coat. Hiccup stared in amazement as the other four Hobbits started singing.

"Blunt the knives and bend the forks! Smash the bottles and burn the corks! Chip the glasses and crack the plates! That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"

_What?_

Gandalf joined in.

"Cut the cloth and tread on the fat! Leave the bones on the bedroom mat! Pour the milk on the pantry floor! Splash the wine on every door!"

Toothless's tail began tapping on the ground in time to the song. Hiccup stared in growing amusement at the revelry.

_Is this Berk?_

"Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl! Pound them up with a thumping pole! And when you've finished, if any are whole! Send them down the hall to roll!"

"That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!" they all shouted as one.

The roaring singers stopped and stared at Bilbo until the elderly Hobbit pointed a finger at them.

"So carefully, carefully with the plates!" Bilbo chastised them with a smile.

Uproarious laughter followed. Hiccup almost fell out of his chair, the Hobbits clutched their sides in their mirth, Strider was chuckling into his sleeve, Arwen was laughing openly with her pure voice, Toothless's tail was thrashing, Gandalf had to lean against the table, and even the stoic Lord Elrond could not hide his grin.

Everything finally settled down after nearly a full minute of joyful abandon.

"Why do I suspect that there's a story that needs telling?" Hiccup asked, completely at ease with everyone at the table.

Bilbo shrugged.

"That song is not one of my creation. Rather, we have the Dwarves of Erebor to thank for that one. I can assure you that this unexpected party is far more civil than another that happened long ago. Thank you for that, Gandalf!" Bilbo said.

"You are most welcome. I would also agree that this dinner party is much more agreeable to our host than another dinner which some of us might recall," Gandalf cryptically added.

Lord Elrond raised a glass of wine and took a long drink.

"Who would have ever thought that a dragon would have better table manners than a company of Dwarves?" the Elf sighed.

Everyone looked to Toothless and then to Bilbo.

"Honestly, having met both... I'm not surprised," Bilbo muttered.

More laughter followed that remark until everyone started turning more attention to the food and to each other. Conversation became freer as all shared stories. Strider spoke of his time wandering in the wild, Bilbo shared fond memories of adventures long ago, and Hiccup and Toothless spoke about how they came to know each other in the cove.

After the meal itself was finished, the five Hobbits, Hiccup, and Toothless gathered around the firepit in the center of the clearing to tell more stories long into the night as the stars flickered to life in the sky. Hiccup rested against Toothless's purring side with his eyes closed while Bilbo told a story about an encounter with three trolls.

_I could get used to this._

* * *

_**Author's Note – Dragons like riddles. Also, Bilbo's referenced poem for which this chapter is titled is one of the most bittersweet things I've ever read. No matter how much Bilbo remembers past adventures and celebrates what was, doing so is not enough. He always wishes that the old friends, 'returning feet and voices at the door', were actually, truly there.**_


	19. Many Errands Meet

_**Author's Note – Time for an iconic scene we have been waiting for.**_

* * *

Many Errands Meet

* * *

A few weeks had passed during which nothing eventful happened. Bilbo and Toothless had several more of their riddling contests, contests at which they were very evenly matched. Hiccup used the time to practice his runes under Frodo's or Bilbo's guidance. The three other Hobbits volunteered to assist with gardening and cooking. Strider spent almost all his time with Lady Arwen. Gandalf and Elrond spent much time in deep discussion.

Then, the day before the Council was to meet, Gandalf came to Hiccup and Toothless with the suggestion that Toothless remain hidden until the actual Council meeting. Elrond had all his people agree to keep the secret until the meeting itself. That would prevent any misunderstandings or unfortunate encounters.

Strange companies of people began arriving in various heraldry. Elves were astride proud horses in a regal procession. A handful of Dwarves, a short, stocky, and very bearded people, marched in under their own power. A few men even arrived in noble garb. They were all representatives of their tribes and peoples.

Hiccup spent that night resting with Toothless up on a special ledge with a rock overhang and rushing waterfalls. There was also a very strange crystal pedestal which Gandalf had explained was used for reading Moon Runes, whatever those were.

Regardless, the place was isolated and gave a stunning view of the valley. This was especially true at night, such as now with the full moon on display.

Hiccup chuckled.

"What is twisting your tail?" Toothless asked.

"Remember how you tried to catch the light in the cove?"

Toothless snorted and grumbled.

"I could not catch that light!"

"Yeah, here's another chance. Look at the moonbeam! You should catch it!"

Toothless rolled his eyes in amusement and leapt at the shine of light the moon was casting through the crystal pedestal. As both he and Hiccup expected, he could not pin the light under his paws.

Then he padded over and lay down at Hiccup's side. Sitting up here could get boring, especially with the no-flying rule in force. Being bored contributed to his silliness.

"What do you think they will do, bud?" Hiccup asked.

"Who knows? The Ring gives power, yes?" Toothless shrugged.

"I think so. Not sure how."

"Maybe they will use it against the Enemy. Maybe they will hide it forever. Maybe they will drop it in the ocean. I do not care."

Then he snarled.

"I will be happy as long as it is gone."

"Can't argue with you on that. It's not our problem now."

Hiccup then leaned back against Toothless's side.

"What do you want to do after this?"

Toothless purred softly in solemn thought.

"We could go look for other dragons," he eventually offered.

Hiccup frowned while staring off into the night. The idea of finding other dragons still definitely had a powerful appeal, but he was far more hesitant now after learning about the dragons that were native to Middle-earth. It was very unlikely that they would be friendly. Further, none of the ones that he had heard stories of looked anything like the dragons back on Berk.

"That could be dangerous, but yeah, we should definitely think about it. Sure looks like a long way from here. Far over the Misty Mountains, Mirkwood, and the Grey Mountains, that would be quite an adventure."

Toothless grumbled softly, his ears falling slightly when he realized the problem.

"True, that could be dangerous for you if the dragons are like Smaug."

Hiccup gently slapped his shoulder and got up to pace before him.

"When has that ever stopped me before? Let's see... almost get eaten by a Monstrous Nightmare on the raid when I... saw you, almost burned alive, almost crushed, almost died in dragon-training several different ways and not only to the dragons, almost killed by an angry Night Fury..."

"Still stupid of you to let me go..." Toothless muttered.

"Eh, it worked out... almost poisoned by raw fish..."

"You were not!"

"... almost died in freefall, almost burned alive again, almost impaled, almost burned alive yet again, almost died to Astrid..."  
"And you wonder why I have to protect you?"

"Haven't gotten hurt yet, bud!"

Toothless snorted and rolled his eyes.

"You will make my scales fall out early. Hatchling..."

"Toothless, I'll be fine! Safe is my middle name now."

"I thought it was Horrendous..."

"Don't you worry about that. Nothing can ever happen to me while you're around..."

Toothless swept his tail aside and knocked Hiccup's feet out from under him so that he fell.

"Useless human..."

* * *

Hiccup, clad in his finest gifted Elven robes, stared around at everyone gathered for the Council. The meeting was being held outdoors in an antechamber off one of the main buildings. Most of the people were unknown to him, save for Elrond, his attendants, Gandalf, Strider, and Frodo. As expected, there were Elves, Dwarves, and Men all represented.

He was seated closest to the main entrance where a space was left without any chairs. That space was being reserved, though none of the newcomers to the Council knew that.

But as he looked around at all the grand, proud people, he felt very small, physically and figuratively, by comparison to everyone else here. These were Chiefs and leaders for their people. They were accomplished warriors, great craftsmen, and poets, from the example the Elves set.

What was he? He was by birth the son of a Chief, but he had left that behind. Not to mention that land he was from was not even really a part of this world. That still didn't make any sense to him.

Further, it was not truly he whom everyone here at the Council would care to meet. He was nothing special on his own. Toothless was the one with the real power, and his own role was just to keep Toothless in the sky.

"Where are the representatives of the Mark?" a man asked.

"I heard that they refused the summons..." "I heard that region is in dispute..." "Strange guests at this Council... a halfling and a mere lad..." "How many winters has that one seen..."

The curious looks that many of the newcomers sent his way were not encouraging.

_I so don't belong here..._

Elrond, clad in his layers of fine robes and looking very Lordly on his throne, slowly stood up and folded his hands.

All conversation ended.

"Guests from distant lands, friends of old, you have all been summoned here on account of the threat of Mordor. Middle-earth is poised on the brink of its doom. None of us can oppose it alone. We will all stand or fall together."

Elrond paused and looked around all the seated figures.

"But we are not all present right now. There is another who should join us."

Confused muttering went around through the audience as they beheld the filled seats.

"An unexpected ally who only recently joined our cause. It is important for you all to meet him before we begin this Council. And I would have you all know that he is here by my leave, and there is to be no violence here in Rivendell."

That instruction sparked more looks of curiosity and wonder as well as some open whispering.

Elrond then turned to him and extended a hand in invitation.

_Alright, go time..._

Hiccup got up from his seat and strode out the main entrance, feeling all the eyes of everyone fixed on him. It was very nerve-wracking to be in front of so many great people all intensely gazing at him.

_Success, I didn't trip over my own feet!_

Toothless was waiting just outside the entrance and out of sight, having snuck closer after everyone else went inside.

"Ready for this, bud?"

"Yes."

"No biting, no flaming, no roaring..."

Toothless huffed and rolled his eyes.

"What do you think I am?"

"The bravest dragon I know..." Hiccup grinned.

"Definitely!"

Then Toothless took a deep breath and got to his feet, slowly following behind Hiccup.

"Don't worry, bud. You'll be fine..."

They walked back into the Council antechamber and stood in the entrance thereof. Frodo and Gandalf, the first two they laid eyes on, encouragingly nodded to them both. Toothless calmly walked inside, sat down on his rear next to Hiccup, and held his head proudly.

It became very clear when everyone within saw him. The Elves, Dwarves, and Men who did not know about him immediately stood, pointed in his direction, and began shouting.

"What is that!" "Get down!" "Dragon!" "Where's my ax?" "Fell-beast!" "Shadow spawn of Morgoth!"

The outraged voices continued clamoring louder and louder into a confused din as Toothless sat still, not reacting at all.

Then Gandalf slammed his staff against the ground.

"SILENCE!"

His shout echoed off the hills and rang with pure power while his robes fluttered in the non-existent wind. Hiccup winced at the echo of the first time Gandalf had spoken with such strength.

Total silence fell.

A long and awkward silence.

Elrond held a hand to his forehead, apparently with a minor headache.

Elves, Dwarves, and Men looked around at each other, no one apparently having the courage to be the first to speak.

Then a man from the south slowly stepped forward from the stunned assembly. His long, light brown hair fell down to his shoulders, and his beard was very neatly trimmed. He bore a coat of chain-mail underneath a long, dark leather tunic that fell to his shoes. His forearms had pauldrons with a familiar crest on them.

"What... is that creature?" the man warily asked Gandalf.

"I am glad that you ask, Boromir, Captain of Gondor. Let us hear the answer from him."

Gandalf turned to Toothless and pointedly nodded to him. Toothless slowly swept his gaze across all the unfriendly sets of eyes looking back at him. None of them looked happy to meet him.

"I am a dragon. A Night Fury."

He lifted a paw and rested it on Hiccup's shoulder.

"Master Haddock is my friend. He is a brother to me."

Incredulous muttering and pointing followed that.

"And what is your purpose here?" Gandalf asked.

Toothless glanced over to Frodo with a soft purr.

"I came here to protect my friend and the Hobbits also on their mission."

"But you are a dragon. Why should we trust you?" Gandalf prodded.

"I am... not like the dragons you all know about. I am not your enemy. Judge me for what I do. Not what I am."

Strider stood up and stepped forward to stand directly before Toothless.

"I will vouch for him after traveling the wild with him. He proved that he is an enemy of Sauron and the Dark Lord's servants when he burned several of the Nazgul."  
Gasps and confused muttering went around the audience.

"Yes! They do not like my fire!" Toothless growled.

"And you, young man, what is your business with the dragon? Why are you its... friend?" Boromir countered.

Hiccup bristled despite how much bigger Boromir was. The man's personality was very forceful and brash.

"Toothless is not an it!"

Muted chuckling and snickers went around the whole Council. Hiccup heard what they were chuckling about and ignored it.

"Got plenty of teeth..." "Not so toothless..." "Stupid name..."

At least, he tried to ignore all that.

"We are friends because we both... saved each other's life..." Hiccup continued.

"From a very dangerous human..." Toothless toothlessly added.

"And from a furious dragon..." Hiccup added with a wry smile.

Both of them chuckled softly, though most of the Council did not understand why. Those who did also grinned faintly.

"And," Toothless swept his tail out to show, "I cannot fly on my own. Master Haddock helps me fly with a new tailfin he made for me."

The Dwarves gathered at the Council leaned forward with reluctant interest. They looked like they were rather impressed by the tailfin, though they were none too happy otherwise at his presence. One of the Dwarves stepped a little closer to inspect the tailfin before gruffly returning to his companions.

"Fine craftsmanship there..." the Dwarf grumbled.

"Where are you from? I believe that none of us here have ever heard of such an impossible thing as a... good dragon before," Boromir asked.

"We flew from islands far up north," Hiccup answered.

"North?"

Gandalf stood up and tapped his staff to get everyone's attention. Then he nodded at both of them once everyone was looking to him.

"They fled a world where there are more dragons that are at war with humans. Masters Haddock and Toothless flew down over Forochel, saw the ruins of Annuminas, and made their way to the Shire where they lived in peace with the Hobbits for over two months. We have shown that these two are not with the Enemy and that they deserve our trust. We should move on to why we are truly here: to the real reason for this Council."

More muttering followed as everyone took a seat. Toothless sat down with Hiccup sitting in the chair immediately by his side.

"See, that was easy..." Hiccup whispered, very thankful that this meeting did not come to violence.

Toothless gently nudged his head with a soft purr of relief. Then Elrond stood up and got everyone's attention.

"Frodo, bring forth the Ring," he gestured toward the stone pedestal in the center of the Council.

Hiccup put a hand on Toothless's shoulder to reassure him.

A hush fell over all as the quiet muttering ceased.

Frodo placed the Ring on the stand, and then he returned to his chair into which he collapsed with a relieved sigh. The Hobbit spared a glance and faint grin with both him and Toothless.

_I know how you feel, Frodo._

Silence fell around the entire assembly. The Men, Elves, and Dwarves were all staring toward the stone dias upon which the Ring so alluringly now lay.

Toothless glared with fury at the Ring. Hiccup started gently rubbing circles on his shoulder, for which he gave Hiccup a soft hum of thanks which banished his very faint growling. Here among so many people and with Hiccup at his side, the pull and power of the Ring felt lesser, even though he could still feel and hear something.

_Lost one... I can give you what you want..._

He subtly looked away from the dias and the Ring, instead staring at the waterfalls. That faint voice faded until he could barely hear and feel it.

Hiccup heard a very faint whispering on the warm wind. A beckoning call was coming from just ahead. So he looked away from the Ring and kept rubbing Toothless's shoulder.

_Peacemaker... you will change the world... with help..._

Boromir then stood up; the man's gaze was firmly on the Ring. He stared for a while and then eagerly looked around to all others gathered with him.

"It is true! I wondered what could possibly be important enough to summon this entire Council, but not in my grandest dreams did I imagine something as wonderful as this! In a dream, I saw dark clouds cover the eastern sky, but a pale light lingered in the west over the realms of Men. A voice cried out that doom was near at hand, for Isildur's Bane had been found."

Boromir stared longingly at the Ring. Then he turned to eagerly address the rest of the Council.

"It is a gift! A gift to the foes of Mordor! Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay by the blood of our people! Thus are your lands kept safe! The Great Ring, the weapon of the Enemy, has come into our hands to serve us in the very hour of our need! We Free Peoples may surely defeat the Enemy yet!" he implored everyone present.

Strider flew to his feet.

"You cannot use it. The One Ring is Sauron himself; it answers to no other master. Do you not understand that? Even if one of us could seem to bend the Ring to our will, we would fall and become no different from the Dark Lord. Or it would betray us for its true master."

Boromir frowned and crossed his arms on his chest.

"Have you so little faith in the realms of Men? Are you blind to the strength of the White City? We would be fools to pass up this gift!"

"I know of nine Kings of Men who thought as you do," Strider countered.

"What have you done in the fight against the Enemy? What would a wild... Ranger know of such matters?" Boromir defiantly asked.

A formerly silent Elf stood, his long, golden hair flowing down past his shoulders.

"This is no mere Ranger! He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."

Gasps went through almost everyone at the Council. However, Hiccup was confused by all the different names being thrown around.

_I mean, Strider did say that he has other names, but who is he really?_

"Aragorn," Boromir breathed in surprise and pointed at him, "This is Isildur's heir."

Hiccup's jaw fell open.

_Isildur, the one who beat Sauron so long ago... but that would make Strider a..._

"And heir to the throne of Gondor itself," the Elf added.

A long, awed silence followed as everyone looked at Strider in a new light.

"What does that mean?" Toothless nudged him and whispered.

"It means that Strider is like... son of the King-Alpha, son of the Chief..." Hiccup breathed in awe.

_I can't believe it. But he was living in the wild. Who does that?_

Strider-Aragorn addressed the Elf in his native tongue, and the Elf reluctantly sat down.

Boromir then wandered back to his chair, softly fuming as he did so.

"Gondor has no King now. That line was abandoned. Broken."

Gandalf stood up after a brief silence fell over the Council.

"Aragorn is right. The Ring is treacherous. We cannot use it for good. Even I dare not to claim it or even attempt to use it for any purpose."

"What about Saruman? Surely he would know how we might safely use the Ring. Much of his studies are those of Ring-lore. Why is one so great as him not present at this Council?" Boromir asked.

"Saruman has fallen to the service of the Enemy. He held me prisoner not long hence," Gandalf grimly announced.

Cries of dismay and fear went through many gathered there.

Hiccup gasped in alarm. While he didn't know much about this Saruman person, even he knew that was not good news.

_Okay, that explains where Gandalf was. Saruman, he was the Chief wizard, more powerful than Gandalf?  
_

Elrond also stood to calm everyone present.

"Saruman's studies led him into peril. He delved too deeply into the arts of the Enemy. His fall to temptation makes the danger all the clearer. We have only one choice. The Ring must be destroyed."

Boromir visibly wilted at that, although he did bow his head.

Another silence ensued as everyone glanced back at the Ring and at each other.

_Peacemaker..._

A whisper of disapproval fluttered through the air.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" a grizzled Dwarf growled.

Before anyone could react or object, the Dwarf grabbed an ax, stepped forward, and swung the ax overhead in a perfect strike.

Only to be flung back from the dias as his ax shattered into many pieces with a crash. Momentary chaos ensued.

Toothless winced and growled softly as he looked away.

"You alright, bud?"

Toothless leaned against him and settled down.

"That eye-thing was here. It is gone now..."

Then Toothless reared back and retreated several steps without warning. Hiccup followed his narrowed gaze, and then he froze when he saw what had frightened Toothless.

The Ring, apparently lost in the chaos after the strike, had somehow been knocked from the stone pedestal and was rolling toward him on the ground.

Then the beautiful and precious Ring was safely in his hand.

Peace would surely follow now that he had the precious that could grant him the strength of will to do what he needed to do. He just had to put it and claim it as his own. His destiny was to be a great peacemaker, after all. No one else was worthy to do what he could do! He had already done something that no one else had ever done! He had caught and tamed his own dragon! Just hop on his pet dragon that could never leave him and he could fly far away and become great and be a dragon master and purify all remaining dragons of the evil in their hearts and change the world into a dragon-human utopia of peace all through his great strength of will over others and he could be the King of the West and he could crush any resistance to the world he wanted to make and...

Something felt very wrong. His own voice sounded in the silence through the great vision.

_I'm not great or brave._

But he could be great and fearless if he wanted it. Just claim it, his destiny, for himself!

_I've never wanted power over others before._

Or maybe he had. Maybe all those inventions and attempts to prove himself were just that: attempts to gain more power.

_Claim it now... you are nothing without your dragon..._

_Toothless might not... Toothless!_

Memories that had not seemed important... now were very important.

Freeing the downed dragon in the woods, two acts of mercy, everything about the cove and their forbidden friendship, learning to fly, escape into a new world, life in the wild together, learning that they could now speak to each other, bonding together long overdue, and the peaceful and the dangerous encounters in Middle-earth so far.

All of that was far more real than the phantom he had just seen. He was not meant to be great. Not like that.

The Ring whispered disapproval to him, but in that moment he could feel and see how it tried to twist his thinking. It knew that he wanted peace, so it showed him that if only he would claim the Ring as his own.

His steps felt labored and slow as he approached the stone dias, and his breaths were very sharp as he extended his hand with the Ring. But it was hard to let go of what was so precious to him and which spoke something like truth.

His head pounded like a hammer upon an anvil.

Was he giving up on a dream?

What was precious?

A red eye or green eyes?

_You are nothing without your..._

He recoiled after dropping the Ring back on the pedestal, and then he turned around and walked back with trembling steps over to Toothless's side.

It was as though a weight had lifted from his heart the moment he let go of the Ring. But he still felt deeply disturbed at how easily the temptation had spoken to him with exactly what he most wanted. His hand itched and yearned to feel the warm, precious Ring once again.

To feel the precious that spoke so deeply to his heart.

"Hiccup, are you... well?" Toothless whispered and nudged him from behind.

"Yeah... yeah, I am... oh gods..."

Hiccup idly scratched Toothless's neck and focusing on nothing but the Fury's purring until his own breaths slowed. Then he looked back up and saw Gandalf nod at him, apparently having watched the whole time. What the Wizard had been thinking was unknowable.

That was when he realized that all of that had happened in only a few seconds. He had picked up the Ring, immediately walked over to the dias, and left the Ring there among the pieces of the shattered ax.

Why had it felt so much longer and more torturous?

The Dwarf was helped to his feet, and then everyone stared in alarm at the Ring on the pedestal. The entire Council looked very shocked as Elrond rose and addressed everyone present.

"The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli son of Gloin, by any common weapon we here possess."

An Elf who had remained silent so far stood up.

"I recall that a dragon's fire could melt the rings of power. We have a dragon here now, and I assume he has fire," the Elf gestured to Toothless.

Gandalf stood and addressed the Elf.

"That would be a valid option, Glorfindel, were this any other of the great rings. It is indeed said that a dragon's fire could consume the rings of power; several of the Dwarven seven were lost in this way, but none of the dragons left alive now have the old fire. Further, not even Ancalagon the Black at the height of his power could have harmed the One, for it is made by Sauron himself."

Glorfindel nodded and continued speaking.

"We do not have the power to destroy it on our own. We could take it over the sea to Valinor, or we could cast it into the ocean's depths where it would never be found. Either would separate it from Sauron."

Gandalf frowned and considered these options after glancing at Elrond.

"Those who dwell over the sea would not receive it. To cast the Ring into the sea may indeed hide it for many Ages, but it would not be unmade. Lands and seas change in time, and there are many unknown things that dwell in the deep places of the world."

"I agree," Elrond spoke, "that to hide the Ring away under the waters, hope that conflict ends now, and delay for a future Age would be to abdicate our duty. We should seek a final end of the Enemy now. The Ring was forged in the fires of Orodruin, Mount Doom as it is more commonly known. Only there by casting it into the river of fire can it made unmade. One of us must do this."

Everyone looked around, waiting for someone else to speak. There were very faint whispers echoing in what was otherwise total silence, but no one appeared to be speaking.

Boromir groaned.

"One does not simply walk into Mordor."

Everyone present rolled their eyes at how obvious that was. Boromir continued without pause.

"The black gates are guarded by more than orcs. The evil there does not sleep. Shadows and black riders trail us from above and scout our movements. And there is the great eye; we have lived under its gaze for decades. Western Mordor is a barren wasteland riddled with fire, ash, and dust. The very air itself is poisonous. Not with ten thousand men could we do this. It is folly!"

"Were you not listening to anything Gandalf and Lord Elrond have said? The Ring must be destroyed!" the golden-haired Elf objected.

The Dwarf flew to his feet and glared at the Elf.

"Aye, and I suppose you think you're the one to do it!"

Boromir stood and implored everyone.

"And when this mission fails, what then? What happens when Sauron reclaims his Ring after we took it straight to him!"

The Dwarf still glared at the Elf and then shouted while pointing at the Elf.

"I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an Elf!"

Total chaos erupted. Elves and Dwarves were pointing axes and fingers at each other. Men were shouting and gesturing wildly.

"Stubborn piece of..." "Never trust an Elf!" "Have you forgotten..." "You'll all be destroyed..."

A whispering call floating in the air.

_'You are a peacemaker...'_

Hiccup stared at the Ring.

_'You will be great and change the world...'_

He so wanted to lean forward, stride over to that dias, and claim the Ring for hims... for the mission to destroy the Ring. Only he could do this. Only he was humble enough to resist its temptation. That is how he would change the world forever.

So he leaned forward with his gaze fixed on that shining, precious Ring.

But then Toothless nudged his shoulder and stared at him, ears flattened, frills flared, and eyes wide in amusement.

"They are like dragons fighting over a fish..." Toothless chuckled.

"Uh, yeah, they have stubbornness issues... Almost like we're back on Berk..." Hiccup sighed and leaned back in his chair.

Gandalf stepped away from the feuding mass of people. The Wizard raised his staff high.

_Oh great, now what?_

"ASH NAZG DURBATULUK..."

The Wizard's darkened voice, harsh as stone, echoed from the sky and drowned out the chaotic din of other voices.

"ASH NAZG GIMBATUL..."

A shadow passed overhead and smothered the midday sun.

"ASH NAZG THRAKATULUK..."

All trembled, and the Elves covered their ears.

"AGH BURZUM-ISHI KRIMPATUL..."

Gandalf lowered his staff and relaxed as light returned to the world. The shadow, which had filled the entire sky, faded to the faintest echo of a malevolent laughter.

Total silence followed.

Toothless shuffled on his paws.

"Gandalf, what was that!" he barked into the stunned silence.

Elrond swiftly stood.

"That, good dragon, was the Black Speech of Mordor, a tongue which has never before been uttered here in Imladris..." Elrond admonished the Wizard.

"I do not ask for pardon, Master Elrond, for that Black Speech may yet be heard in every corner of Middle-earth! Unless we cease this pointless bickering!" Gandalf answered and glared at everyone else.

Frodo hopped to his feet, stepped forward, walked over to the dias before anyone could object, and took back the Ring. Then the Hobbit raised his voice.

"I will take it!"

Everyone stared in amazed silence.

Hiccup's jaw fell open as he realized the significance of what Frodo was volunteering for. Frodo already told him and Toothless that he wanted to go back to the Shire and to a peaceful life which the Hobbit had definitely earned.

"Frodo..."

"It's alright, Master Haddock. I should do this."

Frodo took a deep breath and looked around at all the stunned faces.

"I will take the Ring to Mordor! Though, I do not know the way..."

Gandalf nodded and went over to Frodo, resting a hand on the Hobbit's shoulder as he stood with him.

"I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear."

Aragorn also approached and knelt before Frodo.

"If by my life or death I can protect you, I will. You have my sword."

"And you have my bow," the Elf added.

"And my... other ax!" Gimli also volunteered while glaring at the Elf.

Hiccup glanced over at Toothless. This had all happened so quickly that he was not sure what to do.

_Should we go also? I don't know._

Boromir stepped forward and warily glared toward Toothless before looking back between Gandalf and Elrond.

"It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small and little a thing. While I disagree with this strategy, I will consider all options. The Ring can only be destroyed in Mount Doom. Getting to Mount Doom is... difficult, for reasons I already shared. Why not fly the Ring there?"

All eyes went over to Toothless. He looked away into the sky and grumbled with his ears flattened.

"It is not safe for me to be around the Ring much," he answered.

Boromir looked very suspicious about that explanation.

Gandalf noticed and spoke.

"It is the same reason why I refuse to carry the Ring, not even to keep it safe. The Ring tempts the bearer according to how great and powerful the bearer is. The greater the bearer, the stronger the temptation to claim it. Hobbits do not want to be great, except maybe great gardeners, so it is harder for the Ring to tempt them. It can offer them very little that they would want."

Gandalf frowned after glancing at Elrond, and then the Wizard looked around the whole council.

"Having a dragon on our side could be helpful in many ways, but precisely how remains to be seen. He cannot help by bearing the Ring for us or by directly aiding us on this quest."

Hiccup, surprised by the definitive statement, shared another glance with Toothless without saying anything.

_So we are not going with them? I'm not sure what to think about that._

Boromir nodded in acceptance, though he looked rather disappointed.

"Very well. If this is indeed the will of the Council to see the Ring destroyed, then Gondor will see it done."

All the volunteers went to stand together in an assembly. Hiccup thought that it was an odd group: one Hobbit, one Wizard, one Dwarf, one Elf, one Ranger, and one Gondorian. Old and new faces from different races together working toward a common goal. A mix of people from very different...

"Hey!" another familiar voice shouted.

Hiccup and Toothless jumped aside in surprise as another Hobbit ran up between them and stood at Frodo's side.

_Sam! Where did you come from?_

"Mister Frodo is not going anywhere without me!" Sam firmly declared and defiantly crossed his arms.

Elrond sighed with clear amusement and even a look of approval.

"No, indeed, it seems is nigh impossible to separate you two, even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not..."

Sam managed to look both ashamed and proud of himself at the same time.

"Oye!" "We're comin' too!"

Merry and Pippin appeared from nowhere and ran up to stand beside Frodo and Sam.

_Where did... what the..._

Elrond did not look amused this time.

"You have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us!" Merry declared with his arms crossed.

"Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission... quest... thing..." Pippin cheerfully added.

Gandalf gave everyone a completely exasperated sigh.

"Well, that rules you out, Pip..." Merry teased.

Hiccup barely stifled his own laughter while Toothless snorted in amusement.

Elrond crossed his arms on his chest and considered everyone in the group.

"The Company of the Ring shall be Nine, and the Nine Walkers shall be set against the Nine Riders that are evil. So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring," Elrond ceremoniously declared.

"Great!" Pippin beamed, "Where are we going?"

No one said anything, preferring to let Merry explain it to him. Elrond turned from the Fellowship and addressed everyone present.

"Further details about the mission will be kept to those traveling in the Fellowship itself. The rest of you who know of the errand shall keep this quiet. Tell none of your advisers. The fewer who know the truth, the less likely that the Enemy can guess our purpose or learn of it."

Those not selected for the Fellowship nodded in agreement. The Council formally dismissed shortly thereafter, the various emissaries and attendants beginning to depart or have conversations of their own. Hiccup and Toothless waited around afterwards. They had questions and needed answers.

"How long will you be on your journey?" Hiccup asked Gandalf.

"That depends on many things, such as what road we take, but it will be for several months at the least."

Toothless then stepped closer and glanced between Gandalf and the Hobbits. He sat down with a solemn hum.

"You know that it will be dangerous for them. And you, Hobbits, you will be away from home for a long time."

"Yeah, we'll be away from home, but we'll be together!" Pippin clamored.

"That's what friends do, even silly ones. We're there to get each other into trouble and out of trouble," Merry elbowed Pippin in the side.

"And I made a promise!" Sam added with a fierce nod.

Toothless nodded and gave a grunt of approval.

_These Hobbits have good, loyal thinking!_

Elrond then approached, and he beckoned to Hiccup and Toothless to follow him into an antechamber. Gandalf also followed a short distance from everyone else, apparently to speak more freely to both of them.

"What is the matter, Lord Elrond?" Hiccup asked.

"We wanted to know if you both have any plans now," Elrond answered.

They shared a glance, having already spoken of what they wanted to do. Though, that was before either of them knew about this Fellowship or its secret mission that changed everything.

"Was there a reason why we were not considered for this Fellowship?" Hiccup wondered.

"Would you have gone?" Gandalf wondered.

"I... don't know. I'm not a fighter or anything that would be helpful... Toothless probably could help..."

Elrond and Gandalf nodded, and then Gandalf spoke.

"We considered the possibility. However, the Enemy has many spies in the sky and the mountains. Traveling with a dragon and provisioning for one, even for a small one like you, Toothless, could be extremely difficult. The Enemy knows about you by now and will be watching for you. And we already know that the Ring's presence has a bad influence on you. That influence would likely only grow stronger with more exposure to the Ring."

"Yes," Toothless glanced over his shoulder, "I will miss the Hobbits, you, and Strider-Aragorn, but being away from the Ring will be good for me."

Elrond put his robed arms behind his back and paced, deep in thought until he spoke.

"Even if you are not to be part of the Fellowship, there are other things that you could do in the fight against the Enemy. It would not be easy or safe for either of you, and what we would propose is not something that we can order you to do."

"What do you mean?" Toothless asked.

"We mean that you should both give some thought to what I said about you two making a difference in the world," Gandalf answered.

Elrond stepped over to Hiccup and gently patted him on the shoulder.

"You two are free to return to the Shire, and you have my leave to remain here in Rivendell, if that is your wish. The Fellowship will depart tomorrow morning. Take an evening to think about what you want and are willing to do, and let me know in the morning. I will share our thoughts with you then."

"Alright, we will talk about it," Hiccup agreed.

* * *

They were both resting back on the balcony to their guest room after a quick meal of bread, cheese, and fish. A warm breeze floated through the balcony as they sat together and stared up into the evening sky which was painted an orange glow.

Neither of them wanted to be the first to speak. So much had changed in just one afternoon.

"So... we should... talk about what to do now..." Hiccup sighed.

"Yes, we should."

"The Shire is very nice. We are mostly respected there and can be useful to them."

"True, but you said that it felt almost... small?" Toothless warbled.

Hiccup nodded.

"Yeah, but what are we... what am I good for on these adventures? I'm not a fighter."

"No, you are not. But you do not need to be a fighter to make a difference."

Hiccup turned away and groaned.

"Toothless, let's not pretend. It's only you who would be making the difference, and I'd be there to help you fly."

Toothless raised a paw and gently batted at him.

"Wha..."

Toothless rolled his eyes and sat back down.

"Even if that is all you do, that is still good because I could keep you safe. And you change the world more than you think you do."

Then Toothless flicked an ear and stared at the distant waterfalls.

"On the other paw, we flew from your Berk-island to escape fighting, and now there is more fighting here. Maybe... we should just go back to the Shire or stay here in Rivendell. We wanted peace."

Hiccup leaned against Toothless's side and looked up at the clouds lit as if by a flame on the horizon. He remembered hearing about the unknown, faceless, and nameless rangers who protected the Shire from dangers so well that the Hobbits did not know about most of the dangers in the world except maybe as legends or stories from afar. The Hobbits lived their lives in ignorance, peace, and tranquility.

But the Hobbits could only live in their little hidden realm of the Shire because others actively fought for them and kept it safe on their behalf. Rivendell was similarly a safe place hidden from the rest of the world and kept safe by Elves and its location away from most conflict.

He and Toothless could hide themselves away from danger and live the rest of their lives in simple peace, but...

"Bud, do you remember what Elrond said: that to hide from a danger and wait for others to find a way later is... wrong? To do that would be to give up."

"Yes."

"Did we do that in leaving Berk? Did I give up?"

Toothless hissed and grumbled, flicking his tail in annoyance.

"No! You did not give up on what was important to you. Being stubborn and rock-headed is good, but you must know when your flight would be into a storm too strong to fly into."

"I guess so. No one back there really wanted to change. Their whole identity was built on killing dragons; killing dragons was everything back there."

Hiccup then winced, remembering Elrond's declaration that it was unlikely they could ever return to Berk. There was some measure of finality in that.

"We live here in Middle-earth now."

"Yes, we do."

Hiccup waved a hand toward the open sky.

"And we both have a duty to help this world and fight for it because we are part of it."

"I like this world more than the last one, even if Middle-earth is twisting in some ways to me," Toothless sighed.

Hiccup scratched Toothless's neck until the Fury softly hummed.

"It is a very big world out there, and I have no idea what we would see or where we would go..." Hiccup whispered.

"Me neither."

"I think that we should do it, whatever Gandalf's and Elrond's plan is. Only if you agree also."

Toothless deliberately nodded and purred his approval.

"We will," he said.

Neither of them said anything more as they rested together in the evening breeze in the last of the sun's light in the valley of Imladris.

* * *

_**Author's Note – Thus is revealed the great surprise which I was eager to finally reveal. Our duo does not join the Fellowship! Instead, they and we get to see far more of Middle-earth. There are practical and narrative reasons why I made this decision early on in the planning.**_

_**I am going to suppose that you are generally familiar with the events that follow the Fellowship's departure or are otherwise hinted at. Depending on what happens with our duo, it might be a while before Hiccup and Toothless meet up with anyone from the Fellowship again.**_

_**There is one more chapter in Act I. This is your last chance to make predictions, should anyone wish to make them.**_


	20. Many Partings

Many Partings

* * *

Hiccup woke up before dawn and went outside to stand on the balcony as the sun rose beyond the valley. He was not tired at all, and his eagerness to find out what Gandalf and Elrond had planned for him and Toothless kept him from going back to bed. Parting from the Hobbits, Strider-Aragorn, and Gandalf was going to be sad, but at least he would have Toothless with him for... whatever happened next.

_I'll miss them all a lot. We both will._

He stood there alone, looking out over the peace of Rivendell while Toothless slept. His thoughts kept drifting to the unknown adventure that lay ahead. Finally, he noticed motion as Lord Elrond, clad in purple and golden robes, strode up toward his guest house along a set of stairs.

_Alright, time to find out what's going on._

He went outside his guest house to meet with the Elf Lord.

"Master Haddock, may the grace of the Eldar be upon you," Elrond politely greeted him.

"Good morning, Lord Elrond."

Elrond gestured toward the path that led to the gardens.

"Would you please join me on a brief walk?"

"Certainly."

He joined him on a stroll through the upper level of Rivendell until they arrived at the verdant gardens. The grass was still wet with the morning dew.

"What were your impressions of the Council?" Elrond asked.

"It reminded me a lot of home. Lots of brash people shouting at each other, everyone thinking that they know best and trying to show it by being the loudest."

Elrond gave one of his rare grins, even if he also looked exasperated.

"They are all good people at heart, though they are very headstrong and do not always agree."

_Yeah, I suppose that everyone at home is too..._

They continued up onto a balcony that overlooked the entire verdant valley. It was only the two of them in hearing.

"I'm not surprised that they didn't like Toothless very much," Hiccup muttered.

"That should not be a surprise. Many of them are trained warriors or leaders who heard stories of or remember pain at the claws and flame of dragons. It will take time for them to learn to trust him," Elrond answered.

"That sounds about right."

Elrond then faced him.

"I saw what happened with you and the Ring."

Hiccup shivered at the memory of that accident. Even now the thought of the Ring safely in his palm had a faint appeal. It felt like the Ring was meant to be there.

"What happened? How did that... happen to me?"

Elrond leaned against the railing and looked out over Rivendell.

"The Ring of power has a will of its own, as I am sure you knew. It used that opportunity to try to escape us, probably by getting you to claim it and escape on Toothless, though you could not have done so. But you resisted it, and that is no small deed. May I ask why you rejected it?"

Had he truly rejected the precious? It felt like he shouldn't have if he did. He had lost an opportunity to become something greater and more powerful.

_Wait, what am I thinking?_

"I don't know. It whispered some things that didn't seem true."

But he knew that was not entirely accurate. It felt like there was some truth in what the Ring had said or whispered or made him think.

Elrond nodded at his words.

"I see. You must have exceptional strength to willingly give up the Ring, even if you only held it for a few seconds."

_Strength? Maybe I just don't deserve it because I'm weak on my own..._

"Have you and Toothless given thought to whether you want to involve yourselves in the war?"

Hiccup took a deep breath, knowing that this was definitely going to mean something important for himself and Toothless.

"Yes. We can't go back to the Shire or stay here in Rivendell and do nothing. We won't do that. We want to help however we can."

Elrond gave him an approving, grim smile.

"We are glad that you agree. There is no oath or bond we can lay over you two. You are your own powers in Middle-earth. Where is Master Toothless right now?"

"Ugh, not that again... He is probably resting still. Laziest dragon I know. Well, he is the only dragon I know, so he gets that title by default," Hiccup chuckled.

"That he would. I wish to speak with you both," Elrond then formally said.

They made their way back across Rivendell to the guest house. Toothless was indeed still asleep, so Hiccup woke Toothless from his rest. Toothless grumbled and covered his eyes with his paws.

"Toothless, Lord Elrond is here with us..."

Toothless got to his feet and blinked away his sleepiness while Elrond sat down in a chair.

"Good morning, Elf Lord," Toothless yawned widely.

"Good morning, Master Toothless. I am glad that you two decided to involve yourselves in this War of the Ring, as it may be called. I wish to tell you what I and Gandalf would have you do, if you both agree to it."

They nodded, eager to hear what he would suggest.

"I would first have you fly to Lothlorien," Elrond said.

"That is across the Misty Mountains, yes?" Hiccup clarified.

"And to the south, correct. There, you would meet with Celeborn and Galadriel. They are the Lord and Lady of Lothlorien. Lady Galadriel gives great council, is wise, and is very powerful. She much desires to speak with both of you. From there we would suggest a long journey for you."

"A journey? Where and why?" Toothless wondered.

"Are either of you familiar with the Withered Heath or the Northern Waste?"

Hiccup frowned, thinking back to old talks and maps he had seen. There was not much to go on since those places were extremely remote, inhospitable, and not mapped very well.

"Vaguely. No one lives there because those places are very far north. Was the Withered Heath a place where dragons lived long ago?"

"Correct, Master Haddock. The great dragons of prior ages bred there, but those dragons are gone now, as far as we know. Smaug was probably the last one. The Northern Waste is what it sounds like: frozen tundra, dirt and short grass as far as the eye can see, barren of any civilization, and mostly unmapped. No one lives up there, though there may be herds of beasts."

Elrond then leaned forward and considered Toothless.

"How well do you endure the cold, Master Toothless?"

"Very well. My soul-fire keeps me warm," Toothless purred.

"And if you can fly in the skies around Berk you can fly in anything," Hiccup added.

Then he paused and realized the obvious.

"Wait, you want me and Toothless to fly up there into the wild?"

"Yes. We do."

"Why? You just said there's nothing up there."

Elrond slowly nodded.

"Gandalf and I were speaking about how you two came to be in our world. How you heard a call and flew a 'narrow path' through which you emerged in the North. It is possible that you may not be alone in having flown from your world into Middle-earth."

A brief moment of thought followed before they gasped at what was implied.

"Are you sure?" Toothless breathlessly whispered.

Elrond frowned and shook his head.

"No, I am not sure. I have not even heard whispers of other dragons like you, Master Toothless. But we are sure that there are none in any of the worlds of Men, Elves, and Dwarves. The Enemy has his fellbeasts, which may have been dragons once, but they are not like you. If there are any more of your kind or any other benevolent dragons in this world, they will likely have fled to the far corners of Middle-earth to live in hiding away from any Men, Elves, or Dwarves, true?"

Toothless, still breathless, eagerly nodded.

"Yes, they would have."

"So, you want us to go look for them and find out if there are any good dragons up there in hiding?" Hiccup asked.

Elrond nodded.

"Yes. If they are truly like you, Master Toothless, and remember a time when they were completely free of the Enemy, they should want to be free of Sauron just as you do. Part of why Gandalf had Smaug killed in Erebor was that Sauron would have likely tried to recruit the fire drake to his side. Would Smaug have joined him? I do not know for certain, but it is very likely. A grown dragon of Smaug's size aiding the Enemy would have been terrifying and could probably have razed a city like Minas Tirith on its own. I am certain that Sauron would eventually send his servants to recruit any living dragons to his side. This would happen even if those dragons are hiding far north of our lands."

Hiccup, still stunned and amazed at the thought of other familiar or possibly friendly dragons, put a hand on Toothless's shoulder.

"What do you think, bud?"

"We should fly this flight," Toothless immediately answered.

"Definitely. We have to take any chance of finding other Night Furies or even any other types of dragons that we know."

Then Hiccup frowned.

"Even if we do find some, what happens then? Can they talk like you? They probably won't want to leave wherever they are."

Toothless hummed in thought with his tail swaying.

"They would talk like me if what happened to me happened to them also. They would have words just from being in this world and around the... soul-fire that touched me before the Ring. True, they might want to stay in the wild because they think it is safer."

"I hope," Elrond interjected, "that you two could convince them to join the war and fight for our freedom and for theirs also. One dragon like you, Master Toothless, would not change as much as would a number of your kind on our side."

Hiccup gave a nervous chuckle while secretly hoping that fighting would not be needed. Showing off the violent and dangerous side of dragons was not something he particularly liked.

"I don't know about that. You have no idea how annoying this guy was in the old raids..."

Toothless gave a guilty, toothless half-smile.

"What happens if you do bring any of them back on our side remains to be seen. We will, how do you say it, fly those skies when we get to them," Elrond mused.

Shared laughter followed while Elrond almost cracked a grin. Then he glanced away to the main gates.

"I must attend to the Fellowship. They will depart in an hour," Elrond nodded to them and ducked out of the room.

Toothless wandered over to the balcony and hung his head after Elrond's departure. Hiccup went over to him and heard the Fury grumbling to himself.

"What's wrong? Something nibbling your tail? You were so excited just a moment ago."

"I do not want to think about there being other Night Furies. I want there to be, yes, but what if there are none?"

Toothless sighed and looked up to the clouds.

"What if I fly my hopes very high and they fall from the sky?"

"Would you feel better if they are there and you don't find them because you never looked?" Hiccup objected.

"No, that would be worse..."

"We have to take the risk. You know what the worst part of it will be?"

"What?"

"The cold. It'll be like being back on Berk..."

Toothless chuckled deeply at that.

"I can help with that. Anything who thinks Night Furies cannot live in the cold is being tail-twisted and does not truly know us!"

"Yeah, I believe it."

Even as Hiccup stood there with Toothless, lost in his thoughts about this new mission he and Toothless were going to go on, he realized or appreciated something wonderful and good about it. While there was likely going to be some need to bring the Furies, or any other friendly dragons, back to fight in the war, there was also the possibility of helping them integrate into the human, Elf, and Dwarf lands in peace afterwards.

He might get to help change the world after all.

* * *

The Fellowship was entirely assembled in all of its glory: the four Hobbits, one Wizard, two Men, an Elf, a Dwarf, and one pony as the beast of burden.

All were gathered in the courtyard inside the main gate and awaiting the formal departure.

Hiccup and Toothless strode up to them. The Dwarf, Gimli, and the Gondorian, Boromir, were none too thrilled about their presence, though not afraid either. Boromir kept his very suspicious gaze on them. The Elf, Legolas, was wary but also curious.

The Hobbits, on the other hand, were both eager and sad at the inevitable parting.

Frodo walked up to them first; the Hobbit was at a loss for words as he stood before them. They also did not know what to say to the one who was most responsible for helping them be accepted in the Shire.

"I'll miss you, Toothless, Hiccup," Frodo finally whispered.

Toothless stepped closer with a soft purr and put a forearm over Frodo's shoulder in a half-hug. He would have hugged longer except he heard and felt the hated, twisted whispering and pull from the Ring so close to him.

He grumbled softly as he stepped back and shook his head of the twisted thinking and whispers.

Hiccup also took the opportunity to embrace Frodo.

"Thank you for putting us up as you did, Frodo. It was very kind of you. You stay safe out there."

"I will. My Uncle Bilbo gave me some things to help with that."

Frodo showed them a new short sword that he now carried at his waist.

"Do you know how to use it?" Toothless chuckled.

"Not yet, but I'll have time to learn," Frodo answered.

Satisfied, Toothless stepped back and turned to Sam.

"You stay close to him, Samwise."

Sam gave a very serious, grim frown, and his eyes blazed with determination as he patted the short blade at his hip.

"I will. I know we are going to take a very long road into darkness, but I know I can't turn back. There's something I have to do before the end, and it lies ahead. I made a promise!"

Toothless huffed in satisfaction, and then he turned to the other two remaining Hobbits.

"And you two, crazy ones..."

"Who is that?" Merry wondered.

"No idea who he's talking about..." Pippin added.

Toothless deeply chuckled at them.

"Stay crazy and as safe as you can."

"Oh, we'll be fine... nothing's going to carry us off..." Merry answered.

"Yeah, won't make any mistakes like missing meals. Can't have that happening, can we?" Pippin cheerfully replied.

"It would be a disaster..." Merry groaned.

Hiccup laughed freely at their pure silliness and innocence. Their cheer was very heartwarming in a way. On the other hand, it still felt troubling to think that these Hobbits were heading out into the wide world.

Then he had an idea. He was going to have Toothless with him to protect him, so he didn't actually need a weapon of his own. Nothing like a sword or a dagger anyway. Sam still had his short blade, and Bilbo had given Frodo his old sword, an Elven blade named Sting. But these two Hobbits didn't appear to have anything in the way of proper weapons. The short blades Aragorn had given them had been lost at some point, probably up on Weathertop.

He didn't want to think about these kind, innocent Hobbits being defenseless on the journey.

"Merry, Pippin, here... take these..."

He went over to the saddlepack on Toothless's side, and he retrieved the pair of small daggers he had taken from the Barrow-downs. Then he handed one each to Merry and Pippin.

"What are these?" Merry wondered.

"I got them from the Barrow-downs after Toothless killed the wight."

"And you're giving them to us? Why?" Pippin took one of the small blades.

"Just something extra to help keep you safer. They should be like small swords for you. I'm going to have Toothless with me, so I feel good about my chances."

"Ah, but we have the Grey Wizard! That's got to count for something," Merry countered.

"Yeah, he can take out anything!" Pippin added.

"But anyway, thanks for these! Boromir said he might want to help train us in fighting, but we didn't have anything in our size," Merry continued.

"Yeah, it'll be how to train your Hobbit!" Pippin chuckled.

Hiccup and Toothless groaned softly in amusement and then continued on to the final two members of the Fellowship, both of whom they knew well.

Aragorn stepped forward to greet them. The man a very grim and troubled look about him.

"Aragorn, are you okay?" Hiccup kindly asked.

"Yes, I am. It is difficult to do what must be done for one... who is loved. To let them go when it is for their own good."

Aragorn gazed into the distance before looking back at them.

"But that is not your burden to bear. Masters Haddock and Toothless, it is my honor to have met you both."

Aragorn then wryly grinned at Toothless.

"I never imagined that I would meet so friendly a fire drake."

Toothless chuffed and rolled his eyes.

"I did not think I would meet a good human Alpha with a big sword."

"Alpha?" Aragorn questioned.

"Chief? Leader? King? Which of those is most true, Hiccup?"

Aragorn's gaze fell away as his thoughts went somewhere else. Hiccup thought he understood why.

"Probably leader for now," Hiccup softly answered.

Aragorn took the opportunity to bow slightly and step back to attend to last-minute packing.

That left only Gandalf, leaning on his staff as he frequently did. The Wizard was fully clad in his grey robes as usual, but he had forgone his pointy hat.

"So, here at the front gates of Rivendell, we part ways again. Lord Elrond shared with you our plan for you both, yes?" Gandalf asked.

They nodded.

"If you would both hear some words of wisdom from an... old man, if you do find any dragons that are from Middle-earth... do not trust them. They are cunning, treacherous, and cruel, as you have surely heard that Smaug was. You do not even want to know what Glaurung did out of spite. Please give Lady Galadriel my regards when you get to Lothlorien. You might hear her call to you before you even arrive."

Hiccup was confused by that, but he didn't ask because he saw a sad and weary look in the Wizard's ancient eyes.

Gandalf continued.

"And if your journeys take you past Erebor and Laketown, you will be flying past Smaug's resting place."

"He fell into the lake, true?" Toothless asked.

"And destroyed much of Laketown when he fell, yes, but that city and Dale have been rebuilt with riches from his hoard. You might consider stopping in Dale and speaking with King Brand, son of Bain, son of Bard, the true slayer of Smaug."

"Wait, a man killed Smaug? I thought you did," Hiccup exclaimed in surprise.

Gandalf looked very guilty.

"Well, I... was barely involved in that. I might have set events in motion that brought about Smaug's demise. As for the actual striking of the blow, no, that was Bard the Dragonslayer. A very precise shot it must have been to so precisely hit an attacking dragon in the night."

Hiccup winced and imagined a terrible image that he did not want to dwell on at all.

Then Gandalf smiled again as he looked between them.

"I will truly miss you both. My heart tells me that you will make a difference in the world. You might even change it forever."

Gandalf stepped forward and lowered his voice.

"Hiccup, you should not doubt yourself. You will find your purpose in this world soon enough. Toothless, you should not doubt yourself either. You are free to choose what you will be, good or evil, even if there are some... shadows in what you are that you do not like or want to have."

Toothless stepped closer while humming softly.

"When will we see you again?" he sadly asked.

"That I do not know. Maybe after we have fulfilled the mission or maybe our errands will meet before then. And whither then, I cannot say," Gandalf chuckled.

"Do not run into any dragons on your journey. Leave that to us," Hiccup grinned.

"Oh, you do not need to worry about me, Master Haddock. It takes more than a little fire to get rid of me!" Gandalf laughed freely.

Toothless grumbled and then smiled with a toothless grin.

"How did you do that? How did you block my fire with your stick-staff?"

"How? By being a Wizard, that is how!"

One of Toothless's eyeridges lifted.

"And it is time for us to depart!" Gandalf winked.

There were indeed a number of Elves who were arriving and filtering down to the lowest level to see the Fellowship off. Elrond, clad in his finest robes, was at the head of the procession. Arwen, looking very solemn, stood a short distance away and only had eyes for Aragorn.

Then Elrond stepped forth from the procession and held his arms wide toward the Fellowship.

"The Ringbearer is setting out on the quest to Mount Doom. On all of you no oath or bond is laid to go further than you will. Only upon the Ringbearer is any oath laid: to not cast away the Ring along the journey or to deliver it to any servant of the Enemy. Farewell and hold to your purpose. Go now with the blessings of Elves, Men, and all free folk. May the stars shine upon your journey," Elrond solemnly stated.

Toothless took the following silence as an opportunity to stand tall, spread his wings to their fullest, and bow his head slightly as a sign of respect.

Most of the Fellowship also bent their heads toward him out of respect.

"The Fellowship awaits the Ringbearer!" Gandalf formally declared.

Frodo slowly turned his gaze away from Rivendell, gave one final and solemn nod to Hiccup and Toothless, and then proceeded out the main gate with Gandalf at his side. Aragorn was the last to leave, though he did so reluctantly and with a pained glance toward the gathered Elves.

The entire Fellowship made its way out across the bridge and took the left-hand path to follow after Frodo and Gandalf at the lead of the party.

Toothless again stood tall on his hind legs with his wings spread wide. Then he roared aloud, his cry echoing off the slopes and prompting several in the Fellowship to turn and wave at him from across the bridge.

"I wonder when we will see them again..." Hiccup sighed and wiped away a tear from his cheek.

It was a bittersweet parting to again need to leave the people he had come to care for.

"Not too long from now, I hope," Toothless sadly purred after settling down on all fours.

"Yep, still I have a feeling that something is going to go wrong..."

Toothless huffed.

"They have Gandalf. They will be safe. If my fire cannot hurt him, nothing can!"

"Yeah, I believe that."

The Elves began to disperse after the Fellowship's departure, but Elrond and another Elf, Lindr, approached them.

"Master Haddock, Master Toothless, I would advise that you set out on your journey soon also," Elrond said.

"We will," Hiccup answered, thinking to himself that Lothlorien sounded like a very beautiful place from the limited description he had heard of it.

Even so, it would be good to make some final preparations before leaving.

"Before you depart, I would ask that you both go meet with Bilbo. He would much like to meet with you two again. Master Haddock, would you also go with Lindr to the armory?"

"Sure, why?"

"Because I would like for you to take a bow with you and learn how to use it, if you do not already know."

Hiccup stared in surprise.

_Me get an Elven bow?_

It was an interesting idea. He hadn't practiced with a bow since his hunting lessons in Berk's woods years ago. But he was a decent enough shot from past experience.

"You do not seem very enthusiastic..." Elrond observed.

"Well, it's just that... I'm not good with most weapons. And I haven't practiced with a bow in a long time..."

"Master Haddock, it is my understanding that being able to hit a moving target once before in your life turned out very well for you and for someone else you care about."

"Well, when you put it that way..."

Then Toothless nudged him from behind.

"You should learn. It is good to have claws and teeth of your own."

"Alright, bud. I will."

* * *

The Elven store of weapons was truly impressive. Elegance was the common feature of all the armaments; from the inlay on the brass shields, to the gems in the pommels of the flowing swords, to the long spears, and even weapons Lindr called glaives.

_Wow, I could see those being neat to learn how to use..._

Then they came across the bows. Some of them were taller than he was. Most of them were carved from wood.

If weapons could be said to be beautiful, these certainly were, being a mix of functional and works of art.

_Berk never really cared for beauty in its weapons. Practicality was all that mattered._

"Try this one please, Master Haddock," Lindr offered him a smaller bow.

He took the bow from Lindr and struggled to string it, but he eventually managed to do so. The bow was made of a single whole piece of wood, but it was very lightweight. It felt like he was holding a small stick instead of a noble weapon.

"This is Pengnaur. It has been used for training young Elves in hunting through the ages. It has not been used in many years," Lindr solemnly explained.

"It's so light," Hiccup breathed in awe as he held it.

"Yes, it is carved from Mallorn heartwood. Do you know proper bow-care, Master Haddock?"

"I do. Don't leave it strung without need. Don't leave it out in the rain. Look for signs of stress or strain on the bow and the string. Is there anything else I should know?"

Lindr handed him a quiver filled with arrows.

"Only this: Elf-weapons will not easily fail you, so long as your purpose is pure. You might find that you are a better shot than you think. Practice daily, and you will be the match of any Man. And, seeing as this is to be yours now, you might think about giving it a new name if you so wish."

As Hiccup left the armory with a fine Elven bow and quiver in hand, he grinned widely while again admiring the craftsmanship of the weapon. Then he slid the bow into its protective cloth covering and slung it over his back.

_If I practice enough I will never miss a shot either. That seems appropriate._

* * *

"Master Hiccup Haddock... Master Toothless... so good to see you two again," Bilbo grumbled while shuffling toward them.

Hiccup briefly embraced the elderly Hobbit while Toothless sat down and purred to him.

"I hear that you two will be... leaving us soon... as my lad Frodo did..."

"Yes, we are flying to Lothlorien," Toothless said.

Bilbo shuffled back to his chair by a desk and then sat down.

"Lothlorien, now that is an amazing realm. The trees, Mallorns, that grow as if leagues into the sky, the winding paths grown into the trees themselves, the pale lights, that will be something special... I hoped that maybe I could... ah, nevermind me..."

"We are also going to fly to Erebor and beyond," Hiccup added.

"Erebor! Good heavens, whatever are you going up there for?" Bilbo exclaimed in surprise.

"Elrond wanted us to go search up north for any other dragons like Toothless."

Bilbo looked over at Toothless and pointed a wrinkled finger at him.

"More dragons like him? That would be good. I like riddling games with dragons who... do not want to eat me or flame me..."

Toothless chuckled softly at that while Bilbo turned back to Hiccup.

"Say, Master Hiccup Haddock, I gave Frodo a sword and some armor to help keep him safe."

"Where did you get those? They seem like odd things for a Hobbit to have."

"I acquired them during my adventure long ago. The armor was... a gift from a... dear friend. The sword was found in a troll hoard."

"Trolls have hoards?" Hiccup gasped.

"Oh yes, amazing things you can find in a troll hoard, if you can endure the stench of troll-filth. You can find swords, armor, gold, bones, socks..."

Hiccup stared in life-changing shock.

_Oh. My. Gods. Was Gobber telling the truth all that time?_

"Were they left socks?" he asked.

Bilbo looked very confused.

"Left socks? How would I tell them apart?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes, realizing that he overlooked something so obvious.

"Good point. Yeah, left versus right... yeah. What about that armor and the sword?"

"Yes, I certainly had no use for the sword. Not even that old mail now, even if it is worth a small fortune."

Bilbo leaned in conspiratorially.

"Gandalf never told me its worth, but I figured out eventually. Bah, wealth doesn't matter much when you get to be my age."

Bilbo sighed and then gestured to a small notebook on the table.

"I know it's not much, but please take this..."

"What is it?"

"That is what it is wisest to start every journey with... a map: a map of Middle-earth to be precise."

Hiccup gently opened the notebook and unfolded the map. It was indeed an ornate map with finely-written names for the major cities, rivers, mountains, and regions.

Even better, he had learned enough of these runes in his time in Rivendell, having not much else to do except study with that time, that he could mostly read the names given enough time to decipher the runes.

"Thank you, Mister Baggins. This is very kind of you, and it will help a lot."

"Oh, don't mention it. Just like my sword and that old armor, I have no need for that copy of the map anymore. Only one more journey awaits me. The grey ships are calling..."

Then Bilbo glanced outside with a heavy sigh.

"My, my, would you look at the time? It is time for tea and my afternoon nap!"

"I approve of this idea," Toothless nodded.

Bilbo got to his feet; however, he did not start for his bed. Instead, he shuffled over to Toothless and rested a tiny, wrinkled hand on the Fury's forehead. The old Hobbit smiled a very young and eager smile.

"Toothless, you better come back here eventually so I can show you what I wrote and plan to write about you. I've got a few pictures I've already drawn of you from memory."

"I will. We will," Toothless answered.

"In the meantime, I will think up more riddles for you."

"So will I," he purred.

Hiccup then had an idea and retrieved a precious object from the saddlepack. It made a lot more sense to leave this item here than to take it into the wild again.

"Mister Baggins, would you please hold onto this for me?"

He handed Bilbo his journal, complete with most of the early drawings he had made of Toothless and had taken with him.

"What is this?" Bilbo asked.

"My journal. You definitely can't read any of the runes, but you can see the pictures of Toothless. Think you can keep it safe until we come back?"

Bilbo paged through the journal, his gaze settling on the many drawings of Toothless. Then he held the journal close to his chest in a hug.

"I will, Master Haddock. Go now on an adventure there and back again to change the world."

Hiccup and Toothless got up to leave, but they paused outside his house when Bilbo started singing softly to himself.

"Let them a journey new begin, but I at last with weary feet will turn toward the lighted inn. My evening rest and sleep to meet..."

* * *

Many of the Rivendell Elves were gathered up on the highest level of the city with them just after midday. All the Elves were clad in their long robes that flowed in the breeze.

Hiccup was also wearing the same robes because he had become quite comfortable in such soft, flowing attire.

_Alright, riding gear is in good order. Tailfin and rig passed inspection. Everything packed... clothes, food, water, map, new amazing very rare special Elven bow and arrows... check._

Toothless started pacing, impatient to get to the flight.

"What's the matter, bud?"

"I will miss this place. It is a place of peace, like the Shire but different."

A silent moment passed as they watched the nearest sparkling waterfall and rainbow spray.

"Yeah, I will too. Who knows what else we will see soon? This Lothlorien place sounds beautiful also."

Elrond arrived shortly afterwards.

"What more do I need to say to you both? It has been my privilege to have you as my guests in Imladris."

"We thank you hosting us. You've been very kind to us," Hiccup answered with a slight bow.

Toothless stepped forward and bent his head slightly.

"You have my thanks also for the many fish."

Elrond gave him a look of mock exasperation.

"And I thank you for not completely emptying the river of fish."

"I want to be able to fly back here in the future!"

"You are both most welcome here always. We will have better provisions for you when you return to us. Just as all in the Fellowship did, it is no small thing to answer the call for the good of others. I would say only this last reminder before your departure: if you do meet any true dragons from Middle-earth, do not trust them. They have unnatural, magical powers."

"What magical powers? I've heard of the... not looking in their eyes rule before," Hiccup wondered.

"That is the main threat they pose. They can take your memories from you and change your very self. They know when they are being deceived and are also most cunning. Do not underestimate them."

Toothless snarled and thrashed his tail.

"Bilbo told me what Smaug was like. I understand and will keep us both safe."

"I am sure that you will. I hope that your search goes well. Go now with the grace of the Eldar upon you," Elrond stepped back with a slight flourish.

It was time.

Hiccup took his place in the saddle, and Toothless walked over to the clearing where he then spread his wings. They took to the sky without a backward glance, at least not until they were well aloft and pulling out of the verdant valley itself.

By then the figures in Rivendell were indistinguishable from each other.

Toothless roared aloud a cry that echoed off the cliffs on both sides of the hidden vale.

Hiccup blinked away the tears, whether formed by the wind or the odd feeling in his heart, he could not say which.

Forced by necessity from Berk and all he knew to protect his best friend.

Having fled the Shire to keep safe new friends.

Now flying to unknown lands on a mission with no certainty of success.

It felt like he ended up being forced from any place he ever started to get attached to.

Never able to settle down in one place for long.

Never to really have a home and enjoy lasting peace.

He lay flat on Toothless's back and gave him a neck-rub once they leveled out into a stable flight. Toothless always liked that little bit of attention, and he liked giving the Fury that attention.

_True, I had to give up those places: Berk, the Shire, and Rivendell, so that I could do what I had to do. But I'm not alone._

"Bud, I'm glad you're with me."

Toothless glanced back over his shoulder, an eyeridge and his ears lifted in amusement.

"Where else would I be? We are going on an adventure!"

"Yep, it's you and me, bud. Always."

They continued on in a silent, eager flight into the southeast. The skies were clear, and the sun and winds were warm as they flew over the lush forest and rivers and onward toward the massive Misty Mountains that loomed in the distance.

* * *

_**Author's Note – Thus ends Act I and begins the canon plot divergence. Hiccup and Toothless's presence will have greater ripples as this adventure progresses. Act II is definitely better than Act I, mostly because of the greater liberty to do world-building. **__**Please leave any additional preliminary feedback or thoughts you may have over Act I.  
**_


	21. Timeless

Timeless

* * *

The Misty Mountains were easily the largest mountains either of them had ever seen before. They took the precaution of having Hiccup put on some extra layers before they flew up into the heights. The air they were forced up into felt thinner, and the wind cut like a shard of ice against his cheeks. It was even hard to breathe at such heights.

Between rocky, snowcapped peaks, over clouds of mist, and over summits and grey slopes devoid of green, they tracked the Misty Mountains into the south late into the afternoon.

They only stopped once, and it was to do battle.

* * *

Hiccup returned from a rest break on his own, and he saw a very peculiar sight. He and Toothless had touched down on a mostly flat plain with a gentle slope high up in the mountains. It was certainly cold, but it was practically a balmy, fun-in-the-sun day compared to what he grew up surviving on Berk.

But it was not the weather that was so odd. Nor was it that there were several feet of snow beneath him.

Toothless was lying on his back in the snow while furiously thrashing, tail swaying and pushing aside mounds of snow. He looked very silly.

"You okay over there, bud?"

Toothless paused and glanced over toward him. Then the Fury rolled his eyes and lay back down.

"Why would I not be?"

"Is it an itch?" Hiccup teased.

"No!"

"Cold?"

"No, a dragon's soul-fire keeps us warm. But it is also good to feel cold. This is fun!"

The thrashing resumed.

"That's what I wanted to hear!" Hiccup shouted.

"Why?"

"Because you are rubbing off on me, bud."

Toothless huffed and warbled softly to himself in confusion. He was rubbing off on Hiccup? What could that mean?

"What?"

"Yep, I never miss either."

Toothless blinked and stared up at the clouds.

_True, I do not miss with my fire, but what do you mean you do not either?_

He glanced over at Hiccup again and was hit in the face by a ball of snow. He sneezed and shook his head of all the snow.

Hiccup had a thoroughly innocent and absolutely false smile.

_Hiccup, you are prey!_

Toothless rolled onto his paws and crouched down in the snow, tail swaying and ears flattened to make himself look scarier.

His status as a Night Fury had been threatened.

"No... no, no, no, no, no..." Hiccup mumbled, stepping back in alarm.

_Yes, Hiccup, fear me!_

"You dare attack the great Night Fury!"

"Ah... fish!" Hiccup desperately shouted.

"Good try!"

He pounced and knocked Hiccup onto the snowy ground on his back where he could not escape. Then it was time to complete the defeat.

So he raised a paw and started gently beating at Hiccup while Hiccup punched away the paw with his own little ones.

"And, it's ugly!" Hiccup shouted in defiance.

"Give up!" the pawing continued.

"I'll never give up! Dragons and humans, enemies forever!"

The battle ended when he collapsed on Hiccup's front and pinned him into the snow. Hiccup groaned and exhaled with a sigh.

It was over.

So he licked Hiccup in the face to complete the defeat.

"Ugh. Was that really necessary?" Hiccup complained.

"Very," he hummed.

Yet again, his status as a Night Fury had been defended.

* * *

"Well, I'll admit that is awesome," Hiccup breathed in awe.

They were perched on a lower peak on the easternmost side of the Misty Mountains. The range of mountains fell away past a layer of clouds into a very verdant forest and a plain down below. A warm wind blew in their faces.

"Those are good skies to fly in," Toothless agreed.

Hiccup then pulled out and checked the map. There were apparently supposed to be roads leading through the forest of Lorien. However, the forest looked so thick that he probably couldn't see any roads down below.

"Pretty sure that's the place, somewhere in there. Wonder how we're going to find it though. Just keep flying?"

"Yes, we should," Toothless nodded.

They then dove down low above the treetops and through the cloudbank. Hiccup briefly thought about how much better this dive was compared to their first test flight together.

Their flight leveled off into an easy glide over the treetops as the light began to fade.

Evening was nearing.

On they continued, not noticing anything different until the appearance of the forest changed up ahead. The trees started growing far higher than the surrounding forest, as if there was a random hill ahead.

More than that, there was a feeling in the sky itself. The feeling was almost as though there was a presence with them or searching for them.

Toothless was grumbling softly to himself when he heard the whispering call.

_'Never have any of your kind flown here, dragon of night...'_

"What was that!" he barked in alarm and pulled up into a hover.

"Huh? What is it, bud?"

Toothless glanced back at Hiccup in worry. Hearing voices in his own thinking was not good at all!

"Did you hear that?" he warbled.

"No. What did..."

_'Dragon-friend, I am the Lady of Lothlorien...'_

Hiccup gasped as eyes that sparkled with the twilight flashed in his thoughts.

"What!" Hiccup exclaimed in shock.

_'Please join us. I much desire to meet with you both...'_

The voice was gone, and they remained staring at each other in shock.

"Did you hear that? The Lady of Lothlorien thing..." Hiccup nervously asked.

"No, a voice called me dragon of night."

"I heard that something wants to meet us."

Toothless vigorously nodded.

"Yes, it much wants to meet with both of us."

Hiccup closed his eyes in thought and took several very deep breaths to calm himself.

"Okay, we are both hearing a voice at the same time. That must have been Galadriel. Elrond said that she could talk to us... from afar, somehow..."

Then he considered the large grove of trees ahead.

"You know what?"

"What?" Toothless asked.

"That up there looks like what we were supposed to find: the heart of Elvendom in Middle-earth or a place like that. At least, I think that's what Elrond called it."

Wordlessly, they agreed to investigate, and then dove down for the massive trees they had been circling. They found large enough gaps in the trees' crowns to pass through, wove between them, and emerged in the world below.

Toothless pulled up and hovered while Hiccup stared breathlessly for the second time that day.

The largest trees' trunks were wider across than Viking longboats were long. There were walkways, stairs, platforms, and dwellings built into the sides and the crowns of the trees. The buildings were connected with rope bridges hung through the air and between the structures. The walkways were lit by lamps that glowed with a pure, soft, white light.

The place was filled with an ethereal aura.

Awed, they pitched forward and began flying through the alien sky which was hidden from the world above.

Elves were visible all around them on the buildings. Many of the Elves had bows and other weapons in hand, but none of the Elves were drawing their bows or aiming at them even though the Elves were definitely aware of him and Toothless.

"They knew we were coming," Hiccup whispered.

"As long as they do not shoot..." Toothless grumbled.

They flew between two large trunks and out into a clearing. This Elven city stretched out as far as they could see in all directions in the dim light.

"Yes, I did not see any of this from above," Toothless mused.

"I know. It's a hidden Elven world!" Hiccup breathed in awe.

"Where should we go?"

Hiccup was pondering that very question when a faint tugging pulled at him. A beckoning wish and summons.

They both glanced together to one of the highest and brightest of buildings in the tallest crown. There was enough space on it for them to land even as several Elves began assembling on it.

"Let's try up there!" he pointed.

Toothless adjusted his flight, flew higher, and gently touched down in what was almost a courtyard.

Graceful Elven architecture abounded around two flowing thrones. The Elves gathered around the corners of the courtyard were definitely guards from how they were armed with bows and arrows.

At least none of their weapons were pointed their direction.

A lone Elf eventually came forward from the assembly. He had the typical long locks of hair that hung down below his chest. He was also clad in golden or bronze armor while being clad in a green cloak.

All the Elves were staring at Toothless, but they were also calm, clearly aware of what was happening.

Hiccup dismounted and stood at Toothless's side as the Elf cautiously approached and stood before them.

"You are most fortunate that the Lady of Light wishes to meet you... both. I am Haldir."

"My name is Haddock."

"And mine is Toothless."

Haldir frowned.

"A curious name for an uruloke."

"It is my name. I did not know that the Elves greeted guests in this cold way..." Toothless grumbled.

"You are no normal guest. Further, we have been hidden here long. You must understand my reluctance when meeting an apparently benevolent dragon."

"I am a dragon and therefore I am bad?"

Hiccup, frustrated at this reception but not wanting Toothless to get upset, put a hand on Toothless's shoulder.

"Bud, maybe we should let it be. Not everyone can trust others..."

Haldir did not react with any further frustration.

"We were asked to come visit Galadriel. Where is she?" Hiccup asked.

"She will be with you shortly."

"We will wait," Hiccup answered.

Haldir then seemed to notice the bow slung on Hiccup's back.

"That is a Mallorn bow, no make of Man. Did you know that these are Mallorn trees around us."

_Woah, no wonder those are special trees..._

"I heard about that. And yes, Lord Elrond gave me this bow as a gift."

"Have you named it?"

"No. Should I have?"

"It is customary to give a weapon a name, especially when said weapon changes owners."

"I will think about it."

Haldir must have noticed motion because he stepped away and stood at attention without any prompting.

Another Elf appeared from a side chamber. She wore long, flowing robes of pure white and bore a diadem on her brow. Her stride was slow and purposeful, and her blue eyes sparkled as if with starlight. Her golden hair hung in curls down her back and front.

Just like with Elrond, she felt ancient without being old and also powerful with some hidden strength behind her beauty and grace.

Neither of them could speak as she came and stood before them, her robes slowly swaying in the faint wind.

Toothless averted his eyes and shuffled on his paws under her penetrating gaze. Hiccup similarly stared at his shoes.

Her silence was imposing and powerful.

"L.. Lady Galadriel," Hiccup nervously bowed and only hesitantly looked up at her.

She looked away from Toothless and to him. Her eyes almost reminded him of Gothi's in that it felt like she was looking through him and could see all his fears.

Then she spoke in a slow, musical, and deliberate voice.

"Elen síla lumenn' omentielvo. Welcome to Lothlorien."

Her melodious voice echoed and flowed in the air and their memory while her robes fluttered in the faint wind.

"This place is very... beautiful... my Lady," Hiccup whispered, feeling overcome with her presence.

"Caras Galadhon, this place is named. My Lord Celeborn and I have protected it through the ages, keeping it hidden from the Enemy and all his servants. No creatures of evil are allowed to pass the borders of this land."

She turned to stare again at Toothless. The powerful silence stretched out.

"What do you think I am?" Toothless whispered back to her.

"That is no easy question to answer, one who lives in the shadows."

She started slowly pacing in front of them while staring unblinking at Toothless. She neither smiled nor frowned.

"You have Fea just as do the many races of Men, Elves, and Dwarves."

"Fea? What do you mean by that?" Toothless questioned.

"Soul. The breath of life, the Flame Imperishable, which only Eru can bestow. The Great Enemy could not create new life; he could only mock and twist what was already in being. None now know what life he tortured and twisted to bring about dragons, but he did so, long ago. And now a dragon stands before me, peacefully speaking with me and seemingly different from all others that were before him..."

Hiccup stepped over to Toothless and put a hand on his shoulder to reassure both of them.

"That pretty much sums it up..." he whispered.

"Lord Elrond of Rivendell spoke to me about you two. He shared everything which you have told him. I know of your story. I know that you spared each other's lives when you could have taken them instead. However, I suspect that there is more which you have not shared yet..." Galadriel cryptically added.

"What do you mean?" Hiccup wondered.

Galadriel turned aside to greet a small company of arriving Elves, one of whom strode up to her and took her hand in his own. That was certainly Celeborn, her husband and fellow Lord. Incredibly, he did not appear at all worried for her meeting with Toothless on her own.

"I mean that you must be weary after a long journey here from Rivendell. We have guest rooms, and you are welcome to one of them. We will also provide food and drink for you," she explained.

_'I will speak with you both later...'_

Her lips did not move, and she gave no indication of speaking, but they heard her voice anyway.

Hiccup then realized or better appreciated the obvious that she must have magic, the same as Gandalf. It would explain much of her strangeness. Then he remembered a request that was made of him.

"Gandalf the Grey wished me to give you his regards, Lady Galadriel."

She smiled freely at that for the first time in this meeting, and then Celeborn gestured to an attendant.

"You are both welcome here. As incredible as it is that we are now hosting a dragon," he formally stated.

"I am not like the dragons that you know," Toothless firmly answered.

Celeborn inclined his head slightly while Galadriel gave a faint, yet solemn, smile.

* * *

"That is an amazing view," Hiccup sat on the ledge with his feet dangling over a several-hundred foot drop.

Toothless lay with his head on his front paws next to him. Together, they stared out at the pale light from the lanterns high up in the crowns of the massive trees and the buildings built in them.

"Yes, it is. I did not know that any two-legs, Elves, build up in trees like this."

"Or that trees could grow this tall," Hiccup added.

"How long do you think the Elves have been living here?"

"No idea. Thousands of years, maybe. Who knows what worlds are in hiding somewhere? The dragon nest was almost like a hidden world that the Vikings never could find."

A purr and peaceful silence followed that. It was impossible to tell the passing of time with almost nothing changing around them.

Then the singing started.

It was a slow Elven song that floated through the air from an unclear direction. Almost as though all the Elves were singing it across all the unknown expanse of Lothlorien.

Hiccup could not understand the words, but the impression he got from the song was that of timeless mourning at the passing of ages.

"Maybe all that stuff we heard about Elves is true," he whispered.

"What did we hear?"

Hiccup waved a hand at the entire visible world before them. The walkways between trees, the homes set among the trees, and the elegance of all that was built.

"That they grow tired of living forever."

"I was born before the First Age," Galadriel whispered from behind them.

They both started in surprise and gasped as they spun around. She stood in the same white dress and robes she had worn upon their first meeting. Her appearance was very sudden.

"How did you get there!" Toothless barked.

"I can be hidden when I wish. Please follow me," she cryptically answered.

"Excuse me, but where are we going?" Hiccup got to his feet.

"To a mirror."

"A mirror?"

"I will meet you at the base of this tree."

Galadriel then spun around and left the guesthouse for the stairs.

"Shall we, bud?"

Toothless yawned but got to his feet, perching on the ledge as Hiccup climbed on his back. They silently glided down to the ground, and then Hiccup hopped down from him.

The ground was mossy, moist, and a mix of wild and maintained. There were babbling streams and dirt paths running between the massive trees' trunks. Mushrooms grew freely in the shadows and flowering plants glowed with light. Crickets and other night creatures were singing their songs.

"Please follow me," Galadriel whispered as she stepped up next to them.

They both jumped in surprise, again, as Galadriel started down one of the paths. Both of their gazes went up the several hundred feet toward their guesthouse, now only visible from the pure white lamps glowing within. Then they glanced back at each other, jaws hanging open in shock.

"How did she just..."

"By the skies..."

"That's definitely not natural, probably because she's a Wizard or something like one..."

Regardless of how she covered the distance so quickly, they followed after her. It was not hard to do since she almost radiated white light, or maybe that was only the intensity of her dress.

None of them said anything on the journey as thought itself failed them.

Walking in the peaceful night.

Hearing the flowing water and whisper of the wind.

Smelling the clear air and fragrant flowers, some of which even shed light of their own.

They passed a small and grassy hill with two circles of trees growing on it. The outer circle of trees had white bark and the inner circle was Mallorns. Two different types of flowers appeared to bloom on the hill.

Hiccup paused in awe and confusion when he heard how the faint wind blowing through the branches impossibly carried the echo of sea-birds and the crash of the sea.

He wiped away a tear that he did not know he had wept, and then he resumed walking at Toothless's side.

"This place is amazing..." Hiccup whispered.

"I know. I have never seen anything like this..." Toothless hummed.

Galadriel led them to a grassy grove with a stone dias in its center. A babbling stream flowed among the nearby roots of the largest tree.

For some odd reason, she retrieved a pitcher and filled it with the water from the stream. Then she took the pitcher and filled the basin in the stone dias.

"What is this place?" Hiccup whispered.

Galadriel turned back to the basin, and she lowered her voice as she set the pitcher on the dias.

"The mirror shows many things. Things that were, things that are, and some things that have not yet happened. When you are ready you may look and see what you must. But first I would speak to you both. Lord Elrond told me that you are not of this world. He said that you were summoned here by a great power and for an unknown reason."

Toothless hummed softly and nodded.

"All I know is that we flew through strange skies. It was like all the skies were tight around me."

Galadriel closed her eyes and went silent, very deep in thought.

"Do you know about that?" Hiccup asked.

"There are few powers great enough to work such a deed. Though why Eru would allow it... unless there was a reason... and not truly lost..."

"Excuse me?" Hiccup whispered.

He felt very awkward interrupting her, but this directly concerned him and Toothless.

Her gaze was still very powerful even though she was relaxed and calm as she spoke.

"To reach across time and space and tear open such a path is an act which no normal power in Middle-earth could do. Sauron, or his Master, could perhaps do it if either were restored to their full power. He would gather all evil to him. But no, he is weak still, lacking much of his strength, and cannot do so except perhaps through another."

She looked down into the mirror. Its surface remained as black as ever, save for the faint light from above.

"I don't understand," Hiccup sighed.

"Me neither," Toothless grumbled.

Galadriel gave them both a kind, sympathetic smile.

"There is much history which you do not know, Hiccup Haddock. Much that once was is lost, for few now live who remember. All creation was sung into being by the great powers. But the first and highest of the created ones, Morgoth, sang discordant notes. He sang his own song born of pride during the Great Music, and thus he corrupted the whole created world and became the Great Enemy. He was defeated long ago and cast beyond the Door of Night, but his influence remains in Middle-earth and will mar all of Arda until the new Song is sung after the breaking of the world."

She briefly paused.

"Sauron, Morgoth's servant, is similar and has given much of his power to others while he has been formless. Sauron's greatest servant, the Witch-king of Angmar, the first of the Nazgul and a mighty sorcerer, might have been the one who summoned you here at his master's bidding. The Witch-king is one of the few that might remember the Forgotten Words of Power."

"But why am I... are we here?" Toothless grumbled.

Galadriel's eyes flashed as she stared at him.

"Why? Why would Sauron summon a powerful dragon and possible ally to Middle-earth? He wants you to join his cause."

Toothless hung his head and whined softly.

"He brought creatures of evil to this world, and that brought me?"

Galadriel strode to him and lifted his chin with a finger.

"Speak to me. Do you think you are above temptation? Do you believe that the sickness of gold has no power over you?"

"I..."

He gave a groan of resignation and acceptance as he wearily closed his eyes.

"I do feel... twisted... around gold. I do not want to feel it, and I know that it is not good, but..."

She stepped back from him.

"You are aware of it, and you know that it is not good even though it is part of you now. Maybe you are originally descended from Morgoth's corruption, but that is not all that you are. A creature of evil cannot comprehend true good. Mercy is not possible for such corrupt beings, nor even for a mere beast that lacks soul and choice. They cannot understand it. But you showed your friend mercy when you spared him. You trusted him even before you learned that he could help you fly again."

"True..." Toothless whispered.

"But why do you resist now? It would be easier for you to give in to those temptations," she asked.

Toothless glanced at Hiccup.

"I... I should resist them for Hiccup. He would want me to fight."

"For him? No. You need a better reason than that. What if he was not here? Then what reason would you have for resisting?"

"It would not be right or good for me to give in..."

"A dragon naturally from Middle-earth would not agree. They would say it is bad for you not to take a hoard and to not kill whoever you want. To not want to hoard and kill is to make yourself smaller and weaker, so they would say," she countered.

Toothless considered it again, all his reasons for resisting that part of his soul-fire that whispered in the Barrow, whenever he was around gold, and whenever he was around the Ring.

"Gold has control over me. It makes me not free. Not truly me. I want to be free of it, even if part of me does not..."

She solemnly nodded to him.

"You are complex just like any human, Elf, or Dwarf. You have a free will because you know what would be natural or wrong and you can choose to resist it. So I ask you, what is greater? To be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?"

Toothless was left speechless, silently considering all she had said. It was all he could do to purr softly to her.

Then she turned to Hiccup.

"And you, son of the chief, your heart is very troubled. But why?"

"Because I'm so far from home and in a new world," Hiccup answered.

"That may be part of it. We Elves are far from home as long as we live in Middle-earth. We all long for our true home in Valinor. The call of the sea is most powerful for Elves of the woodland realms. Once we hear the white gulls calling, our hearts will never be at peace here. This realm is one where we can feel the timelessness of Valinor, so long as we endure here."

"Lorien is very, very beautiful, my Lady," Hiccup whispered.

"But there is far more to your unease than only being far from home."

How easily she saw through his excuses, reluctance, and uncertainty.

"You're right. I don't belong in this world."

"You do not belong here? Why do you think that?"

"With all due respect, my Lady, look at me. I am not a fighter or brave or..."

"Hiccup, we have talked about this..." Toothless growled softly, interrupting him.

"I know, bud. But I cannot really do anything that matters. The only thing I did that mattered to anyone was sparing you..."

Galadriel interjected.

"And is that not enough for you? Whoever saves one life saves an entire world. You have not yet found your purpose in this world, though I think you know what it is."

"I really don't."

She looked away into the distance.

"I understand that four Hobbits are among the Fellowship now escorting the Ring to its doom. Do you think that anyone could have imagined that a halfling would be best to carry the Ring? Why not a great Captain of Gondor, a Wizard of the Istari, an Elven prince, a stubborn Dwarf, or the Heir of Isildur? Would they not be greater and better to carry the Ring?"

Then she paused and closed her eyes.

"What about me? What if I were given a chance to bear the One? How could I change the world if I am great enough to claim the One, master it, and use it only for good?"

She clasped her hands together while staring up at the surrounding trees. A very faint blue glow, just barely visible, appeared around her as the wind picked up.

"You mean Sauron's Ring?" Toothless asked.

"Yes," she breathed.

"Is there something bad about the one you have now?" Toothless added.

The strange moment passed as her eyes narrowed on him, and she spoke in a deliberate, warning tone.

"Speak not of that again, Toothless. I know that you are aware of Gandalf's ring, but speak no more of this or it. Neither you, Haddock."

There was a power in her voice that was irresistible, so they both nodded in agreement.

Toothless then answered her.

"I understand. If I could answer your question for Hiccup, Frodo is best to carry the Ring because he does not want it and because he is not... great. It is harder for the Ring to twist those who do not want power."

"Very true. Even the smallest people can change the course of the future. You, Hiccup, feel lost here, as if you do not have a place or a way to make the world better."

"Yes."

"The Enemy wanted to bring Toothless here to use as a weapon, but Sauron did not think it possible that Toothless would not want to be a monster. He also did not plan on you coming with your friend. Even the Ring did not intend to be found as it was long ago. Many things happen differently from how the powers intend them to happen."

She looked very thoughtful.

"And there is more, even Morgoth or Sauron could not intervene, break the rules, and bring you two here without Eru's permission. It is curious that you both arrived now of all times in history. You were meant to come here, both of you together, and there must be a reason for that. There must be something that you are meant to do here."

"I wish I knew what that was," Hiccup frowned.

"Even the very wise cannot see all ends. That should be an encouraging thought."

"I... suppose so," Hiccup whispered.

Then she gestured them both toward the mirror. Its dark surface was as smooth as glass. Something looked strangely ominous about its appearance.

"What do we do?" Hiccup warily asked.

"Look into the mirror, and you will see what you need to see..."

Hiccup took a breath to steady himself and then stepped up onto the dias. The water's dark surface was still and calm and moving and flowing and...

_Astrid was showing Stoick around the cove, pointing at the various shed scales on the ground while Stoick looked around in shock._

_Berk was in a raid with dragons flying every direction, flaming at Vikings, and picking up sheep to carry off._

_Stoick tallied the losses in the Great Hall and then gave a gruff growl that so few were lost. It was a good raid in that it was not as bad as the ones in previous years. Everyone had learned a lot in the last few years._

_Gobber trained the next class in the Kill Ring. New techniques involving spearing eels, using dragon-nip, and exploiting certain vulnerable places that could pacify some dragons had become commonplace and very effective._

_Astrid ran to rescue a child from a burning building and then grabbed buckets of water to put out the fire afterwards. All the training was being put to good use, and she was rising in status within the tribe._

_Snotlout flexed his muscles and kissed his massive arms; he felt very pleased with his progress at becoming irresistible._

_Fishlegs was scribbling at a new dragon manual and furiously adding recently obtained knowledge and statistics to an updated version._

_The Twins were somewhere within a pile of wreckage after failed, or maybe successful, attempts at pranking each other at the same time._

_A six-eyed, massive creature hid in its mountain as its thralls obediently fed it catches and themselves when they did not bring food back. But it was getting old and slow. Already its total control over its thralls was fading._

_Toothless reared back from him in alarm and betrayal. The Fury hesitated on the ledge, turned tail on him, and flew off toward the twilight horizon._

_Wings were disappearing, were passing into the orange sunset._

Hiccup stepped back from the placid mirror in total shock at what he saw. He spun away from the mirror while gasping for breath and then stared out into the peace of the woods at night.

It was an odd mix of Berk being the same and also having changed in crucial ways. They must have learned some of his dragon-wrangling tricks somehow, though he was not sure how they could have done so. He had brought his journal with him, so it wasn't from that.

_Maybe Astrid figured it out after thinking about what she saw in the ring. Maybe I should have gone after her._

_'The mirror shows many things. Things that were, things that are, and some things that have not yet happened.'_

_Maybe they learned another way after all. That part about Toothless though... gods..._

_'I know what you saw...'_

He warily looked up into Galadriel's starlight eyes. She had been speaking to him again without speaking aloud.

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?" she whispered.

"Talk with... thought."

"It is osanwe. I wish for you to hear me and you hear me."

He doubted that he would get a better explanation than that. It was magic.

"Is it true? What I saw."

"You have to discern that for yourself. Maybe the paths that you each shall tread are already laid before your feet, though you do not see them. Could it happen, or is it only what you would wish would happen or not happen?"

Leaving him to ponder that, she then turned to Toothless and gestured him up to the mirror.

"Me?" he warbled in surprise.

"Yes, you should look also."

He carefully stepped up next to the stone, put his paws on the basin, and looked down into the water.

The calm water was glowing with starlight and moonlight and...

_The nest was loud._

_The dragons were flying in chaos until the largest of all calmed them._

_A tiny black shape bounded and stumbled unsteadily on the rocks._

_It watched and cried out as a pair of shadows vanished from sight and never returned._

_It was alone._

_Years passing in which it was provided for by other dams._

_Slowly growing larger and stronger._

_The only one of its special kind._

_A leader on the necessary attacks._

_Protecting dragons from the humans who they had to fight._

_It was the way of nature, the way of the wild, the struggle for life._

_If only there was another way._

_Then there was another way._

_Mercy shown by a human and given to a human._

_Trust given by a human and shown to a human._

_Flight and hope restored._

_A new world of peril and possibility._

_Green warmth and acceptance._

_Danger, peace, and a long flight._

_A massive skull staring back at him._

_The cold reaches of ice and snow._

_Reclusive shadows just out of sight._

_Dark silhouettes with haunting cries under a rainy night and thick clouds._

_Fire and smoke above a field of white._

_A lightning-crowned shadow towered into the heavens and reached out..._

He stepped back from the mirror and hopped onto the dirt ground while giving a soft whimper and heaving for breath.

_'Yours has been a painful path, dark one.'_

Her thought voice was twisting, but it was also comforting at the same time. Hers did not feel anything like the nest monster's thought-whispering that wiggled into his own thoughts and tried to grow. Hers felt more like a warm wind that brushed against his soul-fire with a very different strength.

"It has," he sighed and sat down with his tail stilled, "I wish that so much of this had not happened as it did. My sire and dam disappearing. Being the only one of my kind. Being grounded."

"You are not grounded while you have Hiccup with you," she rightly observed.

_'But you want more?'_

He warily hummed and looked up at her after deciding that it could not hurt to ask.

"Yes, I can fly while I have Hiccup with me. You have... powers, true?"

"Whatever you wish to call them, I do."

"Can you heal my tail?"

Hiccup froze at that simple question asked for the second time now. He knew that if anyone could, Galadriel would probably be able to. She was a Wizard... or something like that.

What was Toothless trying to do? Replace him? Make them not need each other?

"No, Toothless," she solemnly answered, "I know of no power in Middle-earth that can do such a thing. Not with magic. My strength is in concealment and resisting temptation, not in healing what is broken. Elrond is more skilled at such than I am."

Toothless nodded and hung his head in reluctant acceptance.

"Do not let your heart be troubled, dark one."

"That is easy to think when you are not the one who is tempted to be bad," he grumbled.

"Do not be so sure of that. I have made mistakes of my own, choices that I wish I had not made. Even so, we all need encouragement and assistance when the light fades. You might say that no one flies alone in life..."

Galadriel then stepped away from the mirror and gestured to them.

"I have kept you both from rest for too long. Go now and rest, for you are weary with toil and council. I will meet again with you before you depart on your journey..."

Then she started down the path, her white garments trailing behind her. She did not look back.

_'Hiccup Haddock, you must learn to trust yourself and him...'_

He blinked, and she was gone, likely vanished behind a tree.

_I do trust him. What does she mean by that?_

"Hiccup, what did you see in the water?" Toothless turned to him and asked.

Hiccup shrugged.

"Nothing really important... I saw Berk again. It looked like things got better without me there. They might have learned some new... ways."

"That is good. You can stop being so twisted and wanting to go back there," Toothless hummed.

"Yeah, that's one way to look at it," he shrugged.

_The other is that they didn't really need me for anything..._

"What about you, bud? What did you see?"

Toothless briefly paused before he shrugged his shoulders.

"I did not understand much of it except seeing my sire and dam fly away when I was very small. I barely remembered any of that. There were other small things I saw also."

A pair of yawns escaped from them at the same time.

"Agreed. We really should get some rest. That was a full day of farewells, flying, playing, and meeting with someone who is probably a Wizard or something like one..." Hiccup returned to Toothless's side as he crouched down.

Toothless chuckled softly as Hiccup strapped himself in.

"One good thing about this flight we will fly is that it will be more like what we are used to: sleeping under the stars, you under my wing, us on an adventure together."

"Yep, and I'm looking forward to it, even if it will be cold!"

They glanced back at the mirror one more time, and then they took to the bounded sky. Their flight gradually ascended between the massive Mallorns while the Elf-song echoed in the air. Neither of them said anything else that night.

* * *

_**Author's Note – Who spotted the The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim reference? For those who are curious and do not know already, Galadriel's greeting of 'Elen síla lumenn' omentielvo' translates as 'A star shines on the hour of our meeting.'**_


	22. Behold The Light

_**Author's Note – None of the information in this note impacts this story, but I wanted to briefly mention something about Galadriel since nothing of her backstory is presented in the cinematic productions. She is part of a group of Elves who rebelled and left Valinor/The Undying Lands in favor of ruling over a portion of Middle-earth long ago. While her history is less spotless than the films implied, she never became a truly morally grey figure. She was not part of the Kinslayings (Elves killing fellow Elves). Yes, Elves in the First Age were very different from the film portrayals of Elves. Feanor is to blame for a lot of that. Anyway, Galadriel always used her ring for good purposes only. Just thought you'd like to know these details.**_

* * *

Behold The Light

* * *

The constant patter of a soft rain sounded in the morning. The light never grew too bright, both because of the clouds and also because of the massive Mallorn crowns which cast the entire world beneath in shadow. A clean, soft wind flowed through the branches around the platform and large tent he and Toothless were given.

Hiccup lay with his hands behind his head while listening to the drizzle and the faint Elven song that even now echoed through the air.

"Melmemma noren sina..."

"Nur ala earo nur..."

"Si dannatha nauva..."

He had no idea what the words in the song meant, but they were peaceful, solemn, and timeless. He had to wipe away a few tears that he didn't know he had shed.

_What a place..._

He kept listening to the ethereal singing while his thoughts wandered far.

While this hidden Elven world was amazing in so many ways, it also felt like this was a place of hiding away, which it absolutely was. The Elves of this people hid themselves away from dangers while trying to preserve their past and also while the Elves remained ready for war.

This realm did not feel anything like the rest of the Middle-earth that he had seen. The trees were different, the people were different, everything was different and strange. Even Rivendell was still part of the land and open to the sky, but the depths of Lothlorien felt like... another world entirely. This was a place of magic mirrors and visions, massive and towering trees that felt especially alive, constant song, and passing of lifetimes.

This was not a human world at all.

Then he sighed, not sure what he was truly feeling, shuffled over to Toothless, and flicked one of his ears.

"Sleep well, bud?"

"Until an annoying human tickled me awake..." Toothless grumbled without opening his eyes or moving.

"I thought you wouldn't want to miss the basket of fish."

Toothless flew to his paws and spun around, looking wildly for the basket.

"Where is it?" he barked.

"Not here yet," Hiccup shrugged.

Toothless settled down and glared at him.

"You woke me up for fish that are not here yet!" he indignantly pointed a paw.

"Gotcha! I just didn't want you to sleep all day."  
"I would not do that! Not now on this journey anyway," Toothless pleasantly fumed.

"And to talk about anything if you want to..." Hiccup added with a contented sigh.

"Like what?" Toothless asked while resting his head on his paws.

Hiccup shuffled over and leaned against his side. Together, they stared out at the mystical view of Lothlorien, now so peaceful in the steady drizzle. They saw a few Elves walking along the pathways built into the Mallorns or between the massive branches.

"I don't know. Anything. How about this: what happens if we do find other dragons?"

"Good ones or bad ones?"

"Good ones. Other Night Furies, maybe. Hopefully."

Toothless's tail twitched on the floor next to him while the Fury hesitated to answer.

"I try to not think about it. That way I cannot be disappointed by not finding them."

"That's understandable, but we should have some idea what to do about them," Hiccup frowned.

"I do not know my kind though."

"No, but let's think about it anyway. We can figure something out. They will be as smart as you, that's for sure. They will probably be able to talk just like you can."

"True."

"You want to find others of your kind, so they might live in a pack instead of on their own. They are living somewhere far away from humans or anyone else. They live out in the wild because... they want to stay as far away from humans as they can... because they remember being hunted before and the fighting in the past, probably. Out there is where they feel safe."

Toothless thought about it and then huffed after nodding.

"That all has lift. We are going to tell them they should come back and fight in a war for humans? Why would they do that? Why would they leave the life that they know?" Toothless countered.

Hiccup hesitated to give an answer to that.

"Yeah, I'm not sure about that. Maybe because it is the right thing to do. That sometimes there is no choice but to fight."

"But why would they trust humans when humans probably hurt them in the past?"

A pensive silence ensued while they both thought about the answer to that obstacle.

"Why did you trust me, bud?"

Toothless curled his tail around Hiccup and lay the tailfin in his lap.

"Because you proved yourself to me even after I got hurt..."

Hiccup nodded while stroking the tailfin. He glanced around the platform, feeling for a moment as though they were not alone, but there was no one else there.

"It should be much better for them in this world. Remember that Elrond, Gandalf, Strider-Aragorn, and even the Elves here, none of them saw or even heard of any Night Furies before. That means that there has probably not been any fighting between the Furies and humans or anyone else in this world. If the Furies, or even other dragons that we know, do join the war on our side, well, there is a saying that goes like 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'."

Toothless hummed in thought.

"Seeing humans and dragons joining flights against the same enemy would help make trust," he agreed.

"That would be a start, but more would be needed for the peace to last," Galadriel spoke.

They both jumped in surprise and wonder at the suddenness of her appearance and how silent she could be. She stood at the door to their combination platform and tent. However, she was not alone. She was hand in hand with her husband, both of them fully clad in pure white. Several other attendants stood behind them.

"I trust that you both rested well," Celeborn regally greeted them.

"Lord Celeborn, Lady Galadriel," Hiccup got to his feet and bowed.

Toothless did likewise with a bow of his head.

"When do you plan on departing from our realm?" Celeborn asked.

They glanced at each other, silently coming to agreement.

"We want to fly soon. Today if we can," Hiccup answered.

"We thought it would be so. We have brought supplies for both of you," Celeborn gestured to his attendants.

The other Elves came forth and started piling various things on the floor in the middle of the platform. Then the other Elves departed, leaving only Celeborn and Galadriel with them.

"What are these?" Hiccup politely asked while investigating some odd vials and what looked like loaves of bread wrapped in large leaves.

Celeborn answered his question.

"The drink is Miruvor, a cordial that should be drunk sparingly. The bread we call Lembas. It will keep for many months, and, while it will not fill the belly entirely, it strengthens the will and endurance the longer you rely on it. This should be enough to sustain you for several months in the barren lands, should you need it."

The Elf-lord turned over a cloth which hid a quiver and a cloak.

"We also will gift you several Galadhrim arrows for your bow. They have been blessed so that they will not fail you so long as your purpose is pure. Finally, you may find this cloak helpful against the cold or if you must hide."

Hiccup took up the dark green cloak and threw it around his shoulders. It was not heavy, but it was very warm, which could be very helpful in the north. The part about it helping him to hide was strange though and made little sense.

He glanced at Toothless, who gave him a purr of approval, and then he bowed to Galadriel and Celeborn.

"That is all very helpful. Thank you."

"I hear that you plan to stop at Dale on your venture to the Heath. I would recommend that you obtain additional supplies for your journey into the far North there," Celeborn suggested.

"We will, Lord."

Celeborn inclined his head and then stepped back. He retrieved a basket which had been out of sight. The basket was filled with fresh fish.

_Where did they get those from?_

"I hope that this is satisfactory to you, good dragon."

"It is. You have my thanks," Toothless answered.

"I shall leave you now. My Lady has one final gift for you."

Celeborn then departed, his white robes vanishing outside the corner of the large tent.

Galadriel approached them. She drew a long, thin cord from a pocket in her flowing white dress.

"I have a special gift for you, Toothless."

Toothless looked up from the basket of untouched fish.

She held out her hand, the cord dangling from both sides off her open palm. The cord held a small silver pendant. In the center of the pendant was a small, white jewel like a pearl.

The pearl glowed from within with a very faint but pure white light.

They both stared in awe.

Hiccup had never seen anything like this before. Rocks or crystals that could make light were amazingly beautiful. Had he heard any stories about gems that glowed with light? It felt like he had somewhere...

Toothless could not look away from the gem. The tiny rock that was burning with light was soul-fire-warming and precious, and the light felt unnaturally powerful, as if the jewel was truly a star. He had seen dead gems that did not have any light in the Barrow-wight's den, but this was very different.

"What is it?" he whispered.

"It is a gem in which I have bestowed some of the light of Earendil," she whispered.

"What is Earendil?" Hiccup softly asked.

She gave a very ancient and warm smile as she looked to the hidden heavens.

"Earendil the Mariner sailed across the great sea to Valinor to beg aid for all of Middle-earth in a time of need. He brought back the Valar themselves, who then fought against Morgoth and cast the Great Enemy beyond the edge of the world and outside the Door of Night until the end of time. It was in that battle that Earendil, flying in his sky-ship, Vingilot, and aided by the Great Eagles, slew the greatest dragon that ever was, Ancalagon the Black, whose fall destroyed the three peaks of Thangorodrim. For his valor, Earendil was set among the stars, to fly forever in his sky-ship with his Silmaril upon his brow. He waits there as a sign of hope until the end days."

She kissed the small, glowing pearl. Then she gazed at Toothless as he stared wide-eyed at the jewel.

"This light is but a pale image of the Silmaril he carries now, but know that no being of evil could bear this light for long without suffering great pain. Ela i ca! What do you think of it?"

Toothless, numb and at a loss for words, still stared at the glowing jewel. Unlike with gold or the presence of the Ring, there was no deep desire to claim or hoard despite this being a very precious thing. This was entirely different.

"I feel warm. It is very beautiful."

Without any further words, she strode over to him and slung the looped cord over his head and down his neck. The small pendant came to rest snug on his chest after she secured the loop and tied it off. Then she stepped back and nodded to him.

"It is most appropriate that you should be the one to bear this. It will shine brightest when night and despair are upon you. Let it be a light for you in dark places when all other lights have faded."

He held up a paw to the small gem and touched it.

"It can help me not be tempted by gold?" he whispered in wonder.

"Yes, it can be a light for you, but it is not the greatest protection you have."

She spun in place and paused at the entrance to their platform-tent, where she then turned back to them.

"If you see a dark tower in the south of Mirkwood, pass by that place without stopping there. There is nothing good in Dol Guldur. Mirkwood is also home to fell things, and you should avoid those woods if you can. I bid the winds be warm and the blessings of the Valar and the Eldar upon you. The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the Earth. I smell it in the air. What will you change next, I wonder?"

She held up her hand, and there was a flash of light. They blinked, and she was gone from sight without even seeming to have departed.

They recovered themselves and stared at each other in a stupor. Both of their gazes were eventually drawn to the jewel on the pendant hanging from Toothless's neck. The light the pearl shed was just barely visible on Toothless's chest.

Hiccup stumbled over to him and held the pendant for a moment. The pendant felt unnaturally warm in his palm.

"That is... something special... bud."

"I know," Toothless again nudged the pendant with his paw.

Then he chuckled softly.

"This is a good hoard."

"Yeah, I'll agree with that. I hope it helps you not feel so... twisted and tempted."

"Somehow, I think it will help me."

Hiccup then looked around at all the various items that they had been left with.

"Great, guess I should get packing."

Toothless snorted.

"I will pack away the fish."

"Bet you will. Finally found something the dragon is good at..."

The tail swept him off his feet and sent him tumbling to the floor.

"I should have seen that one coming..." Hiccup chuckled.

"Yes, you should have," Toothless laughed.

Hiccup packed away the wrapped Lembas bread and the vials of Miruvor while Toothless attended to the basket of fish. The Fury spared one fish and flamed it for him.

At some point Hiccup realized that the rain had stopped falling.

_That looks like a sign to me..._

He strapped the additional supplies into the riding rig, fitted the tailfin on again, and then he had his dragon-flamed fish for breakfast. Once he finished, he joined Toothless on the ledge where they perched and once again beheld the alien beauty of Lothlorien.

The massive Mallorn trees with homes, stairs, and halls woven into their trunks and crowns. The aetherial song that floated on the wind. The pure lights from lamps slung along walkways and rope bridges. The timeless beauty and elegance of this unearthly place that probably had no equal in all Middle-earth.

"I'll miss this little hidden world," Hiccup sighed.

"Me also. But we will remember it always. I think we will see this place again," Toothless purred.

"Yeah, I'd like that. Probably wouldn't want to live here, but just to see it again... definitely."

Hiccup briefly held Toothless's pendant in his hand. The tiny pearl almost glowed brighter for a moment before fading again.

"You want to keep that on for now?"

"Yes, I do," Toothless purred.

"Alright then. Are you ready to fly?"

"Am I a dragon?"

"Yeah, good point."

Toothless held his head high and perched on the ledge while Hiccup hopped into the saddle. Wings were spread as they prepared to leap.

A faint flash of light gave them pause before they took flight.

Galadriel stood on a far ledge. She was visible upon it since she wore her pure white as always. Her hand was raised toward them in a gesture of parting. A faint light like that of a star burned on her hand.

_'Namarie, farewell until we meet again...'_

Another flash of light followed. She vanished from sight as though she were only a phantom.

_Gods, that's magic..._

Hiccup remembered that she was a secret bearer of a ring of power. Perhaps that explained some of her strangeness. That Gandalf had a ring explained some of why simply being around him was encouraging.

"Let's go," Hiccup whispered.

Toothless gave a solemn yet piercing roar as he jumped from the ledge. He soared up between the massive Mallorns and gradually spun higher toward the beams of light from above. He twisted and turned through the interwoven crowns until a large opening appeared before them.

With a spin and a joyful cry, they burst from between the branches and emerged in the open sky, the storm clouds having passed and a bright sun now shining down on the forest of Lorien in all directions out to the horizon. The massive trees' green crowns below flowed in the warm wind.

There was no indication that an Elven realm lay hidden down below in the forest.

Their flight turned for the northeast. Somewhere beyond the horizon lay the expanse of Mirkwood and the far distant realm of Erebor beyond which the first of their true destinations lay.

The Withered Heath.

But first they would make at least one stop.

* * *

His wings did not tire at all.

This new strength he felt was probably a combination of having had many fish, the knowledge that he was on a flight to possibly find his kin, having his friend and human brother with him, and the warming, precious jewel he now carried.

They had left behind the woods of Lorien the prior day and had flown over a massive plain and river, the shores of which they had slept by last night. This day of flight had brought them deep over the massive forest called Mirkwood. They had been aloft without stopping well past midday.

He glared down at the forest and growled at it again.

Its appearance looked very twisted and wrong. It looked from above to be very thick and dark, but in a different way from how Lothlorien was dark. There were many barren trees interspersed with the green ones. This forest almost reminded him of the old forest that had tried to attack him in harmless ways.

Whatever was wrong and twisted about this forest, he had no desire to stop there at all, especially since Galadriel had warned him and Hiccup against stopping here.

Neither of them said anything as they continued on through the afternoon.

Finally, they arrived at a small mountain range around sunfall. The mountains were mostly barren at their rocky peaks, though there were some large trees with twisted, knotted crowns. The forest at the base of the mountains was covered in a smothering mist and fog that reminded them both of the Barrow-Downs.

"Bud, I hate to say it, but we should rest soon," Hiccup offered.

"Yes, we should."

He dove for the nearest mountain, but then almost immediately recoiled in alarm and hovered in the air. He saw a number of large holes around the base of the mountain. Creatures always lived in such holes. There were also what looked like large spiderwebs on some of the smaller trees.

"What's the matter, bud? See anything?"

He pointed a forepaw at what he saw.

"Bad things live there."

"It's too far away for me to see. I'll trust you on that. What should we do?" Hiccup asked.

"We should rest now, but we need a safe place to do it," he growled.

The peaks looked free of true danger, at least in one place.

He flashed his teeth and purred deeply.

"I know where!"

"Alright, lead the way."

They flew up the slope of the mountains while he looked for an appropriate location. Then he saw one and dove for it after a wingbeat of consideration.

The tree he touched down in was a very big one about halfway up the slope. The knotted branches were more than large enough to hold his weight, though he carefully tested them to make sure they were not rotted inside.

"We sleeping up here?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes, the ground is not safe for you."

"No argument from me, bud."

A couple leaps and bounds left him tightly wedged in a nook where he could lay down on his side. If it were only himself he could have just hung by his tail from a large branch to be more comfortable.

He doubted that Hiccup could sleep well upside down, so this would have to work instead.

Hiccup hopped down from his back, and he held Hiccup tightly to his belly with a wing draped over him.

_He should be warm there._

"Thanks, bud. This is crazy, sleeping in a tree," Hiccup whispered.

"Do you miss the den in the Shire and the beds in the Elf-cities?"

Hiccup shrugged.

"Maybe a little, but we're going on an adventure, so it's fine..."

Something was twisted about the way Hiccup said that. Maybe it was just that he was tired after a full day of flying, but that did not feel right.

"Hiccup, is something nibbling your tail?"

"You haven't changed me into a dragon yet, so I don't have a tail..." Hiccup chuckled.

He snorted.

"You know what I meant..."

"I'm just eager to get out there, just the two of us, and start searching."

"So am I."

He remained awake well after the stars came out and Hiccup's breaths slowed. Nothing moved on the mountain for a long time. There was a distant flurry of motion under a far grove of trees, small shapes scuttling along under them. A few twisted calls and cries echoed in the night. A pawful of bats and other winged things flew by.

But nothing came their way or noticed him.

He was nothing but a shadow hidden near the top of a gnarled tree.

* * *

They took to the sky before dawn; they were very eager to put some distance between themselves and the ground. Neither of them wanted to stay in Mirkwood any longer than was necessary.

Many leagues of forest passed underwing throughout the morning until they finally flew out from over the last of Mirkwood. The land became more open with healthier trees, more green, and no menacing mist.

Hiccup checked the map once they reached a rushing river, and he confirmed that they were getting closer to the first destination. The twisting river also looked like a good place to rest late in the morning, so they settled down there to rest, stretch their legs, and do anything else that needed doing.

He nibbled on some of the Elven waybread, the Lembas, for an elevensies, or maybe luncheon, meal.

_Hmm, so this is the River Running. We should see the Long Lake before too long. Why would people build a town on a lake? To be fair, I could ask why anyone built anything on Berk too._

Toothless bounded back to his side after drinking and relieving himself.

"I want to rest some. I did not sleep well," Toothless yawned and curled on a warm rock by the river.

"Sure, we aren't in a rush anyway. Why didn't you sleep well?"

Toothless grumbled at that and covered his head with his tailfin.

"There were small things on the ground and in the air. I stayed up to watch them. The ground-things might have been the goblin creatures."

"Yikes, good thing they don't climb."

"They never knew we were there."

"Well, while you rest I'll practice some with my new bow. Haven't had a chance to yet."

"Making your claws sharper is good," Toothless agreed.

Hiccup retrieved the bow, strung it, and grabbed a handful of arrows. He set up across from an empty stretch of grass. The first shot would only be to set a target for him to aim at.

_Gods, I'm glad no one is around to watch this. This will not be impressive at all to anyone who knows what they are doing._

The arrow was fitted in place, and then he drew the bow while remembering the many lessons his father and Gobber had given him years ago. The bow was not a preferred weapon in direct combat back on Berk, but nothing compared to it for the purpose of hunting normal game. He suspected that his father had used those lessons as opportunities to try to have quality father-son bonding time, though most of the conversations had been very one-sided.

But the lessons had been learned, and he was not a bad shot at all. True, he never had a bow all his own and that fit his draw-strength. That might have contributed to his trouble learning at first.

This was also a much finer bow than the ones back on Berk.

The Elven arrow flew true and embedded into the dirt perhaps fifty paces away.

_Yes! I didn't fail!_

Toothless gave a curious grunt.

"What?" Hiccup asked.

"Good shot. You did not miss the dirt!" Toothless toothilly grinned.

"Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile!"

* * *

Hiccup idly paced while taking a break from practice with the bow. The shots were dispersed many paces apart around the first shot he had taken.

_So I haven't forgotten all my old lessons, but I'm definitely rusty. I've got plenty of time to practice._

He gathered up the arrows, returned to Toothless's side, and saw that the Fury was still asleep.

_Might as well take a bath. I definitely need one or I'll smell like dragon. That's hard to avoid but while I have the opportunity..._

He meandered down to the river, took everything off, and gave himself and his dirty clothing a thorough washing. Something about the act of bathing in a running river out in the wild felt very satisfying, as long as no one was around to watch of course.

Finally finished, he emerged, dried himself off, and put on his change of clothing. Then he wrung his wet clothes, lay them out to dry in the sun on the rocks at Toothless's side, and put on his outer layer of fine Elven garb.

Toothless stirred and yawned widely.

"Good nap, bud?"

"Yes, it was. What you did is one of many twisting things about you humans," Toothless chuckled.

"Huh?"

Toothless lifted a paw and nudged his cloak.

"That you wear so many different types of hides and coverings and can take them on and off as you want."

Toothless looked curious about something from how his ears lifted.

"What do humans look like with no false-hides on you?"

Hiccup froze.

"Uh, what?"

"What I said. What do you look like with only your natural skin and furs?"

"Toothless, no."

That only made the Fury more inquisitive.

"Why are you being twisted? And why is your face turning red?"

"Nope."

"Hiccup, I want to know."

Hiccup spun on and glared at Toothless while pointing a finger at him.

"I really don't want to talk about this!"

"Why not?"

"It is embarrassing."

"Why?"

"It just is!"

Toothless snorted and rolled his eyes as he sat back on his rear.

"That has no lift. You can talk to me. Are you being twisted because of mating-parts?"

"Leave it to you to talk about this... like that. Yes, it is," Hiccup groaned.

"What is twisting about that? Making new life is good and those are part of you."

"Yeah, but it's not a topic people talk about or want to... show..."

"Show?"

Hiccup almost want to scream or pull out his hair, but he did neither. He struggled to figure out what to say.

"Okay, bud, you know how you... look... down there? How there is... nothing to see..." he vaguely gestured.

"Yes."

"Yeah, human males look a little different. That... part... is right there to see... or get hurt..." Hiccup stammered.

"And that is a reason why humans wear many false-furs? To hide..."

"Yes, it is. That and wanting to stay warm and other reasons," Hiccup hastily interrupted.

Toothless nodded.

"I understand now. That is all I wanted to know."

Toothless then lay his head on his paws and returned to resting.

"Thank you for nothing..." Hiccup grumbled.

"You useless human..." Toothless snorted.

"Fine, be like that! I'm going to go do something useful, like practice my archery more."

Hiccup grabbed his bow and arrows and then stalked off.

"You need it. You could aim at the sky and miss..." Toothless muttered.

* * *

A long lake finally appeared on the horizon. The lake was easily several miles wide and maybe twenty miles long. There was what looked like a floating city on the lake. There were even a lonely mountain and another city, definitely Dale, off in the distance between the mountain and the lake.

The stories Hiccup had heard from Bilbo and Gandalf felt very real in that moment.

He could easily imagine Smaug soaring over a wooden city, raining fire down on helpless innocents, terrible though it was to think that any dragon could do such a dreadful thing.

"That's it, bud. Smaug died somewhere in that lake."

"The nest-city does not look burned..."

"It looks like they rebuilt since then. It has been some sixty years since all that happened."

Their flight continued closer to Lake-town while staying high enough to probably pass unseen. Hiccup pondered how to go about this meeting since the people of Dale and this Lake-town would not know Toothless like the Elves did. They also certainly had a poor history with dragons.

He was not about to endanger himself or his friend without reason and without taking appropriate precautions before any meetings with this people.

"Let's set down outside Dale, but be sure to fly over it so they see us not doing anything dangerous."

"I can do that!"

Toothless turned for Dale in a gentle glide.

"Probably a good idea to not roar."

"True."

"And no flaming anything!" Hiccup cheekily added.

An ear-slap followed that.

Dale was a very impressive city, especially since it had been completely ruined once. There were now many people living in it and going about their daily lives. Stalls were filled with goods, horse-drawn wagons rolled through the streets, and kites floated in the wind. Homes had shingled roofs of all different colors.

_Alright, should be expecting an alarm any moment now..._

The horns started blowing only moments after he thought that. There was some shouting from inside the city walls, and a number of guards began running about.

Toothless dove for the road outside the main gates, landed there, and then Hiccup got off to stretch his legs, feeling very, very sore. They had only stopped once since shortly after leaving Mirkwood, to relieve themselves, rest, bathe, and eat a quick meal.

"Gods, my legs..."

"Are they still there?" Toothless smirked.

"I think so. Haven't lost a foot or anything. I better get used to this with how much flying we'll be doing."

The horns grew louder as a large company of armed guards began filing out of the city. They bore large shields and long spears. Archers appeared on the walls, but those people were likely too far away to be a danger.

Hiccup stepped in front of Toothless. He adjusted his Lorien cloak and fiddled with his robes.

_My shoes are the only non-Elf things I'm wearing now. With this cloak and my bow they might even mistake me for an Elf at first. The ears are a give-away, though my hair might cover those._

It was still an amusing thought that he might be mistaken for an Elf.

"Steady, bud," he gave Toothless a gentle neckrub.

"You be steady..." Toothless muttered.

Perhaps three dozen of the guards had assembled into a semi-circle before them. They all held out their shields and spears at the ready. Toothless remained still, but he kneaded at the ground with his claws.

Then a lone man in fine regalia stepped forth from behind the guards. The large man slowly approached while staring in open disbelief.

"Greetings, friend! Who do we have the pleasure of meeting?" Hiccup cheerfully asked.

"I am... Gildor, Captain of the Dale Guard..."

"Gildor. My name is Haddock."

"What is that creature?" Gildor furiously pointed a finger.

"If you do not already know," Toothless began, ears and frills lifted in amusement, "I am a dragon. No, I am not like Smaug, as you can see from my not burning everything I see."

"This is impossible!" Gildor exclaimed.

Hiccup smiled back at him.

"No, only very improbable. Not the same thing at all. We come here in peace from Lothlorien."

"You are with the Elves, I see that. But how did you tame the dragon?" Gildor asked.

Toothless grumbled very deeply.

"I am not tame!"

"No, you are not. You are my best friend," Hiccup added.

Gildor looked between them in open astonishment.

"Why are you here?" the Captain then asked, recovering himself.

"We are on a mission from the great Elf-Lords, and this mission has us flying north. We wanted to stop here because of what happened here long ago and to get some supplies," Hiccup explained.

"Ours is not a good history when it involves dragons," Gildor objected.

Hiccup bristled at that, even though he understood that this people had more than enough reason to be suspicious of any dragons. But he still wanted to make a point.

"Do not judge him for the actions of others! He has never hurt me, and he is not like any dragons you have heard about or seen before!"

He only then realized that he had just raised his voice to a much older and bigger man and had not backed down. Sure, having a purring Night Fury at his back for reassurance helped him feel more confident, but that probably was not his only source of newfound strength, small though it was.

Gildor paced before coming to a decision and calling off his guards. They started to return to the city, although several stayed with him.

"I cannot deny what I see before me, though I do not understand it. What is that pendant on the dragon?"

Toothless stepped forward and held his head high.

"It is a gift from Lady Galadriel of Lothlorien."

Gildor stared with awe at the pendant and then bent his head.

"I have heard stories of the Elf-witch in the Great Wood. If she met with you in peace then who am I to speak ill of you? You both wish to rest here with us and obtain supplies?"

"We do," Hiccup answered.

Gildor slowly nodded.

"I must first report to King Brand and send a messenger to King Dain Ironfoot of Erebor. They will decide if you can be allowed to stay here. You are in luck that King Dain is here discussing formal matters with my King. Will you wait here?"

"Yes, we will," Toothless answered.

Gildor then left with his remaining guards and returned to the city. The archers did not disappear completely from the ramparts, likely to keep their eyes on him and Toothless. That was fine. He and Toothless knew not to try anything suspicious.

Hiccup gave a sigh of relief that this would be a peaceful meeting after all.

One aspect of standing outside the city gate with Toothless at his back struck him. It appeared that he got to play the peacemaker everywhere they went. First was the Shire, then Rivendell, then Lorien, and now Dale. It helped immensely that Toothless knew what to do to show that he was a good person and good dragon.

But he himself was still getting to meet the most important people in all the realms he went to. Gandalf. The Mayor of the Shire. Strider-Aragorn. Lord Elrond. Lords Celeborn and Galadriel. And soon he was going to meet the Kings of Dale and Erebor.

_This is a real change from being the village screw-up. I wouldn't have had a chance of meeting with the other Viking chiefs. And this is all because of Toothless. They are rightly interested in him and the difference he can make in the war._

He winced at where his own thoughts were leading him. The truth was obvious, though he did not want to think about it.

Everything he had or was that mattered in any way came from his knowing Toothless.

He did his best to turn his thoughts elsewhere.

"Bud, remember that this King Brand is the son of the son of the bowman who killed Smaug."

"I know. I want to hear where Smaug fell so I can go see for myself," Toothless hummed.

Hiccup started in surprise, though he realized that seeing a massive dragon's skeleton could be impressive.

"Maybe you can if it is not too deep in the water. Any reason why?"

"It is proof that other dragons lived here, and because I want to know how big he was. That might help if we ever find any others like him."

"Good point. Do you think we will find any other Middle-earth dragons up there?"

Toothless grumbled and looked to the north.

"I do not know. The Dwarves live in these mountains, true?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"We should ask them if they know anything about more living dragons or about my kind. They would probably know anything the Elves do not know."

Hiccup nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. They'd know if there are others. While we are waiting I might as well practice some more with the bow."

He took out the Lorien arrows from the quiver and inspected them. They were masterful works of fletching.

_I wonder if I can get good at this. Probably just need a lot of practice._

Then he remembered that Smaug had been killed by a single masterful shot with a special arrow.

_King Brand is a descendant of Smaug's killer, Bard the dragon-slayer. I hope this King is not like the Vikings._

He highly doubted that Elrond and Celeborn would suggest that he take Toothless somewhere definitely unsafe for him. Gildor had seemed rather reasonable. But until he had an idea what these Kings were like... he and Toothless were going to be extra careful with whatever happened next.


	23. The Downed Dragon

The Downed Dragon

* * *

Hiccup lowered his bow and smiled, feeling very accomplished with what he saw as progress.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this..." he said, shaking his drawing hand.

Toothless just snorted in amusement and dashed over to the ground where the arrows had been shot. He looked over the shots. They were all grouped closely together, which was a sign that Hiccup's aim was improving.

He plucked them from the ground with his jaws and carried the arrows over Hiccup, dropping them on the ground at Hiccup's feet and purring his satisfaction at a job well-done.

Hiccup thought the Fury looked very pleased with himself. Too pleased. He also wanted to get back at Toothless for his likely intentional teasing earlier in the day.

"Well done, bud. I've trained my dragon to play fetch."

"Fetch?" Toothless warbled.

"Yeah, I grab something, tease you about you wanting to get it, throw the thing, tell you in a silly voice that the thing is what you want and that you should go get it, you go get it, and then you bring it back to me."

"Why?"

"So we can do it again and keep you entertained."

Toothless narrowed his eyes and tilted his head in thought.

Hiccup crossed his arms and grinned.

"Try that and I will beat you in the head with my tail," Toothless hissed.

Hiccup wildly threw up his hands and stepped back.

"Point taken. Toothless is not a dog."

Toothless turned his shoulder on him and huffed.

"No, I am not!" he stuck out his tongue for emphasis.

Hiccup smirked at the perfect opportunity.

"Oh, are you pouting, big baby boo?"

"Big baby boo..." Toothless huffed again.

Hiccup turned around, apparently unable to see Toothless or notice any response he may give.

"Yep, not a dog. Maybe a puppy though..."

He did not turn around, but he did not need to. He knew his best friend too well. That comment was sure to provoke him, precisely as planned.

He waited the fraction of an instant that he needed, and then he jumped forward into a somersault dive while holding his bow to the side. He rolled up onto his feet, knocked an imaginary arrow, and spun to face Toothless.

More precisely, he spun to face Toothless's open, gummy maw only a couple feet from his face.

Then Toothless reared back and barked in apparent surprise, his eyes going wide.

"That was good, Hiccup! Very fast. Not fast enough, but much better!"

"Yeah, I'd probably have messed that up if there was a real arrow, but still, I'm getting better!"

Toothless snorted.

"Maybe one of these days you can do the hunting while I sit around on my waste-end."

"That'll be the day..."

Hiccup glanced again toward Dale. The guards had been gone for nearly an hour and the archers had not left the ramparts.

"Hope they don't keep us waiting too long."

* * *

The company of guards finally returned, only this time there were several more people among the group. At the head of the procession stood a great man. He had leather armor, pauldrons and gauntlets, very broad shoulders, a weathered face, long dark hair, and a full beard.

There was also a Dwarf at the man's side. The Dwarf stood four heads shorter than the man, and had iron gauntlets, a massive fur cape, and a braided white beard which hung down to his waist.

Several other Dwarves also stood among the guards. None of them looked happy as they all stopped a short distance away while holding their axes.

"Barzul! So it is true!" the Dwarf shouted, his hand to a throwing ax at his hip.

"Peace, Dain. It appears that they are not our enemies," the man said.

Both leaders stepped forward, although the Dwarf did so with some hesitancy. The man briefly nodded to them and then spoke.

"Greetings, dragon-rider. Dragon from the south. I am Brand, King of Dale, son of Bain, son of Bard the Bowman and slayer of Smaug."

Hiccup and Toothless bowed their heads respectfully to him, to the descendant of a true dragon-slayer.

"My Dwarven friend here is Dain Ironfoot, King under the Mountain and of Erebor."

"Aye, that's me! I may be old, but I've more than enough strength in me to kill dragons that need killin'!" Dain gruffly added.

Hiccup crossed his arms with a frown.

"Well then, it is a good thing there are no such dragons around here. My friend here is Toothless."

"Toothless? A toothless dragon? I doubt it," the Dwarf sneered.

"No, that is my name!" Toothless growled.

"See that there! It does have plenty of teeth and..." Dain's voice trailed off.

Both Kings blinked in surprise. Then Brand cuffed Dain on the shoulder while chuckling.

"Toothless? What a name!"

"It is my name! I like it!" Toothless grumbled.

"Indeed, good dragon. You must admit that it is... ironic," Brand answered.

"Blame him," Toothless pointed a paw at Hiccup.

"And your name, young man?" Brand inquired.

"Master... Haddock."

Brand gave Hiccup an amused look while the Dwarf silently grumbled.

"Well, Masters Haddock and Toothless, now that the... pleasantries are out of way... what business brings you up here? You know our history with dragons, I'm sure," Brand objected.

Toothless slowly stepped forward and then sat down directly before the Kings. Their gazes were both drawn to the pendant around his neck.

"I am not Smaug. I do not fly here for gold or hoards or flaming."

Hiccup stepped up next to him.

"We lived with the Elves of Rivendell and Lorien for a while. We are flying to the north to search for other dragons like him. We hope that they will join the war against the Enemy."

Dain and Brand started in surprise.

"You are flying to the Withered Heath and the Northern Waste?" Dain asked.

"Yes, we are," Hiccup answered.

The Dwarf sighed heavily and looked very pensive, which Hiccup gathered was an uncommon event for a Dwarf.

Brand spared a glance at the Dwarf before turning back to them.

"Well, you know your errand, but be warned that it is very cold and barren up there. The dragons up there, if you can find them, are not friendly at all."

Hiccup put a hand on Toothless's neck.

"Thank you for the warning, but I like our chances. A dragon helps a lot of with both of those problems."

"I still don't understand. How is this possible? I thought all dragons are weapons of the Enemy. No disrespect to you, Toothless," Brand wondered.

Hiccup sighed in frustration. Brand's worry was an understandable concern given that it would apparently be true in almost any other case.

"It is a long and confusing story, but the ones like him, if there are any, are not truly bad. They were not always of this world."

"Not always of this world? And mine chamber-pot is made of Mithril," Dain grumbled.

"How did you meet? I doubt that a dragon would normally want to carry a human on its back," Brand gruffly asked.

"Toothless, you want to take that one?" Hiccup asked.

"We met on a far away island where dragons and humans still fight. I was shot from the sky while protecting other dragons from humans. Hiccup found me and could have killed me, but he spared me."

A wing unfurled and went over Hiccup's back.

"We became friends, and he made me a new tailfin so that I can fly with him."

"A new tailfin? What?" Dain asked.

Toothless swept out his tail to display the false-fin which Hiccup made.

"He lost a tailfin, and that made it hard for him to fly. I made him a new tailfin," Hiccup explained.

Dain stared with great interest at the tailfin. Some of the gears, joints, and metal beams within the leather were clearly visible.

"You made that yourself?" Dain, wide-eyed, turned to Hiccup.

"Yes, I am an inventor," Hiccup answered.

"I can see that. Very impressive. That takes a keen mind to make. I can respect great craftsmanship whenever I see it."

Then Dain turned his attention back to Toothless, again specifically noticing the pendant on his neck. This time he looked more closely at it.

"What is that you have?" Dain gasped in awe.

"Lady Galadriel gave it to me as a gift."

Dain struggled with himself for a while, definitely curious about the pendant but reluctant to approach. He finally decided and stepped forward.

"May I... inspect it?"

Toothless nodded and held himself still as Dain stepped closer and held the pendant. The Dwarf seemed to have forgotten that he was standing before a dragon.

"Aye, yes... it's... Durin's beard..."

Then the Dwarf stepped back after a moment of inspecting the pendant and his sudden exclamation.

"What is special about that beautiful gem, I do not know. But the metal is Mithril. That is a Kingly gift!"

Dain then retreated to Brand's side, and the two friends quietly conferred.

Hiccup noticed Dain's mention that the pendant was made of Mithril.

_That is the metal that is, how did Bilbo put it, light as a feather and as hard as dragon-scale. Just imagine armor or weapons forged with this stuff._

The two Kings returned.

"Incredible as it is, you are not an enemy to us. That is obvious. We do wonder why you stopped here," Brand asked.

"Yes, you could have just kept flying," Dain added.

Hiccup frowned. There were two reasons why they had decided to stop here in Dale: one reason was practical and the other was not.

"Is there anything you can tell us that might help? I understand that Dwarves have lived in the Grey Mountains for many years. Are there any stories of dragons like him?"

Dain shook his head.

"None that I recall from all my years. There are few stories of any dragons at all in recent years, to tell the full truth. The last I heard was of some small cold drake maybe twenty years ago. That story was not told by the most reliable source. However, no Dwarves ever venture into the Northern Waste. There is no reason to venture into those fell and desolate lands now."

"Okay, any supplies you can spare us would also help. We can pay," Hiccup added, hiding his disappointment that the Dwarves had no leads he and Toothless could follow.

Brand nodded.

"Yes, we can find some gear for you, Master Haddock. Toothless, do you need anything from us?"

Toothless spoke up following a brief pause.

"Nothing to wear. Some fish or other food would be good. The other reason we flew here is that I want to know where Smaug fell."

"Why?" Brand wondered.

"I want to see how big he was. I want to see that I am not the only dragon in this world," Toothless shrugged.

"I can assure you that Smaug was real. Really big too. Had quite a love of gold, roaring, flaming, and a taste for Dwarf also," Dain growled.

Brand glanced off toward the long lake.

"But if you want to know where he fell... he fell just north of New Lake-town. The city was rebuilt after he burned it, but no one wanted to build around or over his bones. To my knowledge, no one has even gone down for the gold and jewels on his armor."

"He had armor?" Hiccup exclaimed in surprise.

Brand nodded.

"So the story says. The water is deep there, but I assume that is not a problem for you, Toothless."

"No, I can swim deep."

"Do we have permission to fly there now, King Brand? We would not want to scare anyone there," Hiccup asked.

Brand snapped a finger and commanded one of his attendants, giving him instructions. The attendant then ran off toward the city.

"He will dispatch a raven to warn them not to fear your arrival. Please wait an hour before you fly there. When do you plan to continue on for the Heath?"

They turned together and stared toward the north. They could not see past the slope of the Lonely Mountain, but they remembered barely seeing the distant mountain range far off on the horizon.

"Does leaving in the morning sound good, bud?"

"Yes, it does," Toothless nodded.

"We will leave in the morning. May we rest here tonight?" Hiccup asked.

Brand grumbled and glanced up at the surrounding slopes and the hills.

"You should stay inside the city walls. I will have accommodations made for you both. It is not safe outside at night anymore."

"No? Why not?" Hiccup wondered.

"Dark shapes wander the hills. We think that the Enemy has his servants, orcs and fallen Men, watching us. We refused his offer of... peace... before, and he might seek to strike at us."

"Aye," Dain growled, "Erebor falling would open up new avenues of attack, and new supply routes for his numbers in the Misty Mountains. I still wonder what the messenger meant: something about wanting information on Hobbits and some ring which is a mere trifle that Sauron fancies. Hog shit I say!"

Hiccup glanced at Toothless, and they both shrugged, knowing that it was best to say nothing about what they knew.

Brand crossed his arms on his chest while regarding Toothless, now standing a short distance away and staring toward the lake. King Brand looked very thoughtful as he gazed at Toothless.

"I know that you both have your errand, but having a dragon openly on our side in the future could be helpful in the defense against the Enemy. We would make sure that the dragon was well-provided for in return."

Hiccup felt unsettled by how Brand was looking at Toothless. The king looked appraising and... greedy. He didn't like it at all, especially when he thought about what Brand had just said: an offer to provide for Toothless and take him away. That would not work since Toothless could not fly without him.

"No. Toothless is... with me."

"I was not implying anything, Master Haddock," Brand answered him.

"Good. We have our own mission. We might find other dragons like him anyway to help fight in the war."

"Do you know for sure that there are any others?" Brand wondered.

"No," Toothless hummed, "but the wild we are flying to is where they would be if they are anywhere."

Dain frowned.

"Aye, if there's any more dragons anywhere, it would be in the Heath, the Waste, or the Grey Mountains. Still cannot say I like the idea of more dragons in the world," the Dwarf grumbled.

"Will you judge me for what others did?" Toothless growled.

"Forgive me my suspicion, but you have not been tested or proven to me yet."

"Is my being peaceful now not proof enough?"

"No, you could be tricking us or using dragon-magic," Dain grumbled again.

"I am not, and I have none."

"We shall see..." the Dwarf calmly said.

* * *

Toothless stood on the shore of the long lake. All the travel packs of supplies had been removed from his back, and Hiccup was working to take off the last of the flying-lines and ropes.

He did not understand how they all worked and what pieces did what. All that mattered was that they let Hiccup work the new tailfin so that they could both fly.

Hiccup had explained that it probably would not be a good idea to completely soak the flying equipment by diving into the water while wearing everything. Metal could apparently bleed, or something like that, and it would not be good for the saddle, the foot-thing, or the new tailfin.

So they all came off. Everything came off except for his rope and pearl pendant around his neck. That precious pendant was staying with him for this.

It felt strange to have so much stuff off his back. Even more so to not have the false-tailfin on his tail. The end of his tail felt unbalanced, which it was.

He drew a very deep breath as he stared out at the calm lake, the water on the shore brushing up against his paws.

Somewhere out below that water lay the bones of a downed dragon.

"Are you ready, bud?"

Hiccup gave him a neckrub.

"Yes, I want to do this."

"Then go right ahead. I'll be here, definitely."

Hiccup sat down on the ground among the supplies and started munching on some of the Elven bread.

Toothless then grumbled at himself and bounded out into the lake. He swam out along the floating city while several people on the city pointed at him from afar.

_What do they think of me? I should not care, but..._

Having seen and felt suspicion and hostility in all the places he had flown to, he was curious about how these humans would react if they met him up close. This was also the first real city of humans that he had ever been in while humans lived there. The village-nest on Berk was so many times smaller than this place, and the ruined and abandoned city he and Hiccup found did not count.

Finally, after swimming a great distance out into the lake and just north of the new floating city, he turned around and saw Hiccup standing on the shore and waving a paw at him.

The water was dark and deep below him.

_As Hiccup would say, this is time to go or go time or whatever it is he says..._

He took a deep breath and dove.

Broken wooden dens lay rotting in the water under the surface.

Down past the ruins and into the darker water.

He could see several fish darting away from him. Normally, he would be tempted to go hunt them, but he was doing something far more important. He was hunting knowledge.

A faint glint of light flashed in the dark and beckoned to him.

The light was what looked like a coin set into a wall of rock.

_Odd, why would there be coins down here?_

The wall of rock extended out into the distance in a mound around which more wooden wreckage lay. It was as though something very big had collapsed and dragged parts of the old city.

A faint suspicion tickled his tail as he swam along the rock and looked closely at it. Then he realized that this was not rock.

They were scales.

Scales which looked almost like jeweled, golden armor. The shines coming from the dirt all around the scales were not from rocks. They were...

So much gold.

A twisting mix of fire and ice flared to life in his soul-fire as he swam alongside the great, long neck. As the body had slowly started to decay through the years, coins and flecks of gold had fallen off into the mud.

Treasure.

Gold.

Jewels.

Precious.

So precious.

All unclaimed!

He should not part with it!

Not a single coin!

It was all his now!

Then he found it, and he froze, hanging suspended in the water.

On the ground at the bottom of the lake, sat a massive skull as long as he was.

Its jaws were parted to reveal teeth bigger than his head. The places where eyes would be were empty, but they stared into him regardless.

Smaug the Golden in his broken ruin.

Smaug was not as big as the nest-Monster, but he had definitely been more clever and likely far more dangerous. Smaug's being smart certainly made him worse than the nest-Monster because it behaved like nothing more than a dumb animal concerned with filling its belly. Smaug had been cunning, cruel, clever, and the greatest of calamities.

Downed by one lucky shot, apparently, though differently to how he himself was downed.

But Smaug could not protect what remained of the hoard!

All this gold was here for him now!

His hoard!

He so wanted to reach out with a paw and touch this gold.

The darkness closed around him until there was only him and the gold and the pounding in his head.

His alone!

_'It is more precious than gold, but it cannot be bought...'_

He could stay here under the water with the hoard for all time...

_'Remember that I trust you always...'_

Alone in the dark where he could rest...

_'And you will never have to fight it alone. I promise...'_

Hiccup waving at him from the shore...

Why was it so bright at the bottom of the lake?

Was it the gold beckoning to him with the promise of unending sleep?

Then he blinked as he saw the glow of the pearl pendant floating in the water before his chest. Impossibly, the gem shone with pure light even now when all other light seemed to have faded.

It was as though a twinkling, burning star had fallen from the sky and now floated before him.

Clarity crashed on him like a flash of lightning.

Smaug fell because of his love of gold and cruelty. Maybe he had a choice and chose poorly, or maybe he had no choice and was never free.

Either way, Smaug was indeed a true dragon, perhaps the greatest that was in anyone's living memory.

_I am more like him than I thought. I need a hoard also._

He was also a true dragon and needed a hoard.

Truth was painful.

But what was a hoard? What was precious to him? What could he protect and keep safe always?

He shook his head of the rotted thinking as best he could until all that was left was the answer that was there all along. It was not perfect, but it might be enough to satisfy what he was.

He planted his paws in the dirt and kicked off, tucking his wings and kicking hard to speed to the surface.

Up through the dark water and to the flowing sunlight high above in the open sky.

Without looking down.

Not that there was nothing down there that he wanted. Part of him did want it.

But the far greater part did not.

He was not Smaug.

* * *

Hiccup waited patiently for Toothless's return, having watched the Fury swim out alongside the floating city and then vanish with a splash of his tail. That had been only a minute ago.

Toothless had assured him that Night Furies were very good swimmers and could stay underwater for a long time.

Meanwhile, he nibbled sparingly on the Lembas bread. The cakes were very sweet indeed.

His thoughts were drawn back to Berk and the Snoggletog celebrations. The tribe would make sweet breads and enjoy them alongside meats and ales.

_Guess I miss all that since we are going into the wilderness soon._

As always happened whenever Toothless was away, he felt a vague worry. This time there was a little frustration, though not aimed at Toothless at all, that he himself was unable to see Smaug's remains since they were at the bottom of the lake. He really wanted to see proof of such a great creature himself.

_Eh, Toothless can tell me what he saw down there._

He paced idly while wondering about what King Brand had suggested. Specifically, his offer to... employ Toothless as a weapon to defend Dale against any attacks in the future. Now that he had more time to think it over, he saw that there was some sense in the offer, at least from Brand's perspective.

But there was something that felt very wrong about Toothless being used as a tool for any purpose by anyone.

Motion out on the lake caught his eye. He felt relief when he saw that Toothless had emerged and was swimming back to him.

_There you are!_

Toothless finally reached land, crawled up on shore, and then shook himself drier. He looked troubled, given how the Fury didn't look up at him and had fallen ears.

"Hey there, bud. Find anything down there?"

Toothless slowly shuffled over to him, ears swept back and tail stilled. The Fury stood immediately before him and then met his eyes. His green eyes were filled with hurt and fear.

Then Toothless leaned forward and put his forearms around his back in a human hug. The Fury's chin rested on and nuzzled his head.

He threw his arms around Toothless's neck, returning the embrace and losing himself for a moment in the solemn purring. He ignored entirely that he got wet from the hug.

"T...Toothless?"

Toothless whined softly and then stepped back, sitting down on the ground and staring at his paws.

"What... what happened?"

"I... found... it. Smaug's bones..."

"And..."

"He was very big. His teeth were bigger than my head."

"Yikes, that is very big."

Toothless then glanced out to the lake while grumbling. He struggled to speak for a long time before he finally gave a weak sigh.

"I should not have gone down there..."

"Why not? He is dead."

"There was a lot of gold down there too."

Hiccup grimaced.

"Yeah, but you beat it."

Toothless sighed and flicked his tail.

"I learned something that I do not like about myself."

They wordlessly agreed to walk over to the shore and sit down together, both staring out over the calm water. Just like Toothless apparently feared something about himself, the lake now looked calm on the outside but had a dark secret hidden under the surface.

"Do you want to tell me?"

A wing then unfurled and went over his back. He didn't bother complaining that the wing was still slightly wet.

"I... realized how like a Middle-earth dragon I am now."

"How do you mean?"

"I mean that I do want... need a hoard. Something that is precious to me and which I will never let go. Something that I would protect always with my life. Smaug," he snarled, "made his hoard a thing that could not care for him. Gold has no life. Gold does not... love."

"Toothless, are you saying what I think you're saying?" Hiccup whispered.

"Yes, it is... strange."

"Are you sure that is... I don't know. It feels odd."

"I know."

"I mean, I want to be your friend, like your brother. Not just... I don't know..."

It was a confusing mess. Toothless admitting that he was now more like a Middle-earth dragon and needed a hoard of some kind had to hurt the Fury. Being that hoard himself was... humorous.

But it was also reassuring in a strange way. It meant that Toothless would always need him. That was how their lives should be.

"You should know that I'll always be there to help you. That is what family does."

Toothless held him a little closer underwing.

They remained there on the shore in silence for a long time before Hiccup finally got restless as the end of a long day drew nearer.

"We should fly to Dale. I bet we can convince them to give you some fish."

"Yes, we should."

The promise of fish did not lift the Fury's ears though. Not this time.

King Brand had set up a tent in one of the main areas the guards trained in. The area was thankfully removed from excessive prying eyes. Brand had also been kind enough to leave instructions that he and Toothless were not to be bothered, and the King also had a basket of fresh fish and some bread left for them.

Toothless had dispatched of the fish they were brought and then curled up to rest. Hiccup remained awake well after dark, gently scratching Toothless's neck as the Fury slept in purring peace. He listened to the distant sounds of normal activity in the city at night.

_This might be the last we see of civilization for a while._

He also thought about how this was a place where several armies had done battle long ago after Smaug's fall. Men, Elves, and Dwarves, previously at odds and almost coming to blows, had united against an army of goblins and wargs, large wolf-like creatures.

That battle was partly why the men of Lake-Town and Dale were so friendly with the Dwarves of Erebor. They had shed blood together long ago against a common foe.

His thoughts drifted to the far north. To the valley known as the Withered Heath and to the supposedly endless expanse of cold desolation in the Northern Waste. There was no way to know what he would find there.

_So we pick up some supplies in the morning, and then we head out! I hope we find them. Wouldn't that be amazing?_

He leaned back against Toothless's side and fell asleep.

* * *

The gold coins were so warm and comforting under his belly. Every swish of his tail sent coins clanging and tumbling down the slope. The coins even stuck to his hide and formed an almost golden covering that wrapped around him. It was as though he could carry his hoard with him wherever he went. That was very good.

It was his hoard, and he could do with it whatever he wanted. Even if that desire was to do nothing at all with it except keep others from getting it.

He was safe underground with his treasure.

Life was perfect now.

He needed nothing more, being completely content in this deep cave that had forgotten even the memory of light and the open sky. A lost place where there was no echo of the warm wind. Peace, darkness, silence, stillness...

Perfection.

And a deep, rumbling growl that boomed from deep under the expanse of gold.

"You think you can deceive yourself, dark wing?"

He spun around toward the voice, clattering the gold underneath him and struggling to get to his paws on the piles of gold and coins.

He froze, pierced through by what was only a short pounce away.

A long, serpentine neck stuck out from the mountain of gold. The dragon's narrowed eyes gleamed with light as it flashed teeth that were bigger than his head. The scales were golden.

But Smaug did not move to strike him. Smaug apparently tried to get up, but he was stuck under the mountain of gold which only shifted slightly.

Smaug was stuck.

He laughed aloud at Smaug's misfortune.

"You are the one who was never free, Smaug!"

Smaug's laughter shook the walls of the cave.

"You know nothing of freedom, small one! Leave now! Try to part with a single coin, if you can!"

He flew to his paws and ran, shaking the gold under his paws at his every leap and bound. Down the mountain of gold and onto the solid ground as he ran out the cave.

But the gold had become one with his scales and would not come off. That was... good?

He flew out of the cave and jumped into the open sky, but the gold did not fall away. It was part of him now.

It was like armor. That was good. Safe.

Out over the water where his reflection gazed up at him.

Great. Enormous. Golden.

He was great and powerful now.

A massive human nest lay before him on the water. The sight sparked so many memories from long ago. So many memories of dragons falling from the sky and dying on the ground.

Humans, they hunt dragons.

They would try to take his hoard!

They would die for that. It was too great a risk to let them live. They could not be trusted!

His roar of wrath and death shattered the calm of night, a herald of their imminent deaths.

Pass after pass over their nest, his fire raining down on their dens in long streams of flame. His careful shots at the largest groups of defenseless humans never missed.

Their screams of pain and fear filled his soul-fire with joy at his strength. He was the greatest of calamities to them. Nothing could stop him now!

His laughter shook burning buildings and made the water tremble.

A faint sound of rushing wind was all that he heard. Then a great, biting pain poured into his chest from the dark arrow sticking out from his chest.

It felt like it had pierced straight into his heart.

Impossible.

All strength faded in his shock as he fell toward the flames.

The last he saw before his sight failed him was a small human standing by a machine pointed his direction. Even from so far away he could see that the human had green eyes that were filled with pain. They were eyes that he knew and which sparked more memories. Such different memories. Better memories.

Clarity.

_Thank you..._

The golden scales and hide fell away from his falling body and faded like smoke on the wind. The black arrow fell away, being embedded in only the air. The great fire drake was gone or never was, leaving behind nothing but a small, lowly, unharmed Night Fury without a golden hoard.

He pulled out of his joyful dive and floated over Lake-town, a strange water-city filled with laughter and humans at play. One small human with deep green eyes waved up at him and called him down to the ground, a summons which he gladly answered; he was eager to greet his human brother and other friendly humans again.

Toothless woke up with a gasp and heavy breaths.

Hiccup was deeply asleep at his side.

They were both safely resting in a tent in Dale.

Nothing terrible had happened.

It was just a dream.

Slow and deep breaths followed as he calmed.

He was not Smaug even if he did have a couple things that were precious to him.

One was sleeping under his wing and the other was glowing with faint light at his chest. He gazed at both of them for a very long time: at the warm, pure light from the jewel-pendant resting on the ground and also at Hiccup's messy hair. Together, they were all the hoard he could ever need.

With a very faint purr, he closed his eyes again and fell into dreamless sleep.

* * *

_**Author's Note – Lest you think that this area of Middle-earth does not matter much, Sauron sent an army to attack Erebor and Dale at the same time as the eventual attack on Minas Tirith. The men of Dale and the Dwarves of Erebor fought as one, but they were defeated in open battle and driven back into Erebor. There they withstood the siege before eventually repelling the attackers. Both Dain and Brand fell in the battle. The fall of the North would have allowed for Sauron's armies to flank the Elven lands of Mirkwood and Lorien and also make a strike at Rohan.**_

_**Gandalf remarked the following on the consequences of Dale/Erebor falling, "**__**Think of what might have been. Dragon-fire and savage swords in Eriador, night in Rivendell. There might be no Queen in Gondor. We might now hope to return from the victory here only to ruin and ash." Something is curious about that statement of his. He specifically mentions dragon-fire, which suggests that Sauron must have had fire drakes. However, we've heard elsewhere that Smaug was the last great fire drake. This is possibly a minor inconsistency. On the other hand, Gandalf implies at the Council of Elrond that there may be lesser fire drakes still hidden somewhere in the world. If so, wouldn't Sauron have used them in the war?**_


	24. A Crucible Of Gold

_**Author's Note – A fathom is a unit of length about six feet long. To the guest reviewer who pointed out 'Barzul' is not a LOTR expression, true. I needed some exclamation to fit the scene, and the LOTR Dwarven language of Khuzdul is very incomplete, so I borrowed one expression.**_

* * *

A Crucible Of Gold

* * *

They woke at dawn's first light and prepared to depart after a long, restful night of sleep. Hiccup yawned and stretched as Toothless similarly woke up, pawing at the ground inside their big tent.

"Sleep well, bud?"

Oddly, Toothless flinched and grumbled while staring at his paws.

"Yes, and no."

"What kind of answer is that? Sounds like something an Elf would say..."

"I mean," Toothless flicked his wingtip at Hiccup's head, "that I had a bad dream."

"Oh, well, do you want to talk about it? What was it about? Talking about dreams helps."

Toothless sighed and lay his head on the ground, looking away from Hiccup.

"I dreamed that I was Smaug: big, golden, great, sitting on a mountain of gold, flying... flaming Lake-town..."

"Yikes, that's a bad one," Hiccup solemnly agreed.

Then he sat down by Toothless's head to give him a gentle scratching.

"Yes, I was flaming them because they might take... my hoard, Smaug's hoard, actually. It was so bad. I wanted to kill them and... then you shot me."

The scratching stopped.

"I shot you? Like, I shot you down with ropes so you couldn't hurt anyone anymore?"

"No, you shot me with an arrow, a black one like the one that killed Smaug."

"Double yikes..."

"Yes, and it was a good thing you did. You saved me by shooting me down."

"Huh?"

Toothless nudged Hiccup's shoulder.

"You helped save me from becoming more like Smaug, and I would still be flaming Viking nest-cities if not for you. You helped me not become the bad dragon that I could have been."

Hiccup shrugged.

"I guess so. Want to get something to eat and then leave?"

"Yes," Toothless purred, "I want to put my tail to this place as soon as I can."

"Won't argue with you on that, bud. We should also check and see if we can get any supplies before we head out."

Hiccup packed up his supplies and stowed everything away in the saddlepack. Then he and Toothless went outside and were met by an attendant who had been instructed to wait for them.

"Master Haddock, are you and your... great steed leaving us now?" the man asked.

"We would like to, and he is my friend, not my steed."

The man inclined his head in a sign of respect.

"My King would meet with you before you depart. He wishes to speak with you and give you both some provisions."

"That sounds good," Hiccup agreed, surprised and thankful at this offer from the King.

"If you would please follow me."

"Where are we going?" Toothless asked.

The attendant looked surprised at being spoken to by him, but to his credit he answered without much delay. The man avoided meeting his gaze though, preferring instead to stare at his paws.

"To King Brand's hall, good dragon."

"Will we be walking around other humans?"

"Yes. That will not be a problem, will it?"

Toothless snorted.

"No. There is no problem. I can behave myself. I am more worried about everyone else wanting to... hurt me."

"King Brand gave orders that you are not to be harmed."

Toothless glanced at Hiccup, who nodded back at him.

_Brand seems like an honest King._

With that reassurance, Hiccup and Toothless followed King Brand's representative through the streets of Dale. It was still early enough in the morning that the streets were not very filled. However, there were enough people out and about that shouts of alarm began echoing through the streets.

Toothless paused when he saw a line of guards, spears and bows in hand, standing in an alley and carefully watching him. He could not help but think about how he would make his escape if there were a need to do so. It did not look like doing so would be easy. The path was narrow and with many humans watching from the sides.

_This path is too narrow to fly out of. I do not like this..._

Hiccup must have noticed his concern.

"Toothless, don't worry. Nothing's going to happen."

"That is easy for you to think. No one looks at you like you are prey."

"Prey? Aren't you the dragon?"

"Yes, but... they do not trust me."

"Alright, fair point, but no one is going to hurt you. The King ordered them not to do anything."

Toothless huffed.

"If only they were not showing their weapons..."

Hiccup patted him on the neck.

"They're just doing their job. Don't worry too much about them."

Toothless grumbled but kept walking, remaining alert in case anything suspicious were to happen. He understood the need to answer this summon of the Alpha-King who let him and Hiccup rest here. However, he was a little worried about how easily Hiccup seemed to want to trust others. That trust made sense given that Hiccup wanted to be a peacemaker; however, some amount of care and precaution was needed also, or they both might get into trouble.

_Hiccup, you are too trusting of others. True, that was good for me, but..._

He was not going to do anything aggressive to any of these humans. If he had to in self-defense, then that would be different.

* * *

Dale was very impressive even from the ground. The buildings were made of stone, the streets had many fountains, and the clearings had stalls in which merchants set up their businesses. People carried linens, cloths, and crafts while children flew kites on the morning wind.

All activity ceased as Hiccup and Toothless walked by. Everyone else stopped whatever they were doing and turned to stare at them and point fingers. Horses whinnied and cried out in fear as they passed.

Toothless calmly looked back at everyone who was gazing at him. None of them seemed to want to meet his eyes. He gave everyone who was looking at him with a friendly or curious look a toothless smile in return.

_I am the only dragon that has been here since Smaug. He did so much bad by attacking and burning these people. For what? Gold? I would never kill for gold._

A group of human children ran into the street without noticing that he was there. Then they saw him and froze, staring in awe and fear.

"Hello! I am..."

The human children spun around and ran back up the alley without looking back at him.

He sighed and hung his head with a soft hum. They did not want to give him a chance to show them what he truly was.

"Sorry about that, bud," Hiccup whispered.

Toothless only shrugged.

"It is okay. I understand that they must have only bad stories of dragons..."

"It's still not fair of them to judge you when you haven't done anything wrong."

"Can we blame them? I... do not think blaming them would help them trust me more."

"True."

* * *

They arrived at King Brand's hall in the middle of Dale. His hall was a large stone building with several spires, bells in the towers, and guards up on the wall. There was also a company of guards before the main gates.

A crowd of curious onlookers had also gathered around the square.

Hiccup remained standing at Toothless's side to reassure him, though there did not appear to be a need. There was no screaming, and the guards were calm. Their seeing Toothless calmly sitting on his haunches probably helped them not be too worried about him.

Then the main gate opened, and King Brand strode out accompanied by a few of his attendants.

"Master Haddock, Toothless, thank you for coming here. Would you please join me in my hall?"

"You do not mind me entering your den?" Toothless asked in surprise.

"Of course not. There will be no problem. I have no doubt that you know to mind your manners."

King Brand led them into the main chamber of his hall. There was a table on which was laid out several plates of roasted chickens, clearly for Toothless, and a plate of bread and cheese for Hiccup. Then the King dismissed most of his attendants and guards, which was a sign of good faith and trust.

"I thought that you would both want a proper meal before your departure this morning," Brand said as he sat down at the head of the table.

"Thank you, King Brand. This is very kind of you," Hiccup answered as he similarly sat down on the other side of the table where his plate of bread and cheese had been set out for him.

Toothless sat down at the side of the table while eyeing the chickens and licking his chops.

"You are most welcome, Master Haddock. Toothless, I was not sure what you would like for a meal, so I hope these chickens are to your liking."

"They are a good meal. You have my thanks, King. I will not need to hunt anyone in these lands," Toothless purred.

King Brand chuckled and leaned back in his chair.

"I never imagined that I would share kind words with a dragon. These are strange times, indeed. I also brought some more supplies for your journey into the northern lands. We do not have much that could be useful to you, Master Haddock, but these might help you."

King Brand gave a signal, and an attendant came forward with a bag of supplies which he left at Hiccup's side. Meanwhile, Toothless started on the chickens.

"We have some winter gloves and mittens, insulated boots, wool socks, a thick coat, and a wool mask to cover the whole head. Those should keep you warm up in the northern reaches."

Hiccup tried on the various pieces of winter attire and found that they fit well enough.

"Thank you again, King Brand. What is this here?" he asked and nodded at the packaged biscuits.

King Brand had a wry grin.

"That is the specialty that we people of Dale are known for throughout the world. Cram."

"Cram?"

"The most tasteless and bland meal you could wish for. But it keeps a man working or marching and does not spoil. That should be enough for you alongside any hunting you might do. Do you need a hunting-knife?"

Hiccup was astounded by how considerate the King was being by giving him all these supplies. He also doubted that cram could compare to Berk's food in blandness.

"Thank you again, King Brand. This is very kind of you. If it is not too much to ask, I could use a knife for carving."

"Think nothing of it, Master Haddock. A small token to aid others who oppose the Enemy. I shall have a hunting-knife brought also. I wish you both the best fortune on your searches in the Heath and the Waste."

King Brand chuckled and stroked his beard.

"I daresay that we could do with a few more dragons like you, Toothless."

"I hope there are also," Toothless sighed in-between his mouthfuls of chicken.

King Brand then stood up.

"As pleasant as I am sure an entire morning of speaking with you would be, I have other business to attend to: preparations for possible war as was mentioned before. Feel free to leave from here as you will after finishing your meals. And if you would, Master Haddock and Toothless, King Dain wishes to meet you both up at Erebor."

"Does he? Any idea why?" Hiccup wondered.

"Possibly. It would be best if you ask him yourselves though."

There was something that Hiccup needed to know before he committed himself and Toothless to visiting the Dwarves.

"King Brand, can we trust Dain to not... do anything to me and Toothless?"

Toothless grumbled, looking up from the remaining chickens.

"Yes, I do not want to need to kill many Dwarves to protect Hiccup," he huffed.

"Really, bud?" Hiccup protested.

King Brand shook his head at them.

"King Dain is rather grouchy in his age, but he can still wield an ax as well as any Dwarf. Dwarves are stubborn, slow to trust, and have... unique table manners. But for all their faults, they are not treacherous. You have been formally invited by him, so you can trust that they will not instigate any violence against either of you."

"Alright, good to hear. We will go meet him before we leave," Hiccup agreed.

"Farewell to you both. Go with the blessing of Dale."

King Brand nodded respectfully to them and then departed from the hall, leaving them alone save for a couple attendants left behind for them.

"See, told you the King was a good man," Hiccup said.

Toothless idly nodded, the last chicken having been finished, and then sat down beside him.

"True. He does not hate dragons. He is not like Strider, but he is a good leader."

"Yeah, he's good proof that it's possible for the humans of Middle-earth to accept you... or any other good dragons once they get to know you."

Hiccup kept working on his meal until an attendant arrived bearing a plain hunting-knife which he stowed in his supplies after a brief inspection.

_Eh, not very sharp, but it's better than nothing._

* * *

It was not a long flight to the massive front gates of Erebor; the gates were visible as soon as they took to the sky over Dale.

A clear and much-frequented road led from the Northern gate of Dale up to the rock wall that looked so like a fortress. Massive Dwarves carved out of solid rock stood watch on both sides of the wall. A stream poured forth from within the depths of the mountain and ran alongside the main road.

_Wow, that is impressive. Even the carved statues back on Berk don't compare to this._

Toothless dove outside the front gates where a dozen Dwarven guards in formation clearly were awaiting them. He touched down and pranced up to them, eventually stopping a safe distance away from the group of Dwarves.

The Dwarves shuffled on their feet while holding their spears and shields. They were definitely nervous, which was understandable of them.

_As long as they do not try to hurt me or Hiccup..._

Hiccup hopped down and approached them with a warm smile.

"Greetings good Dwarves, we were supposed to come visit you and your King."

One of the Dwarves, clad in more golden armor than his comrades, stepped forward and tapped his spear on the ground once.

"I am Dwurlom, first of the guard. Mine King told me to expect your arrival, you and your... tamed dragon."

Toothless blinked but decided to not say anything or growl at them. He knew that growling at them or saying anything biting would not help with the Dwarves. Hiccup similarly ignored that belittling statement. They both remembered enough stories of Dwarves to know that they have stubbornness problems.

"I will not pretend that we are pleased to have a dragon within Erebor. However, you have been invited by mine King. Please follow me," Dwurlom then said.

Dwurlom tapped his spear against the ground twice, and the entire company of Dwarven guards turned about-face, splitting in two. The guards clearly meant to escort both of them into Erebor.

Toothless hissed softly, not liking this plan very much.

"Bud, don't worry. It's normal for them to be worried about you."

"I know. I just do not like the weapons and being trapped underground..."

"Just think about what happened the last time a dragon went into Erebor. We can't blame them for being suspicious."

Toothless sighed.

"True. The Dwarves are very suspicious of me. Even Gimli was back in Rivendell."

"So let's show them how different you are."

They followed after Dwurlom and the first half of the guards, slowly approaching the towering mountain and the massive gates that were already opened. The road led over a moat, and the wall had countless arrow-holes. The Erebor entrance looked absolutely impossible for any attacking force to take.

Then Hiccup rolled his eyes.

_Unless that attacker is a dragon..._

They passed through the massive gate, so wide that it could probably let a couple wagons enter side-by-side, and then they entered the first great room inside Erebor.

Hiccup's jaw fell open in pure shock as Toothless similarly froze.

The first chamber was truly massive with a ceiling many dozens of fathoms high. Massive columns of stone rose from the ground all the way up to the roof. Stairways led up the walls to higher and lower levels while more chambers on the ground level were visible through doors on each side of the chamber. Massive tapestries hung dozens of fathoms down the walls of the chamber.

Everything was much more massive than was reasonably necessary.

"Oh... my... gods..."

"This place is very big," Toothless grunted in reluctant acknowledgment.

"Of course it is. We are the great miners and craftsmen of the mountain!" King Dain's voice boomed out and echoed off the walls.

The Dwarven King walked toward them along with several of his assembly, all of whom were alarmed to see Toothless. Guards held closely their spears and shuffled in place. Craftsmen and others pointed at them from a distance.

The Dwarf King had no such reluctance, though he was bearing his red ax at his hip.

"Greetings, Master Haddock. Dark dragon. Welcome to Erebor!"

"You do appreciate the irony of you welcoming a dragon here," Hiccup smirked.

"Oh, I do indeed. I'm not worried about him though. He is a very small wyrm, and he is grounded on his own. Completely harmless, it seems. Toothless, I might even say," Dain grinned.

Toothless grumbled and flicked his tail in some annoyance. The Dwarf King, unlike Brand, was already frustrating him with almost everything the Dwarf said.

_He is testing me with word-taunting._

"I am not completely harmless. Ask the Nazgul what they think of me."

Dain stroked his massive beard.

"Hmm, doesn't react to a veiled insult. Interesting."

"You mean the part about me being a wyrm? That is just wrong. I have wings, so I am not a wyrm."

"A fair point. You are a fire drake. Smaug was one of those too," Dain answered.

"Yes, he was. I saw his bones, and it is good that he is dead."

"You are glad that one of your kind is dead?"

"He is not... was not my kin. I am not Smaug."

"Excuse me, good King, but we wanted to continue on our journey today. You wished to speak with us," Hiccup politely interjected.

The Dwarf King surprisingly bent his head toward them.

"Aye, I do. Mine people have no good history with dragons. We fought a twenty year war against dragons nearly five hundred years ago. That war was grievous and ended in our defeat, though many dragons were slain."

Toothless blinked and did not otherwise react. He knew that the dragons that had died had almost certainly deserved it, just as Smaug deserved his fate.

Hiccup answered the King by telling him about something that he thought the Dwarves might be interested to hear about. There were noticeable similarities between the Dwarves and the Vikings, at least in temperament.

"My old tribe has been fighting with dragons for over three hundred years."

Nods of approval and admiration went through the gathered audience of Dwarves.

"Three hundred years, you say? Well, the humans where you live must be very hearty folk indeed to put up with such constant war. Almost sounds like a place where we could lend a hand, eh lads!" Dain laughed.

"Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu!"

The crowd gave a deep, united cheer that echoed off the stone walls.

"Excuse me, what does that mean?" Hiccup asked once the roar's echoing faded.

"That, good lad, is our most ancient battle-cry. It loses much in translation to Common Speech, but it roughly means 'The axes of the Dwarves! The Dwarves are upon you!'

Hiccup nodded, understanding entirely the sentiment behind such a battle-cry. Berk had its own similar calls to rally the tribe in combat.

"Well, my old people definitely have stubbornness issues. They also like the hammer and the ax as their favorite weapons. Their favorite food is ale."

All the Dwarves roared with laughter and slapped their sides.

"Ha! Very good! More humans with good sense!" Dain laughed freely.

"Oh, I don't know about that..." Hiccup grinned.

Then he noticed that a lot of the gathered Dwarves were very interested by the shining jewel on Toothless's pendant. Dain also realized that and pointed at the pendant.

"Good dragon, would you tell us again where you got the beautiful pendant from?"

Toothless purred and held up the pendant with a paw. Unlike before at the bottom of the lake, the jewel was now only faintly glowing from within.

"Lady Galadriel of Lorien gave it to me as a gift. It shines with the light of a star."

"And a greater gift I do not think I have ever seen. Only the Arkenstone surpasses it in splendor. I would say that your gift is probably worth your weight in gold, should you wish to part with it," Dain answered.

A tense silence followed that as Toothless narrowed his eyes on the Dwarf King. No one said anything, and all the Dwarves shuffled in place. He thought that something was twisted about this.

_Why is he asking that? Did he trick us here to take it from me?_

"No, I will not give it up. I do not want gold."

Dain blinked and gave a faint frown.

"No, you do not want gold, you say? What makes you so different from every other dragon that has ever been in all of history?"

"I am... me," Toothless huffed.

"Fair enough. Please follow me. I want to show you a special place here in Erebor," Dain requested.

"Bud, want to see some of Erebor while we're here?"

"Yes, if this will help the Dwarves trust me better!"

Hiccup took off from Toothless's back the various packs of supplies, not knowing how long this detour would take him and Toothless. Dain then turned away and started for one of the large side-chambers. Several of his guards went with him as Hiccup and Toothless followed him.

Their steps, the crash of armor on the stone floor, and the click of Toothless's claws on the ground all echoed in the calm. Sounds of distant activity came from far deeper within Erebor.

"Excuse me, but where are we going?" Hiccup asked after they had walked nearly a full minute.

"Toward the forges, but not all the way to them," Dain answered.

"What is this way?"

"You will see!"

They turned a corner and saw into the next room, which was just as massive as the first one. There was one very strange feature of this room.

Toothless froze when he saw inside the chamber.

"Why did you bring me here?" he hissed with his gaze narrowed on the Dwarf King.

Dain crossed his arms on his chest and white beard.

"You know darn well why I brought you here, dragon. This is a chance for you to show your quality. Show me, show all of us, that you are what you say you are."

"You tricked us!" Hiccup bristled with anger as he went to stand with Toothless.

"It is a fair test that he should have no problem with, if he is what he claims to be," Dain countered.

"Are you okay, bud? You don't have to go out there," Hiccup then whispered.

Toothless snarled softly and glared back at Dain.

"No, I should do this. I am a dragon, and being stronger than this... is part of being a dragon. Just walk with me."

Hiccup stroked his neck in reassurance.

"Always. We can do this: you and me as one."

Toothless took a deep breath and then strode forward into the chamber while Hiccup walked at his side. They walked together ahead of all the other Dwarves.

So alluring. So much around him right now.

A precious shine.

A warmth that stroked his tail as it swayed on the floor behind him.

He wanted to lay down and feel that warmth on his belly.

But all his thoughts went to the glowing gem hanging from his neck and to Hiccup's hand on his head.

He kept his eyes open the whole time, wanting to truly see it all around him and to show others and himself that he was not afraid of it. Then he froze as motion far out on the shining floor held his gaze. Something was slithering toward him.

Around him.

Something like a long tail lacking tailfins.

An echo was swimming around him in the pure golden floor of the chamber.

A hissing whisper floated on the air or in the dark parts of the room.

_It is ours and ours alone._

"I'm here, bud."

_I will not part with a single coin. Not one piece of it._

He raised a paw and stroked the warm jewel. The warmth of its touch was so different from that of the gold. While the gold was warm and filled him with wanting and needing, the light of the jewel left only peace in his soul-fire.

Underground with a hoard or the open sky?

_You will never be free._

Then he slowly spun in place to face all the Dwarves standing over at the entrance to the chamber. They were staring toward him, clearly waiting for his reaction to being around this much gold.

So weak against this innate temptation that his kind was destined to suffer from in this world. He knew that he might not be able to resist on his own.

But he was not alone.

"I AM NOT SMAUG!"

He roared with all his breath at the distant ceiling, and then he flamed the golden ground before his paws. The narrow flame spilled on the golden floor, warming and softening the gold. He stopped flaming, and then he flashed his claws, carving deep scratches into the golden floor. The echo of his roar bounced long through the unknown chambers and depths of Erebor until the sounds finally faded.

Then he heaved as he caught his breath while snarling.

"Could have given me some warning there..." Hiccup moaned, his hands over his ears.

"Oh, sorry about that. We should go..."

Hiccup nodded in agreement, and they walked together back toward where the Dwarves were standing. Toothless snarled softly at them once he arrived at their side.

Oddly, none of them reacted with suspicion. There was a different, more approving look in King Dain's eyes now.

"By Durin's Beard, that was impressive! That settles that, don't you lads agree?" Dain asked.

The Dwarves all answered with grumbles and nods of agreement.

"Are you satisfied?" Toothless hissed.

"Yes, I believe you now. No Dwarf who saw or heard what you just did could rightly think that you are of the Enemy."

Toothless snorted.

"I am glad that you agree. What happened in that room? Why is there gold in the ground?"

Dain shrugged.

"All that I remember is that the Dwarves who took back Erebor had an idea to bury Smaug in molten gold. That room is what resulted."

Toothless blinked and tilted his head in amusement, forgetting all his frustration with these Dwarves. He was not sure that he heard that correctly.

"While that would be an ironic ending for him, that sounds like a very bad plan!" he pointed out.

"Dragons are fireproof, probably heatproof too, on the outside," Hiccup added.

"Yes, it clearly did not work at all since Smaug escaped out these chambers and flew off to Lake-town," Dain grumbled.

Dain then frowned after glancing into the golden room.

"I would ask what happened to you in there. You looked like you were watching something in the golden floor."

Toothless growled and looked away from him, glancing back over his tail toward the golden floor.

"I saw Smaug in the gold."

"Smaug?" Dain exclaimed.

"Yes, I also saw him in my dreams last night. It almost feels like he is still here as a part of the gold, somehow."

Dain laughed heartily.

"Indeed, you see keenly. It is said that there is a sickness over the treasure of Erebor. That desire to hoard treasure touched more than only dragons. Even we Dwarves are not above its temptation. The dragon-sickness also affected Thorin Oakenshield and his grandfather, Thror."

Toothless blinked in surprise and looked back at Dain. He had not expected that the temptation to hoard gold was something that other creatures could also have. This admission by Dain helped him feel like he could share some more truth with this Dwarf King.

"I... do feel a pull from the gold. Part of me wants a gold hoard to claim as my own, but I know that those are bad wants that would only hurt me and others I care about. I fight against those wants, and I want to be free of that twistedness and rot in me."

Dain grimly nodded.

"Have you ever heard the story of two wolves?" Dain then asked.

Toothless shook his head.

"No, have you, Hiccup?"

"Nope. How does it go?"

Dain gestured back toward the main gates in the first chamber. They walked at his side as his guards followed at a distance.

"There is a story that inside everyone's heart live two wolves. One wolf is honorable, kind, and generous. The other wolf is vile, malicious, and miserly. Both wolves are locked in combat with each other and both are starving. Do you know which one will win the battle for your heart?"

"Which one?" Toothless asked.

"Whichever one you choose to give food. Whichever one you indulge."

Toothless purred at that.

_The story has some lift. Just change it to be two different dragons fighting for my soul-fire._

"It is a good story with a strong life-lesson."

They arrived at the front gates. Dain again stepped forward from his company while Hiccup strapped all the various bags of supplies back onto the saddle.

"If you two will indulge me for a while longer, I would crave pardon for not greeting you kindly yesterday. I was too quick to judge you, Toothless."

Toothless hummed softly, accepting the apology.

"I am used to people not liking me at first," he explained.

The Dwarf grumbled at that and looked ashamed of himself.

"Still, I have wronged thee, and this is a stain upon mine honor. You are both welcome back here to Erebor whenever you would like, assuming that we are still here to welcome you of course."

"Is that a real danger? Will Sauron really strike here?" Hiccup asked.

"Sure is. We refused his servant he sent to us many months ago. All the signs are that he will move on us before too long."

Dain held out his arms, as if to embrace all of Erebor, before continuing.

"We can endure siege here in Erebor for a long time, but we cannot hide ourselves away from the world and let the Enemy march over these lands. We will not leave Dale defenseless. No, we will meet the foe with our axes and give the enemy a taste of the old Dwarven steel!"

Another roar of enthusiasm and shouts of 'Baruk Khazâd' went up from the other gathered Dwarves.

"Anyway," Dain continued, "should your paths lead you back here, I can promise you both malt beer and red meat off the bone, or on the bone if you would prefer."

Toothless chuckled.

"I would prefer the meat on the bone."

Dain stroked his beard again while nodding.

"And so you shall have it. There is one more thing I would do for you both before you leave us. You are flying to the Withered Heath next, true?"

"Yes, we are," Hiccup answered.

"Excellent. I wish to make further amends now by singing you both a song we Dwarves know well."

King Dain took a deep breath and began a slow, solemn lay.

"The wind was on the withered heath, but in the forest stirred no leaf: there shadows lay by night and day, and dark things silent crept beneath."

"The wind came down from mountains cold, and like a tide it roared and rolled; the branches groaned, the forest moaned, and leaves were laid upon the mould."

"The wind went on from West to East; all movement in the forest ceased, but shrill and harsh across the marsh its whistling voices were released."

"The grasses hissed, their tassles bent, the reeds were rattling; on it went o'er shaken pool under the heavens cool where racing clouds were torn and rent."

"It passed the lonely Mountain bare and swept above the dragon's lair: there black and dark lay boulders stark and flying smoke was in the air."

"It left the world and took its flight over the wide seas of the night; the moon set sail upon the gale, and stars were fanned to leaping light."

Dain fell silent, and both he and all the other Dwarves bowed their heads at the conclusion of the song.

Toothless purred and inclined his head in gratitude.

"Thank you, King Dain," Hiccup thanked him.

"May your search be fruitful. I daresay that the world could do with a few more dragons like you, Toothless. Go with the goodwill of the Dwarves of Erebor..." Dain answered.

Hiccup and Toothless strolled outside through the great gates of Erebor. On the way out though, they noticed how much weaponry: arrows, bolts, spears, armor, and shields was being assembled in the guard-houses and supply rooms near the gate.

Erebor was preparing for war.

Then they felt the warmth and light of the morning sun high off in the east. Before taking off they stared back through the great doorway.

"It's hard to believe that such a world exists underground. Moria is like this too from what I've heard," Hiccup mused.

"Maybe," Toothless grumbled, "but that is not a world for me. Dragons are not meant to be underground. There is not enough room to fly. Why have wings if we cannot use them?"

"Can't argue with that."

Hiccup took his place in the saddle, and they took to the sky, swiftly flying up toward the lone peak under which Smaug had slept and under which an entire Dwarven realm lay hidden underground. The Long Lake flashed blue, and the flying kites over Dale gleamed in the wind and morning light.

Up beneath the layer of clouds and into an easy glide, they passed by the Lonely Mountain and turned for the distant mountains breaking through the low cloud cover. Those were definitely the Grey Mountains, which split apart somewhere northwest into two separate ranges of mountains. The valley between the two ranges was their destination.

As they soared up into the lowest-flying clouds, Hiccup kept thinking back to the song Dain had sung about the wind in the Withered Heath.

_I wonder what we will find there. There might not be any dragons anymore, but we'll probably see signs they were there once._

Toothless finally glanced back over his tail when he was well past Erebor. He gave a sigh of relief and settled back into a glide.

"Feel better with that behind us?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes, Dwarves are stubborn rock-heads, but I am used to being around people like that!"

"Huh?"

"I have to carry you!"

"Real funny, bud," Hiccup laughed.

Toothless hummed softly.

"Truly, the Dwarves were not as bad as I thought they would be. We only met a pawful of them, but they are not bad life."

"No, they are not."

Hiccup took a deep breath and breathed in the crisp air while staring ahead to the distant mountains.

"You ready for the Withered Heath?"

"Yes, I want this!" Toothless added a roar for emphasis.

"Me too!" Hiccup agreed.

_Even if the name sounds a little ominous. How desolate can it really be?_


	25. Withered Land

_**Author's Note – This chapter was fun to write. I've been awaiting the release of this one for a long time. There is something that we all knew had to happen eventually.**_

* * *

Withered Land

* * *

Much of the valley between the two sets of mountains was visible from where they perched on a high ledge. The chill, dry wind blew in their faces and ruffled Toothless's wings.

"What did you say this place was called?" Toothless warily asked.

"The Withered Heath. Now we know how it got that name..." Hiccup frowned.

Everything was grey and brown as far as they could see. Nothing was growing except gnarled shrubs bare of any green, and short, thin grasses. There were no trees in the valley, which also appeared to have canyons and gullies cut into the mountainsides. The few streams that ran down the mountainside were small and almost empty of water. No roads or other paths were visible, though that was not a surprise since no one had any business being up here.

"Almost makes Berk look like a green paradise. Hey, do those look like burn marks over there?" Hiccup pointed at a distant outcropping that had noticeable discolorations on it.

"Yes, they do. We should go look."

"Yeah, definitely."

They flew over to the rock, touched down by the rock, and investigated it more closely.

Toothless growled to himself at the confirmation. These very old scorch marks were indeed from dragonfire.

"Dragons made this," he observed.

"No, I was thinking the fire-breathing Dwarves did this!" Hiccup chuckled.

Toothless snorted in amusement at the thought of fire-breathing Dwarves.

"Anyway, any idea where the dragons might be if they're still around here?" Hiccup asked.

Toothless hop-flew up onto the rock, from on which they looked around the visible valley, and searched for any sign that it might be inhabited. There still had not been anything to suggest that there were dragons currently living here. But they only just arrived here.

"They would probably want a cave. We should look for caves or other shelter," Toothless offered.

"Good idea."

* * *

Hiccup saw the first thing of significance in a small ravine at the base of the mountains.

"Over there!"

Toothless turned and flew toward the ravine. He landed on top of the ledge that overhung the ravine, and then they stared in solemn silence at the perfect dragon skeleton in the ravine.

Hiccup thought the skeleton looked like a Monstrous Nightmare, having only hind legs and with claws on the tips of its wings, except it was also much lengthier and lacked the assortment of spikes on its head. There was no way to tell how it had died; there were no obvious signs of injury.

He put a hand on Toothless's neck while beholding the first visual proof he had seen that other dragons lived in Middle-earth. Toothless saw Smaug's bones back in the Long Lake.

"Bud, did I tell you that the Vikings had a book of all dragons, the Dragon Manual, and everything the Vikings knew about every dragon they knew of?"

"You said something about it before," Toothless softly answered.

"Yeah, your page was empty because they knew nothing about you, good job on that!"

"I tried," Toothless grinned.

"Anyway, I memorized that book cover to cover. That dragon down there is not in the Dragon Manual."

A wary growl followed as they both stared down at the full skeleton.

"I do not recognize it either. We should keep looking."

* * *

The third such ravine they found was filled with very different signs that dragons had once been there. They dove down into this one to investigate up close what they saw.

Hiccup hopped down from Toothless's back, carefully stepped between the debris, and picked up the brittle fragment of shell. The ground around the scattered shards was also covered in various chewed-on bones, most of which were those of cattle or deer but some of which looked suspiciously... human or maybe Dwarven.

He did not touch any of the bones, and he shivered as he stepped back to Toothless's side.

"Well, these dragons lay eggs. No surprise there."

Toothless reached out with a paw and nudged a larger egg shard while softly humming. The egg had been much larger than any he ever remembered seeing. But it was so old that it crumbled at his paw's touch.

He could not help but think about what the dragons that had lived here had been like in life. Were they like Smaug, filled with greed for gold and a hunger for Dwarves and humans?

Did the dams care for their young, and if so could any of them be wholly evil? It certainly appeared that at least one of either the sires or dams had brought back catches for their young, and that implied some amount of care.

_Maybe they were warm only to their own kind. Did they have families or not?_

He sighed, knowing that he would likely never have answers to such questions. It appeared that there were no other dragons left in this world.

Then a very twisted and foul scent floated on the wind. The scent was almost that of rotted fish.

He spun around in alarm and looked into where the wind was blowing from. There was nothing there except for a yellow pile of rocks near a steaming hole in the ground. Those smelly rocks were familiar.

_They smell like rot. The Monster's nest had a lot of this..._

He growled softly as he looked around, warily staying attentive for any sign of motion or scent of large life.

But the valley was still, dead, and withered.

* * *

The wind came cold down from the mountains, and the stars wheeled overhead on a cloudless night.

They were both curled up in a slight shelter on the southern slope of the mountainside. It was out of the way of the direct wind, which was somewhat of a relief.

Hiccup stared up at the stars from under a dark wing while Toothless silently gazed out over the dark expanse of the long valley.

A whole day of searching, gradually making their way to the northwest, had revealed nothing except bones, occasional fragments of eggs, a couple empty caves or recesses, and a few wild animals, but those did not matter. Those were not what they were looking for.

"What do you think, bud?"

Toothless shuffled in place.

"About what?" he grumbled.

"The Withered Heath so far."

Toothless turned to him, his eyes glowing very faintly in the moonlight.

"It is very wild. The deer could be good hunting, even if there are not many of them. One of the caves could be good for a dragon to roost in. Truthfully, part of this place does feel good in a way: as though part of me could be happy living here. But..." his voice faded away into a soft hum as he got up to pace.

"But what, bud?" Hiccup whispered.

Toothless grumbled and flicked an ear as he sat down at Hiccup's side again.

"Having seen the Shire, Rivendell, and Lorien, and knowing good humans like you, Gandalf, Strider, and the Hobbits, Elves, and Dwarves also... all of that has changed me."

"Changed you how?"

Toothless waved a paw toward the horizon.

"The wild out here feels... empty."

"Empty? What do you mean?"

A dark wing went out over Hiccup to again block out the worst of the wind and the cold.

"I do not know how to say it better. Life feels... more... around good people."

"Won't argue with you on that. The wild out here does have a harsh beauty to it. At least there is still some life here. Who knows how cold the Northern Waste will be?" Hiccup wrapped his cloak tighter around himself.

Toothless growled and let his fire show for an instant in his maw.

"We will soon. But I do not mind the cold. Neither do you with your warm furs."

Hiccup nodded, very thankful for all the gear he had acquired. The mittens, heavy coat, furs, and mask were very warm and snug. Then he rolled over and stared off the slope.

"Right about that. All the gear from Lothlorien and Dale will help a lot. I wonder if we'll find any Jotuns or frost-giants up there in the Waste."

"What are those things?"

"Remind me to teach you more mythology some day, bud. Though, I'm not sure if that mythology even works in this world. Probably not, even the gods sound different."

Hiccup pulled his Lorien cloak over himself and quickly fell asleep in the warmth under Toothless's wing.

Toothless remained awake a while longer, silently staring out over the expanse of darkness and watching for any flitting shadows or dark spots in the sky where the stars did not shine.

There were none.

_Maybe I am alone._

The empty cold inside felt greater at that thought of his being the only one of his kind. Then he glanced down to his pendant and lifted it with a paw. The pearl still glowed very faintly from within.

Between that light and Hiccup's peaceful breaths at his side, that creeping fear of isolation felt smaller and far more bearable.

* * *

Hiccup frowned as he considered the thorny bush before him. The bush looked very withered, much like the rest of the valley in this harsh land, but it had large berries on it. He hadn't seen anything else edible yet in the Heath.

_It would be nice to have some food other than Lembas._

The small, red berries looked sweet. He knew that some mushrooms were not good to eat, but that probably wasn't a problem with berries. These also looked something like raspberries, so they should be safe enough to eat.

The berry's flesh was very sweet at first and tart afterwards, which was an interesting combination. The small pit he bit into was so disgusting that he immediately spat it out.

_Ugh... note to self, don't eat the pit..._

"What was that?" Toothless barked as he bounded over.

"I learned not to eat the seed in these berries."

Toothless grumbled as he glared at the berries.

"Are these berries like bad-wrong-twisted-false-fish to humans?"

"Huh?"

"You called it an... eel!" Toothless hissed.

Hiccup shrugged.

"Maybe. There's a lot of stuff that we shouldn't eat because it makes us sick."

Toothless grumbled and looked around at what they could see of the valley from where they were.

"See anything out there?" Hiccup asked as he gathered more of the berries.

"Yes."

"What?"

"Grey mountains along our flight."

"Yeah, more of the same. It looks like we're getting near the end of the Heath though."

Toothless sighed, his ears fallen and tail stilled.

"And we did not find any living dragons here."

Toothless looked so glum that Hiccup had to help cheer him up.

"Well, there is one!"

Toothless rolled his eyes.

"We did not find any other living dragons here..."

* * *

The Grey Mountains were most appropriately named. There was very little green on their slopes. All was either white with snow or grey with rocks.

Their flight through the morning, the sun rising at their backs, carried them to the west along the last stretch of the Withered Heath until the two mountain ranges joined together.

After briefly conferring, they flew entirely over the Grey Mountains until they reached the northern slopes. Then they turned back and started flying east. The lands to the north, their next destination if they found nothing in the Grey Mountains, were very ominous in how empty they appeared. There was nothing but an empty plain of short grass as far as the eye could see.

The chill, dry wind blowing down from the barren plains did not help.

* * *

The ruins were definitely Dwarven. The small fortress lay in a valley with a broken path leading up to the structure. Discarded axes, swords, and rent armor littered the ground outside the fortress.

There were no bones of any kind, and nothing moved in the ruins.

Toothless glided up onto the wall of the ruins so that he could see inside where the roof had collapsed. Stone tables, walls, and lower chambers were visible inside.

"What were they doing here?" Toothless asked.

"See those carts over there, bud?" Hiccup pointed at the empty carts.

"Yes."

"It looks like they were mining up here, maybe gold or silver. And then... well..."

They both looked down at the deep scratches in the rock.

"Dragons happened..." Toothless grumbled.

Hiccup patted his neck to comfort him.

"Yeah, they did. I should probably take a look around and see if there's anything useful here."

"Good idea. I do not smell anything, but be careful."

Toothless hopped down onto the ground and lay down to rest. Hiccup wandered the ruins while searching for anything that might be helpful. There wasn't much left in the ruins, nothing easy to take with him anyway.

_As appealing as a full suit of Dwarven armor would be... and even if it was in my size... and if I were strong enough..._

He found a weapons rack in a side chamber.

_Hammers, throwing axes, battle axes, shields... were these Viking Dwarves? Probably stubborn enough if they were mining up here..._

Then he spied a dagger on the ground by the rack of axes, so he went to pick it up. The craftsmanship looked very fine with a bronze handle and a blade as long as the Barrow-daggers. Both the handle and blade had Dwarven runes which he could not read. Best of all, the dagger looked very sharp.

_This could help with carving catches or hides. Maybe even melee fights, not that I'm going to be in any of those. I wonder what the runes mean._

So he pocketed the dagger and then left the ruins after finding nothing else of note.

"Find anything?" Toothless warbled without opening his eyes.

"Yep."

"Good. What?"

"I found a powerful, ancient Dwarven relic that is cursed with a thirst for dragon blood!"

Toothless flew to his paws and spun on him, glaring at the dagger in his hands.

"Or just a plain Dwarven dagger..." Hiccup chuckled.

Toothless snorted and stepped closer to inspect it.

"It looks like it can bite."

"Yeah, might as well have a good one since I gave the others to Merry and Pippin. The one from Dale isn't bad, but it isn't as sharp as this one."

Toothless then rolled his eyes.

"You do not need to throw this one away."

"Understood. Good to have your approval! You ready to keep going?"

"Yes, seeing these old dens that were destroyed by dragons feels bad..."

Hiccup stowed away his new dagger and then glanced one more time at the Dwarven ruins as Toothless similarly stared toward them.

"I know what you mean, bud. Let's go."

* * *

A very large cave, its mouth opening from the base of the bare mountain slope, beckoned down below.

"Why not? Let's go check it out," Hiccup offered.

"It does look like a good cave," Toothless granted.

They dove for it and landed on the rocky surface. The first thing Hiccup noticed was the amount of ice inside this cave and around the entrance. Large icicles, almost like teeth, were visible within. While it was definitely cold on this side of the mountain, it was not close enough to freezing to explain the amount of ice here.

They both grumbled while staring within.

"Ever seen anything like this before, bud?"

Toothless rumbled, deep in thought.

"Once, but that was far from here."

"What was it?"

"A big ice dragon that could make a lot of ice."

Hiccup hopped down to stretch his legs after a long time aloft. Toothless remained sitting, glaring into the cave.

"Well, we should probably check the cave. You ready, bud?"

"Yes."

They walked inside together.

The cave had more large spikes of blue ice growing from the walls and the floor. The air smelled musty and heavy, and their every footstep made a faint, echoing click. Hiccup pulled his cloak tighter around himself as the temperature fell. His breath formed clouds in the air before him.

_This is really strange for a cave. I wonder if..._

Suddenly, Toothless froze midstep and flung out a wing in front of him.

"What's the m..."

Toothless hissed softly while glaring at him.

"Quiet..." Toothless whispered.

"What the matter?" Hiccup whispered.

The Fury's tail swayed nervously at his side.

"I smell something. Get on me..."

Hiccup got back in the saddle. Very cautiously and being as silent as possible, they continued on into the cave, feeling as they went deeper the faintly chill wind from within.

Toothless wondered about the strange, musky scent on the wind coming from inside the cave. The scent was a strange one, but there was something that was familiar about it.

_How is there cold wind from inside a cave?_

They peered around a corner into a large chamber ringed with walls of ice.

Then they froze in place, stunned at what they saw within.

An enormous pile of gold coins and bars, silver, and various jewels lay in the center of the chamber. Hiccup saw enough treasure to easily fill the holds of several Viking longboats. This chamber held many, many times more treasure than the Barrow-downs had.

More important than the treasure was the massive dragon coiled on top of the treasure hoard.

Its scales were a deep, mottled blue. Its spread wings, bearing what looked like sickle-claws at the tips, were sky blue with veins of dark blue. Two long, backward-growing horns sprouted from its head. It had a short neck, a powerful torso, spikes like ice on its back, no visible forelimbs, and a strong tail without any fins. The tail had short spikes down its length.

It was easily the largest dragon Hiccup had ever seen, having a wingspan of several times that of Toothless and a visible tail also several times as long as Toothless. He could not tell exactly how large this new dragon was, only that it was the biggest he had ever seen.

Every one of its calm breaths stirred up a cloud of mist and a frigid wind, as if the sleeping dragon was the source of the cold in the cave.

Which it probably... definitely was, despite how impossible that was.

_Oh my gods... that is not in the Dragon Manual either. Berk never fought any ice dragons that I know of..._

Hiccup suddenly felt very conflicted as he stared in awe.

On the one hand, he had heard from enough people that dragons of Middle-earth were not good creatures. Too many otherwise peaceful people had sworn to the destruction and terror the dragons could cause. The echoes of the past in Dale, Erebor, and the Grey Mountains were sufficient proof of that. Further, this dragon was definitely sitting on a hoard.

On the other hand, there was always the possibility, however small, that one of these dragons could be more like Toothless and be able to change or try to resist temptation, just as Toothless was doing. He would never know if they didn't try to be peaceful to this dragon.

He bent down close to Toothless's ears and whispered.

"What should we do?"

Toothless was not sure either. Between having the Lorien pendant on his neck and Hiccup safely on his back, he felt no threatening pull at all from this gold hoard, even though it was far larger than the scraps around Smaug's bones or the golden ground in Erebor.

On one paw, seeing this dragon, a male from its scent, protectively sitting on and claiming the hoard was all he needed to know about the dragon. It was a thrall to the pull of gold and hoards. Not only that, but at what looked like just under Smaug's size, this was the second largest living dragon he had ever seen. The largest dragon was the nest-Monster.

On the other paw, while this dragon was definitely dangerous and did not have a good soul-fire, it might have the knowledge that he and Hiccup were looking for. It could tell them if it had seen any other dragons like him in this world.

Talking to it felt like a very twisted idea, one that Hiccup would probably have, but talking to the ice dragon was also the only plan that had any lift. He could keep himself and Hiccup safe by keeping distance; no dragon was faster than a Night Fury.

He slowly backed away from the dragon's inner treasure chamber until he was sure that they were far enough away to whisper safely.

"We should wake it and ask what it knows."

"Okay, bud. I trust you on this. This is a great opportunity..." Hiccup eagerly said.

Toothless grumbled softly and glanced back at Hiccup, already knowing what his friend was probably going to try to do.

"But we fly if it tries to do anything to us. Do not try to do anything stupid."

"When have I ever done anything stupid?" Hiccup objected.

"Hiccup..." he softly growled in warning.

"Alright, fine. Fine. No being friendly or peacemaking or anything like that."

"And do not look in its eyes."

"Right, the mind-control thingy. Got it. Won't make that mistake."

"I hope not."

"Can you look in its eyes?" Hiccup asked.

"Maybe, but I will not risk it."

They took deep breaths to steady themselves and then started back down the cave. Just as before, they glanced around the corner to where the dragon still slept.

"How do we wake it?" Hiccup barely whispered.

"I do not know. I could roar..." Toothless whispered back.

"That sounds like a bad idea. I could... do a Bilbo and grab some of its treasure..."  
"That sounds like a worse idea..."

"I was joking. Do you have a better plan?"

Toothless was still wondering how to properly wake such a dragon in its own den when the massive blue dragon shifted on its hoard. Its tail slowly swayed with a clatter and crashing of disturbed metal. The ice blue wings twitched. The horned head slowly rolled to the side to face directly at them.

An instant of silence passed as the clattering echos of disturbed metal faded.

Then they recoiled with twinned gasps as the lidded eyes slid open.

They stepped back from the corner and retreated several paces, only then remembering to breathe.

Hiccup's hands were sweating despite the cold, and Toothless was shaking slightly, which was very strange for him.

_Okay, that was creepy. Maybe it didn't see us..._

A very cold breath of wind flowed out from the inner-sanctum. The crashing of gold and very heavy thumps of footsteps followed.

_Nope, definitely knows we are here. Great..._

Toothless started hastily backing up toward the cave's mouth, all while they both kept their eyes on the passage before them. The plan to talk to the dragon had been abandoned before it had a chance to start.

_Alright, now what? I guess we can..._

"Well... thiss iss a pleassant ssurrprrisse."

Its deep and hissing voice drew the warmth from the air itself_._

"It hass been many yearrss ssincce my lasst guesstss orr challengerrss."

"We are not here... to challenge you!" Toothless shouted.

The crashing footfalls continued as Toothless reached the main entrance and bounded outside into the sunlight, putting distance between himself and the mouth of the cave.

"No? Curriouss. A human and a ssmall drragon worrking togetherr. Therre iss ssomething about yourr sscent, ssmall one..."

The large blue head appeared in the cave's depths as the ice dragon slithered out of the cave.

"We only want to talk!" Toothless cried.

"Do you? What about, I wonderr? Do not be sshy. Let me ssee you both."

Toothless spread his wings and crouched, ready to leap and flee in an instant. The blue dragon approaching from inside the cave walked slowly, using its strong wings like forelimbs. Its clawed wings clutched the outside edges of the cave as the dragon emerged. Every one of its steps sent a small tremor through the ground. Its long, whiplike tail swayed behind it, crashing into the icy walls of its cave.

Without looking directly into its eyes, they both carefully watched its advance.

Finally, the massive dragon settled down just outside its cave while hissing and thrashing its tail. Every heavy breath froze the air before it into a misty cloud. Its ice blue wings were stretched impressively wide for balance.

Then it started laughing a very deep and menacing laugh that slithered through the cold air.

"You and the human found my hoarrd and dissturrbed my ssleep. I sslept undissturrbed forr many yearrss. You wissh to sspeak to me? What about, may I assk?"

"We want to know if you have seen other dragons like me!" Toothless answered.

The blue dragon snorted and chuckled again, this time flashing his sharp white teeth. They were long and serrated.

"Wherre arre ourr mannerss? It iss cusstomarry forr guesstss to name themsselvess. Who arre you both?"

Toothless paused before answering, remembering from his long talks with Bilbo how dangerous it was to tell a dragon the full truth. But he and Hiccup had an advantage that Bilbo had not had. They knew what to expect.

"I am... Night Fury!" Toothless answered.

"And I am... Horrendous!" Hiccup answered.

The ice dragon laughed its cold laugh.

"Yess, I can ssee how thosse... namess... arre apprroprriate. You both have ssuch good mannerrss. I am Vorunturth. Wherre do you come frrom, both of you?"

Toothless smirked.

"We flew here from a place you cannot fly to now. Neither can we."

"No? A pity. I would have enjoyed... meeting thosse who live wherre you flew frrom," Vorunturth smiled widely.

"I doubt it. The humans there are dragon-killers. My friend was one of them."

Vorunturth stared intensely at Hiccup as Hiccup carefully averted his gaze. Vorunturth had a very powerful presence that made him want to look more closely and see just how strong and massive he was. Instead, he thought only about Toothless's purring and their mission to get information.

"Arre they? Now that iss interressting. They look morre like drragon-tamerrss than killerrss."

Toothless swallowed the fire that wanted to pour from his belly. He did not like this blue dragon who said such twisted and rotted things about Hiccup.

"I am not tame! I am one whom many think is toothless, but I fly unseen with fury in the night skies," Toothless snarled back.

"Do you? Imprressssive... forr a sslave. And what of yourr... human massterr? He lookss like a ssmall human who needss much prrotecting..."

"Toothless is not a slave! He is my friend!" Hiccup indignantly shouted, unwilling to let that slight be unchallenged.

He felt Vorunturth's powerful gaze on him even as he stared at the dragon's sharp claws and massive wings. He was again reminded that there was something unnaturally powerful and sinister about the dragon's gaze. A faint pull wanted him to look into his eyes and see the truth. It was a dangerous pull which only Toothless's soft growling reminded him not to listen to.

"Yourr frriend? How curriouss. I doubt that hiss ssire orr dam would name him Toothlessss. No sstrrong drragon would sso name themsself. You musst have named him that. A fitting name forr what he iss to you. Trrue?"

Hiccup was stunned that Vorunturth had figured all that out. He also felt renewed guilt at the reminder that Toothless's name was a silly one.

"Well... he likes the name..." Hiccup meekly protested.

Vorunturth rumbled very deeply.

"Sstill, I ssee that Toothlessss iss imporrtant to you. Maybe verry prrecioussss..."

"He is like family!"

Vorunturth fully lay down on the ground before them.

"Indeed. I can ssee and feel that therre iss ssomething differrent about you, human. You feel almosst like one of uss. Maybe you have the ssoul of a drragon alsso."

"Thanks..."

Vorunturth's hissing chuckling followed.

"A drragon and a human being frriendss iss verry sstrrange. How did thiss forrbidden frriendsship happen between you? It iss verry unlikely, I imagine. Pleasse tell me. I am mosst curriouss and do not get to... enjoy... many guesstss up herre anymorre."

"I helped him after he was... shot down in fighting and his tail was hurt. I spared his life, and he also let me go when he could have killed me."

Vorunturth, very deep in thought after hearing that, got to his paws and slowly paced in front of his cave. His every step sent tremors into the ground.

"Mosst interressting. You musst have been verry differrent frrom yourr kin, to ssparre a drragon'ss life. You... found him... downed in fighting, but you could not make yourrsself kill him. Ssomething sstopped you. Do I sspeak well?"

Hiccup blinked again in surprise at how much Vorunturth knew or guessed from so little.

"Yes, I was different. Three hundred years of Vikings, and I was the first one who would not kill a dragon. And now he is my friend. I trust him and help him fly."

Vorunturth exhaled a cold cloud in their direction.

"You, ssmall man whosse name I do not know, have a sstrrange way of trreating yourr frriend. Iss it norrmal forr a human to ensslave one they call a frriend?"

"He is not a slave!"

"Darrk wing, have you assked yourr massterr about yourr tailfin?"

Toothless smirked.

"I know that he shot me down. I do not care about that."

"Oh, my apologiess, you missunderrsstand me, darrk one. Yourr... frriend... iss holding you back even now. You arre nothing but a tool to him. A common beasst of burrden. A thing he ussess to feel ssaferr and morre powerrful."

"Liar!" Hiccup shouted.

"He would not keep me trapped! You do not know him! Will you answer my question or not?" Toothless roared.

Vorunturth went silent for a long time in deep thought as he sat before his cave.

"Arre therre any otherrss like you? Maybe yess, maybe no. Why sshould I ansswerr you?"

"Because he is a dragon like you! You should want to help him!" Hiccup explained.

Vorunturth slowly stepped closer to them, and Toothless stepped back to keep the distance between them. They both felt his sinister gaze on them, and his voice took on more of a deep, menacing growl the longer he spoke.

"Yess, yourr pet iss a drragon in hiss hearrt. He can burrn, tearr, rrend, devourr, and sslay, ssuch iss the hearrt of everry trrue drragon! Even sso, he iss nothing like me. Not yet. Trry again. How doess my helping you benefit me?"

Toothless snarled as he glared at Vorunturth. The larger dragon had many old scars on his side. It was likely that he had been challenged, possibly by other dragons but definitely by Dwarves, and won many times. Smaug had been much larger than Vorunturth and was supposedly the last great fire dragon.

"Am I correct that you have fought Dwarves and humans before? You have always won. You look strong."

Vorunturth preened slightly and held out his ice blue wings at his side while puffing his chest out and standing on his hind legs. He then spoke to the sky.

"Yess, my cold iss the coldesst. The sstrroke of my wingss turrnss airr to icce at my passssing. My foess' blood frreezess ssolid while theirr bladess and axess sshatterr! My brreath iss the empty wind of a cloudlessss, sstarrlessss night."

Toothless smiled a toothy smile and took a deep breath.

"Very impressive! Did you know I am a fire dragon?"

"Arre you? That grreat kind iss gone now," Vorunturth sneered.

The glowing shot left Toothless's maw before either of the other two could respond. The shot struck Vorunturth in the chest, knocking him back slightly before he recovered. His being knocked backward had been helped by his standing upright in display of his vast wingspan.

Strangely, Vorunturth did not strike back in anger. Rather, he looked surprised at first.

"Imprressssive. You have ssome sstrrength in you, desspite yourr ssizze. But you could not kill me with ssuch ssmall firre."

"Maybe not, but those wings might break if I shoot them!" Toothless snarled.

The ice dragon reared his head high. Something had very suddenly changed in his bearing. Hiccup knew to hold tightly to the saddle.

"You think you arre the only one with grreat brreath! How fasst arre you trruly, sslave?"

It happened so fast as Vorunturth inhaled deeply and then exhaled a torrent at them.

Toothless flashed his wings and jumped aside as fast as lightning.

The ground where he had stood just a wingbeat before was now covered in shards and spikes of ice that grew from the ground itself. A layer of ice was spreading... creeping outward along the ground, despite the lack of visible water.

It was as though the air itself had frozen solid.

Vorunturth snarled and leaped through the cloud formed around his breath. The great ice dragon heavily crashed down on the layer of ice he had created, and Toothless darted aside again, settling down a long pounce away.

Both dragons crouched in place and heaved with heavy breaths. While that had been a strike to kill, Toothless knew he was far faster than Vorunturth and could not be struck except if he made a big mistake.

"Steady, bud..." Hiccup whispered, his heart racing wildly.

Vorunturth settled down and refused to move as he stared at them.

"I ssee that you arre a fasst one, darrk wing. Forr that, you and yourr human arre mosst forrtunate. Yourr... prreciouss alsso burrnss ssome..."

Toothless was vaguely aware of his pendant glowing brighter now, though he was not looking away from Vorunturth. He also remembered Galadriel mentioning that evil creatures would be pained by the light. Vorunturth definitely counted for that purpose.

"I have another idea that does not involve fighting!" Hiccup shouted into the silence.

"Do you? Pleasse tell uss..." Vorunturth hissed.

"We do not care about your hoard! You can keep it! What about making it bigger?"

Of all the things that Vorunturth may have expected to hear, that was apparently not one of them because he recoiled slightly.

"Biggerr? Sspeak!"

"I have some gold with me now!"

"I know. I can ssmell it."

Hiccup withdrew the bag of Barrow-Downs gold he and Toothless had been given by the Hobbits.

"I'll give you my gold, and then you tell us what you know. What do you have to lose?"

Vorunturth thought about it, considering his options. His growling rumble still shivered the air and the stones underfoot while Hiccup and Toothless waited for his answer.

"You might come back forr my hoarrd orr tell otherrss wherre I am."

"But we cannot kill you on the ground. You know that. Who could we tell that could come out here to fight you? Dwarves? The world down south has enough problems now for anyone to bother about a dragon sitting peacefully in a cave."

Vorunturth grumbled, deep in thought.

"Gold coinss to buy knowledge. I would like a biggerr hoarrd. Sshow me the gold."

Hiccup opened the bag and counted out the coins while holding them up to see. Half went back into the bag, and the other half he threw Vorunturth's direction. The coins clanged as they crashed against the rock and each other.

"You get the other half after you talk!"

Vorunturth again laughed a hissing laughter that drew much of the warmth from the air.

"I will not lie. Thiss iss verry differrent frrom what I thought would happen. Refrresshing and tempting, almosst. I sshould not hold to the barrgain, but therre iss only gain to me. I would prreferr to take the gold by forrce frrom you, but I cannot catch you, darrk wing."

"No, you cannot! What is your answer?" Toothless growled back.

"I do rrememberr sseeing darrk wing sshapess like you, Toothlessss."

Hiccup's jaw fell open as he felt Toothless stiffen beneath him. Somehow, he was sure that Vorunturth was not lying. This news changed everything.

"Where? When?" Hiccup whispered.

"The lasst I ssaw of them wass ssome ten yearrss ago. They flew farr off into the norrtherrn dessolation. I have not sseen them ssince then, and I know nothing morre. The gold..."

Hiccup hurled the bag which then fell with a clang between them and Vorunturth. They retreated as the ice dragon approached its final payment, sniffed at the bag, and then looked up toward them.

"I ssupposse that concludess ourr bussinessss herre."

Toothless stepped back further and prepared to fly. Then he heard Vorunturth's chill voice again.

"Beforre you leave, I musst compliment you, human, forr neverr looking into my eyess. You musst have hearrd that we drragonss can be verry... perrssuassive..."

"So I've heard," Hiccup shouted over at him.

The temptation to look was very strong, but he barely resisted by focusing on Toothless's purring.

Vorunturth laughed freely.

"Verry good! If you werre to everr look into any drragon'ss eyess, it could contrrol yourr thoughtss and make you do ssomething you did not want to do. But you did not look into my eyess. Well done!"

"Why do you do this? Why do you care about gold?" Hiccup shouted, wanting to get answers that he may never have another chance to get.

"I am a drragon. Gold iss preciouss to me. It iss my naturre."

"You could try to change and want something else!"

Vorunturth tilted his head while giving a soft rumble that they could both feel in their chests.

"Change? What? Why?"

"Yeah, with all due respect to you, I think it's very stupid to do what you're doing, sitting on gold in a cave. You cannot even use it!"

Vorunturth chuckled, not even taking offense.

"Humanss, everr sso prractical, alwayss looking forr the usse of everrything. Trruly, you usse all that iss arround you. I do not need to usse the gold. And you arre assking me to give up my prreciouss? Could you do that yourrsself? Could you let go what iss prreciouss to you? You arre not trruly a drragon and cannot underrsstand, though you arre like one alrready."

Toothless snorted.

"Then listen to me since I am a dragon! You, Vorunturth, have forgotten the wind, the sun, the stars, and the open sky! You want to sleep underground! You have forgotten what it is to be a dragon!"

No one spoke while Vorunturth rumbled to himself with a curious, wary growl.

"No, darrk wing, it iss you who iss losst and hass forrgotten. It iss curriouss that you found me now of all timess..."

Vorunturth then, using his forked tongue, licked up each gold coin, hooked a clawtip into the bag, and spun around with crashing footsteps. He crept back inside his cave, his long tail eventually vanishing into the dark.

Toothless snorted derisively toward the cave and then took to the sky with his flight set for the nearest high mountains that were still a long flight away from Vorunturth's cave.

Up there in the open sky, he exhaled and let out a strangled cry somewhere between relief and pain. Relief at the news that his own kind were apparently out there somewhere, and pain at how very bad-twisted this true Middle-earth dragon had shown itself to be.

"Toothless, you okay?"

"Yes, I do not know what to think now..."

"Same here, bud."

Hiccup also struggled to steady himself, his hands shaking again at the memory of the blue dragon's words, massive teeth, ice breath, and cunning. Vorunturth's words were so cruel and vicious without reason. He gained nothing at all from trying to hurt them, and he did it anyway.

_He had to have a reason. I don't understand it. Why would anyone be so...so..._

No one word was sufficient.

* * *

Toothless finally dove toward a remote ledge on the mountainside facing north. While not a cave, it was partially sheltered from the wind and from sight in the approaching night.

It was also a long flight from Vorunturth's cave.

He padded to the rear of the ledge up against the rock wall, and flamed the rock until it was warm to the paw. Hiccup returned from relieving himself and sat down at his side, propping himself up with the rock at his back. Hiccup had the Elven cloak wrapped around himself for warmth.

Both of them settled for staring out into the barren land while lost in their thoughts. Nothing could see them from above, on the off-paw chance that a certain ice dragon was searching for them.

They had not yet spoken about the meeting with Vorunturth or anything they had learned in it.

"Hiccup?"

"Toothless?"

"Do you believe it? That he really saw Night Furies? He could have been lying."

"I don't know. He wouldn't gain anything by lying about that."

Hiccup grumbled and said nothing else. Something was troubling him, and Toothless noticed.

"Hiccup, you are worried. Is that because of... him?"

A sigh followed before Hiccup met his gaze.

"I didn't think that a dragon could be that cruel. It's like he was trying to hurt us as much as he could just for the... fun of it? Are... are the other dragons you know... knew like that at all?"

"Back in the Monster's nest?"

"Yeah."

Snort.

"No. They would growl at each other, try to take ledges, fight for status and mates, use the most twisted threat-signs, and be proud of killing on raids. Some of their liking of fighting might have been the Monster thinking in them. But they did not try to kill without need."

Hiccup slumped against the rock and looked up at the stars while resting his hand on his cloak.

"I thought that dragons were the victims and that it was the fault of humans for not giving them a chance. But Vorunturth never wanted peace! He liked being cruel and trying to hurt us!"

A tear fell down Hiccup's cheek.

Toothless reached over and rested a paw on Hiccup's lap.

"Hiccup, do not worry about it now. We will probably never see that dragon again. He will not leave his hoard unprotected."

That at least was an encouraging thought to them both.

"Yeah, he probably won't leave. Smaug was truly terrible also, so I should have known. It just feels more real now that we met... a true dragon from this world."

"I know. It feels twisting to me also."

Hiccup sighed.

"In much happier news, I'm really looking forward to the flight tomorrow. That land out there looks like it could give me frostbite on my spleen..."

"I hope not. The cold biting your insides would be very bad," Toothless warbled in worry.

Hiccup chuckled softly at that.

"It's just a saying. Are you ready to try for the Northern Waste tomorrow?"

"Yes, I do not need to eat for several days."

"Got it."

Hiccup snuggled in at Toothless's side, per their usual arrangement.

Something kept troubling his thoughts and preventing him from finding peace. Toothless also appeared restless and unable to drift off.

The chill wind whistled around the mountain where they hid.

A gust as if of ice blew into Hiccup's face.

_'You did not look into my eyess...'_

_'You could not make yoursself kill him...'_

_'Ssomething stopped you...'_

His eyes flew open, and he stared unblinkingly up at the stars without seeing them.

The soft purring at his side continued on undisturbed, all while he felt a chill creeping closer to his heart.

Those wide green eyes staring back at him as the Night Fury lay bound in the bolas had been so powerful.

His own courage and determination to prove himself to his father had wilted as he realized that he could not do it. He would not do it.

Could not? Would not? Was there a difference?

Was it truly his choice what had happened?

_I... don't... know..._

A gasping breath followed his realization that he had not been breathing.

Toothless noticed.

"Hiccup?"

"I..."

So afraid of the truth. He could not bear it if his fear was confirmed.

Was it all a lie deep down? A trick? Were they a lie?

Had he always been used? Was he being used now?

He had trusted the Fury completely once before. Was that a trick also?

Did he know his best friend?

Would looking into those green eyes make him lose his mind and freedom, assuming that he even had it now?

"Toothless, I... need to know this. Did you... do anything to me... when we first met?"

"What?" Toothless barked in confusion.

The darkness echoed with the silence as Hiccup kept his eyes closed.

"Did you do anything to me when I looked into your eyes and could not... do it?"

Toothless stared at Hiccup in growing dismay and fear. His friend's eyes were closed and unmoving.

"No, I did not! I do not know how I would if I could. Why do you think..."

That was when he remembered several of Vorunturth's parting words to Hiccup. Those apparently respectful but secretly cutting words had been meant to strike at them both in the cruelest way possible: to drive a claw of doubt between them and make them question their friendship.

"How can I know that for sure? What if I have not been myself since then? What if I'm not free even now?" Hiccup coldly whispered.

"No! I do not have that power! I... I swear on my wings, the moon, and the sky!"

Toothless hung his head and whined softly with his eyes closed. He could only whisper into the silence and the darkness.

"Do you trust me, brother?"

Life was paused.

Stretching out in the silence.

As the chill wind swept around their ledge.

Until warmth returned to the world at the touch of Hiccup's paw on his nose.

His weak whine turned into a solemn croon after he opened his eyes and stared into unblinking eyes that were so different from yet so like his own.

"Hiccup, I..."

Hiccup interrupted with a trembling voice.

"I'm sorry, brother, I shouldn't have... doubted you. I don't know... what I was thinking."

They stayed like that a long time in the familiar gesture of trust that carried so much meaning for them. Then Toothless pulled back slightly to lay down next to him and cover him again with a wing.

"I do not blame you. I do blame that rotted and foul pile of blue waste! Are you sure you did not look in its eyes?"

Hiccup growled at that.

"No, I did not. He was trying to break us apart, but I don't know why. Just because he could? So that we couldn't tell anyone where he is?"

"Probably that one. He could not kill us, so he wanted us to... doubt each other and betray each other so that the secret of where he is dies with us," Toothless growled.

"Maybe Middle-earth dragons really are that wicked," Hiccup relented.

That obvious truth left them both feeling more worried about what they might see on the rest of the journey.

"The Night Furies, if there are any, won't have gone like Vorunturth did, right? They won't be bad. I really hope we don't see any other dragons like him," Hiccup whispered.

Toothless stared out toward the horizon.

"I do not think they would have gone bad. There probably are no treasure hoards in the empty range. My kind would probably make a pack for protection and living together. Many dragons are like that where we are from."

Exhaustion, physical and emotional, finally took them. Hiccup fell asleep first, and Toothless remained awake a while longer, staring up at the stars twinkling in the cloudless night sky.

A rogue gust swept over their ledge, and the wind felt unnaturally cold in that instant.

Then the moment passed, leaving behind only his very soft growl and the empty desolation all around them.

* * *

_**Author's Note – As we have preciously established, dragons being able to mentally influence or mind-control humans is absolutely a canon thing in Middle-earth. Tolkien specifically had Bilbo never take off the Ring when Bilbo met with Smaug. Even Turin Turambar, one of the greatest warriors of history, was completely paralyzed by a spell just by looking into Glaurung's eyes.**_


	26. Where No One Goes

_**Author's Note – The Forodwaith, or the Northern Waste as it is more commonly known, is basically an arctic tundra. It is permanently cold because of Morgoth's lasting evil influence from the realm he built in the ancient North.**_

* * *

Where No One Goes

* * *

The land was empty and wind-swept. Grey piles of rocks were interspersed with patches of short grass and dirt. Mosses and lichens barely clung to life on the rocky terrain in between expanses of snow.

The few ponds they passed over were small and shallow, though they were clear enough to drink from, having possibly been made from the little melt-water.

Everything was still except for the patches of long, wilted grass which gently swayed in the wind.

Hiccup kept himself tightly tucked to Toothless's back to stay out of the wind as much as possible. His heavy winter coat, mittens, mask, and other warm attire King Brand had given him almost never came off now, not even when he went to sleep. He was warm enough as long as he kept all that warm clothing on and remained at Toothless's side.

The nights were alternatively amazing and frightening. The skies were very clear, and the stars shone brightly with no lights at all from torches or civilization. The aurora glowed and flowed as it danced in the heavens. The cold was, naturally, the worst at night, especially on the cloudless nights.

They tried to find the best places to get out of the wind, in depressions or behind rocks, but Hiccup was sure that he would have frozen to death if not for Toothless's ever-present warmth. Being tucked against the Fury's belly and under sheltering wings was more than enough to get him through the nights in safety. Even better, Toothless did not mind the cold at all, saying that he felt nothing of the chill as long as they were out of the worst wind.

But as Hiccup closed his eyes while huddling against Toothless's side, the howling wind outside the warm, living tent was still very ominous.

* * *

The valley was long, and they could not find anything important in the valley. There were no other dragons or even prey worth trying to catch.

"Fly over there!" Hiccup shouted.

Toothless obeyed, of course, knowing better than to question the instructions. This was a strange world for them both, and Hiccup might have seen something to go check.

They glided down the empty valley filled with spikes of ice like teeth. Then they landed on a mountainside where there was a large cave mouth and a faint wind of cold coming from inside the cave.

Hiccup hopped off his back. Then Hiccup took the reins in his paws and tied the reins to a large stake in the ground.

"Stay," Hiccup commanded.

He lay down to obey and wait while Hiccup walked inside the cave. What Hiccup was doing in there he had no place to question. Hiccup was the master, after all.

All that he was supposed to do was sit there and wait. Be useful by carrying stuff and fighting. It was his burden and natural place.

Something still felt missing and wrong as he stared at the rope-reins tied to his head-binding thing, to his bridle.

_'Darrk one, have you assked yourr massterr about yourr tailfin?'_

The hissing voice slithered from the shadows.

_My tailfin? What about it?_

He brought his tail around and inspected the fins, only to freeze in alarm.

One of the fins was gone!

"What!"

The false-tailfin was missing. Hiccup took it with him.

_Why would he do that?_

Only one terrible explanation came to mind as he stared into the cave and again saw the rope-reins.

_To keep me grounded... trapped... but he is my master... I... should stay and..._

A growl started growing from within him at how wrong everything was. Or maybe the growl came from behind him.

"Toothless?"

He slowly turned around and looked over his shoulder when he heard Hiccup's voice.

But standing there just behind him was a creature that definitely was not Hiccup, Rather, it was a large, blue ice dragon that stared at him with deep green eyes. Hanging from its mouth was his false-tailfin, which the ice dragon then dropped at its paws.

"Toothless, are you okay, bud?" it asked with Hiccup's voice.

"You!" he reared back from it, tugging at the ropes that held him in place.

The ropes broke, but he was still grounded and could not escape. The not-Hiccup-dragon stalked closer to him while he was trapped on the ground. It was forcing him back into the cave, into its massive hoard where he would be trapped forever underground!

Its wide green eyes narrowed on him.

"What is wrong, bud? Don't you know me? Yourr massterr!"

He flew to his paws with a cry, breathing heavily as he did so. He shook his head of the bad-wrong-twisted dream the instant he saw the faint glow of light before him on the ground. The glow was the starlight from his jewel-pendant hanging from his neck.

Everything calmed down as he caught his breath and stared at his precious pendant.

_Just a bad dream..._

Hiccup was wide awake and looking at him with concern in his eyes.

"Toothless, are you okay, bud?"

He breathed heavily and settled down, shuffling on his paws.

"Yes, bad dream..."

"Sorry about that."

"Why? What did you do?"

"It's just a saying."

Hiccup scooted closer to his side behind the large rock. He wrapped a wing around Hiccup without hesitation to keep him warm as always.

"Want to talk about it?" Hiccup whispered.

"No. Not really."

"Was it that bad?"

"Yes, it was."

Silence fell as the clouds swirled high above and the wind howled. He closed his eyes and tried for more rest which did not happen quickly. His thoughts were too disturbed by that bad dream and his memories of the encounter with Vorunturth. The dream was so twisted and wrong in every way. Hiccup did not keep him trapped like a thing to use or like an animal of burden and work.

A long silence followed until Hiccup broke the silence.

"Bud, look at that, up in the sky."

He opened his eyes and looked up at the sky. A thinner layer of cloudcover had flown in, and there were empty patches where the dark sky was visible.

A single star shone brightly with a flicker of light so similar to his pendant.

"The star up there?"

"Yeah, there is beauty up there that no cold or shadow will ever touch," Hiccup whispered.

The long he stared up at the star, the warmer his soul-fire felt, the same as always happened with his Lorien pendant.

"Yes, I like that," he hummed.

Even after he closed his eyes, just the thought of the star left his soul-fire burning warmer as he held Hiccup close, completely hidden in his wings.

Neither of them said anything else that night.

* * *

Toothless stood up on the rocky hill and stared off in every direction into the night, looking for any sign of a prey herd he could hunt. There was nothing there. There was never anything there to hunt.

Hunger grew out of complete lack of any catches of prey. It would be very bad if these harsh lands were truly empty of life.

All he could feel was the pain in his belly and a burning need.

He needed to burn, catch, kill, and eat... something.

There were occasional signs of some prey-animals, things like piles of waste and tracks of paws and hooves in the dirt and snow in these lands, but he did not see anything that he could hunt yet.

He growled his frustration and shuffled down the hill to where Hiccup lay resting in his thick, warm furs. Then he lay down at Hiccup's side to help keep him a little warmer.

Silence followed except for the whistle of the wind.

The wind carried with it a hissing laugh and an idea. There was another option if he could only do what had to be done out of desperation and necessity. If he was strong enough to break free for his own good...

There was food with him right now.

The idea was shapeless at first, but it gradually became clearer as it crept closer to his known thoughts.

Then he heard Hiccup's calm breaths under his wing.

The rotted, bad-wrong idea was so terribly clear now that he was truly awake to his own thinking. Or was it truly his thinking?

_No! Never! Not even if I would die of hunger!_

The dark wind itself answered him.

_'Yes, you would if you had to do that to live...'_

_No! Humans are not prey! Not him! None of them!_

_'So small and weak. You are not free...'_

He snarled and lifted his head, looking around at the dark skies and growling at the chill wind.

_I would rather die!_

There was no light except the faint glow of the moon and the shine of his pendant on his neck.

Neither was there any other voice near him. Where had the twisted voice come from? Did the wind itself have voice? Was the land up here itself aware? Or did that voice come from inside his own soul-fire?

He was not sure which of those was worst.

* * *

Toothless finally saw the herd of prey off in the distance and turned toward it without hesitation or prompting. Doing so took his flight straight into the biting wind, but he did not care.

The only thing that mattered now after seven days in this very empty land was catching prey and filling his belly. And saving some meat for Hiccup also.

"Come on! You got it!" Hiccup shouted.

The caribou were busy grazing at moss and wispy grass and did not notice that they were being hunted. They were oblivious right up until Toothless dove, at which point they cried in alarm and scattered.

One of the larger ones fell to the ground with a smoking hole in its side. Toothless bounded up to the caribou and snapped its neck to end its pain.

"Well hunted, bud!"

Hiccup hopped off Toothless and waited as the Fury got to work, slicing through and tearing off the hide. He still looked away from the sight of all the blood and the meat absent the hide. It was upsetting, but entirely natural, to again see the wild and dangerous side of his best friend.

In the meantime, he nibbled on some of the cram from Dale. The ram was almost as hard as rock and not appetizing at all. He had eaten very little except for cram and Lembas over the last week.

Toothless, while definitely eating a lot, was also nosing around in the caribou's belly as if he was looking for something.

_What are you doing?_

Then Toothless growled happily and turned to him, gently setting something down on the caribou's ripped hide.

It was the liver.

"What is that for?"

"Eating," Toothless nudged it toward him with a bloody nose.

"Uh, no, no, no, no, no, no. I can't eat raw meat like you can."

"There is nothing we can burn out here to burn the meat. You can eat the liver," Toothless countered.

Hiccup warily regarded the liver. It was true that the liver was one of the most nutritious parts of the animal, and it could be eaten with minimal cooking or preparation. Some of the warriors with greater thirst for battle or a preference for rarer meat ate almost raw. The liver was also seen as something of a delicacy.

But for him it was more the principal of the matter that he did not want to...

Live wild like an animal?

"You should eat," Toothless prodded.

Hiccup slumped in place. His belly betrayed him by growling in disapproval of its being empty. The Lembas Bread, while sweet and giving strength the more he relied on it, did not make the belly feel full at all.

Feeling the pangs of starvation also had a powerful way of changing personal sentiments.

"Do I need to eat it and then give you half from my belly?" Toothless grinned.

Hiccup blanched and then slowly reached out to take the bloody liver.

"Great, raw liver. Love it! It's still better than fish from a dragon's belly. I'm never having that again..."

Toothless huffed.

"Was it that bad?"

"Just eat your food, bud."

* * *

Toothless looked around at the night, snarling softly into the darkness while Hiccup hid at his side. He and Hiccup had been eating their fill of the prey when shapes started appearing on the horizon. Many dark shapes started howling and filling the sky with their pack cries. They looked and sounded much like the four-legged pack-hunters, wolves, that he remembered from the past.

These were much bigger and lankier. Drool dripped from their jaws as they approached.

They also did not fear him even after he roared at them. Their eyes glowed with light as they stalked closer from all directions while snarling.

Being prey was not good, and he wanted to flame them and tear them apart to show that he was the true hunter! He could easily do that with his fire and claws.

But that would mean Hiccup would be in danger from their teeth. Hiccup's Dwarven dagger would not help much against this pack.

"Get on me..." he growled.

Hiccup hopped on his back without delay, and they glided away from the remains of the catch.

_At least I got most of it..._

He still snarled down at the large hunters that bounded forward and began to feed at what was left behind, which was not much. Then he turned aside to find another place where he and Hiccup could take shelter. There was a small stretch of rocks and hills in the distance, and there might be shelter from the wind there.

The dark wind was very cold, and the night was still young.

* * *

Days and nights of empty silence followed except for the whistle of the biting wind and their own voices. An ever-present grey cloudcover hung over the land and smothered the sun.

They filled the desolation with stories of adventures in the Shire with the Hobbits, humorous accounts of pranks and games played back on Berk, silly fights and accidents among the dragons when they played together in the nest, and stories of Viking mythology which Toothless was very eager to hear about, even if he did not understand many of the stories.

The warmer days were partially spent with Hiccup practicing his archery from dragonback. He quickly learned that hitting a stationary target while riding was very hard. While he was still improving on his accuracy with normal shots, they had to lock the tailfin into a glide so that Hiccup could sit upright and draw a bow at all. That made flight rather unsteady and not reliable enough to let him accurately loose arrows.

Their flight carried them with the sun into the west until they found the desolate, rocky shore above the Cape of Forochel. There was nothing there except for waves, ice, rock, wispy grass, and seals, one of which Toothless caught and swiftly dispatched. They both ate their fill and then wandered over to the cliff to stare out over the ocean.

Hiccup sighed and leaned against Toothless's warm side.

"I can almost imagine that Berk is out there somewhere..."

Toothless settled down and held his wings wide to flutter in the frigid wind.

"Gandalf said that there are no lands out there, yes?"

"Yeah, not this far north. I think that there are some smaller islands much further south."

The northern wind gusted and blew some of the snow off the cliff.

"No sign of anything yet, huh?" Hiccup shivered.

"Nothing. I thought that my kind might want to live by the water for fish. If they are at all..." Toothless grumbled with fallen ears.

Hiccup stroked his neck in reassurance.

"We aren't giving up yet. I'm... not even cold right now! This is totally balmy and fun-in-the-sun!"

"We have not seen the sun in days..." Toothless grumbled.

"I've seen worse! I can still feel all my fingers, my toes, and my nose, so we're fine! Northeast it is!"

They stood there a while longer, silently staring out to sea as the waves broke on the rocks at the base of the cliff. The dry, chill wind rolled down the plain.

It was a land completely untouched by human influence and likely would always be so. There was no reason for anyone to want to come live here where no one goes.

There was a wild, harsh beauty in this place of pure, raw nature.

But it lacked... green.

* * *

The days were short, and the nights were long.

Entire days were spent in shelter to avoid storms and the worst of the howling wind.

It was hard to tell how much time was passing.

The map had long ago stopped being useful.

It was unlikely that anyone had ever lived this far north because there was no reason to. There were no roads, houses, or any signs of civilization.

* * *

They actually found a grove of trees: gnarled, rough pines with twisted branches and which did not grow high at all. There were even some bushes with tough and wild edible berries.

Hiccup was not about to complain.

_Odin, it was rough! All these days of nothing on the menu but Lembas or fresh meat! Finally something... different to eat!_

Toothless helped in ripping off some branches and then starting a fire. It was the first time they had so warmed themselves in many days. They could have been in the Waste for weeks by now, but neither of them had any idea anymore how long it had been.

Toothless curled up around the fire, almost touching it. His purring grew louder and deeper the longer he basked in the warmth. Meanwhile, Hiccup warmed his hands close to the flickering tongues of flame, all while still wearing each of his layers. He also looked up at the stars and the orange light that danced on the trees around him and Toothless.

"I miss the Shire," Toothless whispered.

"Same here. Bag-end, the forge, the fields, the Hobbit kids, Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, all of them. Don't forget the Elven homes too: Rivendell and Lothlorien. Those places are beautiful also."

A gentle purr followed that.

"Those places feel different from the Shire. Almost like they are not part of Middle-earth."

"Yeah, maybe they aren't, in a way, since the Elves try to preserve what was long ago," Hiccup added.

The sight of the twinkling stars reminded him of one of the more incredible stories he had heard.

"Bud, do you think that story about the Elf with the sky-ship is real?"

Toothless yawned.

"I forgot some of that story; how does it go?"

"Earendil, Elrond's father, was a mariner. He built a boat-ship called Vingilot, and it can fly. I'm not sure how. He got one of the special Silmaril stones, almost like what Galadriel gave you, and wears it all the time. He used that Silmaril and his sky-boat in the battle against bad dragons long ago. He now flies forever in his ship and shines like a star."

They stared up at the sky, silently watching at the aurora flowed high above. Toothless purred softly.

"Flying forever sounds very good... very warming."

Hiccup nodded in agreement while listening to the faint whistle of the wind, the groan of the trees, and the crackle of the fire. Then he had an idea.

"On the topic of stuff that is warming, we should try some more of this Miruvor. It's almost all gone," he proposed as he unscrewed a couple of the remaining vials.

The strange drink smelled and tasted very fruity. It burned slightly when one drank it, but that warmth spread through the drinker's body. The effect was like very potent mead, but without the getting drunk.

"I have not had any of it," Toothless answered.

"You might as well try it then while you still can," Hiccup held up one for him to take.

Toothless held the cordial in his jaws, ready to drink it in one go. Hiccup lifted his cordial and nodded to him.

Both empty vials were tossed aside moments later.

"What do you think? Feel that?" Hiccup asked.

Toothless lifted an eyeridge and warbled in amusement.

"The drink feels warm in my belly. There was not much though."

"Yeah, not sure you really need it, but it does feel good."

Hiccup got to his feet to stretch his legs before turning in.

"What do you say? Further east tomorrow?"

It was an unspoken agreement that neither of them would admit to how hopeless the search appeared. The only indication of anything at all so far were the words that Vorunturth spoke, and he was not the most trustworthy source.

"We might as well. I do not know where else to fly," Toothless agreed.

"Alright, I'll be right back..."

Hiccup then left the fireplace and walked away into the trees to answer a calling behind a tree. The cold ground crackled under his boots as he walked, his heavy fur coat brushing against the branches. The wind rolled through the grove and bit at his nose, making him shiver now that he was away from the fire.

_Not sure how much longer we can stay up here. The supplies are running lower than I'd like._

He had just finished when he heard the unmistakable crack of fallen twigs behind him.

"Toothless, come on, give me some privacy..."

The crackling stopped without anything being said in reply. So Hiccup spun around in mild frustration to tell Toothless off.

Sure enough, the Night Fury had followed after him and was sitting a short pounce away from him in the darkness. The Fury's bright orange eyes glowed as it stared toward him and...

He blinked, realizing several things in that instant in which time stopped.

One, Toothless did not have orange eyes. Two, this Night Fury was not Toothless. Three, Night Furies that are not Toothless might not be safe. Four, Toothless was not with him to keep him safe this instant.

"Don't eat me!" he threw up his hands.

The new Night Fury blinked, shook its head in confusion, narrowed its eyes, and opened its mouth, flashing its sharp teeth as it coiled to pounce. At him.

Like he was prey.

"Toothless!"

* * *

"Toothless!" Hiccup screamed.

That was a call of fear that Toothless had never heard from his friend before, and he acted without thinking. He jumped to his paws and started running as fast as he could, darting between the trees and extending his claws while readying his fire.

Fear for his friend and all he had as family was all he knew as he bounded and leapt.

All he saw was that a dark shape, definitely a dragon, was hunting Hiccup. Hiccup was trying to keep a tree trunk between himself and the dragon, but...

He roared aloud a call of challenge and defiance as he kicked off and leapt at it. It spun to face him and jumped at him. They crashed together at the chest, snapped at each other's necks, and kicked apart from each other with snarls.

He fired a shot at the dragon and forced it to dodge the explosion by jumping back. Then he jumped toward Hiccup and forced him to the ground, standing protectively over him while flaring his wings wide in display and flashing his teeth at the new...

He froze and stared. His wings flopped to the ground as he stood there, gazing with a mix of awe, shock, and anger at the fellow Night Fury.

It was a male with orange eyes. The male was slightly smaller than him and did not appear very well-fed, but it was kin to him; this was his own kind of dragon!

This was something he had thought for years was not possible or he would never see.

_I am not alone..._

The male folded its wings away and settled for glaring at him, still baring its teeth but not actively moving toward him or Hiccup.

Neither of them moved or did anything for many wingbeats of time.

Then Hiccup tried to get out from under him, which he did not like, especially when the other Night Fury resumed staring at Hiccup.

As if he were food.

"Dark wing, will you eat it?" it asked.

The strange Night Fury spoke just like him, with human words. Its voice was very harsh and filled with a growling rumble, but he and Hiccup could understand it.

"Toothless, he is talking to us!" Hiccup exclaimed with glee from on the ground.

_You would think about that, Hiccup..._

"The prey talks!" the strange Night Fury barked in surprise, apparently only then realizing that Hiccup could also talk.

"Hiccup is not prey! And yes, he talks!"

Learning that Hiccup could talk must have been a surprise to the male as his narrowed eyes briefly widened slightly and his ears went up.

"Will you eat the human you took from my hunt?" the male asked again.

Shock, horror, disgust, and wrongness were all he felt as he stood over Hiccup.

"Humans are not prey!"

The Night Fury blinked and looked confused as its tail twitched at its side.

"Not prey? We are prey to them. They are prey to us."

"No! False. Life does not need to be that. This human is my friend; he is kin to me!"

Silence flew between them while the Night Fury thought about his words. It did not look like he understood.

"Why would you make a prey your kin?"

"Toothless, this is amazing! We found one!" Hiccup shouted again.

"Hiccup, he just tried to kill you and wants to eat you!"

"Oh, don't worry about that. Let me up..."

Hiccup carefully crawled out from under his belly and stood at his shoulder. Toothless stepped forward and gave the male Night Fury another snarl of warning while baring all his teeth and with wings flared.

"If you try to hurt him, I will bite off your wings..."

"Toothless," Hiccup gasped, "don't be like that."

He knocked the back of Hiccup's head with his wing.

"What? Protective of a stupid human who wants to become prey?"

"I do not! It's just an occupational hazard of knowing dragons! And we found another Night Fury; this is amazing!"

He did not want to let his hopes fly too high, but this was the first other Night Fury he could ever remember seeing. If there was one there were hopefully more.

He considered the new male again. It was sitting on its rear while looking between him and Hiccup. Its mouth was now closed and its tail slowly twitched. It was hard to know what thoughts were flying inside its thinking.

"Hey, Night Fury, do you have a name?" Hiccup asked.

There was no response.

"He asked you if you have a name!" Toothless growled.

"Night Fury is not my name," the male answered.

"What is your name?" Hiccup prodded.

The male against looked between him and Hiccup. It looked very confused as its tail swayed.

"I am Wings-Of-Ice. What about you, dark wing?"

"My name is... Toothless."

Wings-Of-Ice snorted.

"And I'm Hiccup."

Wings-Of-Ice stared unblinkingly at Hiccup as Hiccup waved a paw at him.

"Prey talking is very twisted..." Wings-Of-Ice grumbled.

Toothless rolled his eyes and rested his chin on Hiccup's head.

"Yes, it would be, but he is not prey. He is like us with a different body."

"He is a no-scale not-prey?"

"Not prey, yes! He has soul-fire also."

That provoked a confused growl and a look of total confusion.

"Soul-fire? What! Only we have soul-fire!"

"Wrong. Humans and the life like them have soul-fire also. Hiccup has one."

Wings-Of-Ice still appeared confused and disbelieving.

"Hey, Wings-Of-Ice, are there more of you, other Night Fury... dark wings?" Hiccup eagerly asked after remembering what Wings-Of-Ice called his own kind.

Wings-Of-Ice looked very wary at that question and crouched low to the ground.

"Why does the prey want to know?"

"I want to know bec..." Hiccup began when Toothless interrupted.  
"No! Hiccup is not prey! Use his name!"

"Bud, it doesn't really..."

Toothless glared down at Hiccup and silenced him with a soft growl. Then he glared back at Wings-Of-Ice, waiting silently for the other Night Fury to give in. It did not want to give in, so he kept glaring at him.

This was important. Wings-Of-Ice had to admit that Hiccup was not very different from himself: that they both had soul-fires. At the very least, the fellow Fury would admit that Hiccup, and any human, was not prey.

Using Hiccup's name would be a start.

"Why does... not-prey Hiccup... want to know?"

He snorted, pleased that Wings-Of-Ice finally used Hiccup's name. It was not much, but calling Hiccup a name had to make it harder to think of him as prey. That was his hope, at least.

"Because we have been looking for you. We need to find you and your kin and talk to all of them," he explained.

"About what?" Wings-Of-Ice asked.

"About something that the pack, if there is one, must hear about."

"Are there others?" Hiccup eagerly asked.

Toothless tried to contain his own hope and eagerness. If he was right...

"Yes, there are more of us. A full pack," Wings-Of-Ice hissed.

Hiccup's arm found its way around his neck at the same time he himself took a very deep breath. He stopped trying to restrain his tail and the hum of warmth that was burning inside.

So many years has passed of his thinking that he was alone, the only one of his kind. And he was always wrong. There were more of his kind.

"How many?" Toothless whispered.

"Six pairs of mates, their young, and some others. We all made a pack for protection against enemies like hunger and humans."

"Where is the pack?" Hiccup asked.

Wings-Of-Ice snarled and wrinkled his nose at Hiccup.

"Hidden."

"Can you take us there? We promise that we won't do anything bad," Hiccup pleaded.

Wings-Of-Ice stepped away from them and started pacing. Then the orange-eyed Fury flicked his head in his direction.

"You, dark wing, can fly with me, and I will fly us to the pack. Your human cannot come with. It is not welcome."

"He comes with me, or I do not come with. I cannot fly without him."

That only greatly confused Wings-Of-Ice.

"What do you mean, you cannot fly without him?"

He lifted his tailfins and wiggled the only remaining one.

"I am grounded without him. He helps me fly with a new tailfin, but he must be on my back."

Wings-Of-Ice was alarmed, but he also appeared to understand what that meant.

"The pack-rule is that any new dark wings or others like us are allowed to meet the pack. But I cannot let a human know where the pack is..." Wings-Of-Ice mused while pacing.

Hiccup interjected.

"Because you are afraid that I might tell other humans where you are?"

"Yes," Wings-Of-Ice snorted.

Oddly, Hiccup smiled and crossed his arms on his front.

"Good, because I could not do that even if wanted to. I have no idea where this is here; I am lost. I also cannot get around without Toothless carrying me. Even if I knew where this is and even if I could get back to the South, I don't think anyone else could travel all the way up here just to hunt for you. And why would I tell humans where a pack of Night Furies... dark wings... are hiding? My best friend is one of you!"

Toothless grunted at that.

"And I trust Hiccup with my wings and life."

Wings-Of-Ice gave a reluctant warble of agreement after much thinking.

"True, we are very far from any human or other nests. But how do I know that you, Hiccup, are not controlling Toothless? What is that light-rock-thing on him?"

Toothless noticed the faint glow that his pendant was casting in the darkness. As usual, that warmth filled his soul-fire and was a protection against the always-there darkness and cold.

_It is twisted that he would be worried about a human controlling a dragon's thinking. That cannot happen._

"This is the light of a star. It helps me stay free from bad thinking and feel warmer inside. A very good Elf, a not-human not-prey two-leg, gave it to me as a gift."

Wings-Of-Ice said nothing as he stared at the pendant and then back at Hiccup.

"Wings-Of-Ice, did you or any in the pack meet humans in this world?" Hiccup asked.

A soft snarl followed that.

"Not since we flew the long, twisted flight. The Alphas and all of us agreed to leave the places that have humans and life like them so that we can be safe from them."

They both winced, but those skies would be flown later. First, they had to find the pack.

"Will you fly us to the pack?" Toothless asked.

"I still do not know if I can trust you..."

Hiccup snorted and got to his feet. He started for Wings-Of-Ice before either of them could object. Wings-Of-Ice nervously stepped back a couple paces, which Toothless found very twisted. Hiccup was just being his usual twisted.

"Hiccup!"

"Toothless, it's okay. He won't hurt me."

Hiccup stopped right in front of Wings-Of-Ice, right in reach of the Fury's claws and teeth! He then held out a paw right before Wings-Of-Ice's nose!

"What are you... doing!" the Fury barked while shuffling back on his paws.

Toothless agreed as he bounded closer to stand defensively behind Hiccup.

_Hiccup will be Hiccup... at least he did not try to do this with Vorunturth, that pile of steaming waste..._

"Wings-Of-Ice, I know that you don't know me, but I trust you," Hiccup calmly said.

Wings-Of-Ice's wings fell to the ground at his side, and he gave a completely confused grunt and flick of an ear.

"What is your human doing?"

Toothless snorted and thrashed his tail.

"Being himself, twisting as it is. He wants some bonding with you."

Even as he explained it, he was not sure that he liked it. Hiccup was his friend, not the friend of this strange Night Fury who had attacked him at first.

"Bonding?" Wings-Of-Ice barked.

"Small-bonding, yes, and if you snap at him or bite at him..."

"Toothless!" Hiccup groaned.

"You know what will happen," he snarled.

A long pause followed before Wings-Of-Ice warily stepped closer, narrowing his eyes on the paw before his nose. He stared, breathing heavily as he struggled to act.

Then he very cautiously leaned closer and licked the paw once.

Hiccup pulled back the paw and wiped it on his warm furs, but he did not look at all frustrated. He was extremely happy, judging from his very wide smile.

"Why are you doing that?" Wings-Of-Ice softly hissed.

Hiccup was definitely confused by the question.

"Doing what?"

"Showing me your teeth!"

"Oh, that. That is one way I show that I'm happy."

"It is not a fight-sign?"

"A fight-sign? No. Why would I want to fight you?"

Toothless nudged Hiccup's shoulder to get his attention.

"Hiccup, showing teeth is a dominance-sign, a fighting sign. Well, it is except when you do it."

"Ah, not what I meant," Hiccup whispered.

Wings-Of-Ice stepped closer and peacefully sniffed at Hiccup first and Toothless second. The orange-eyed Fury looked surprised by something, and then he sat back down on his rear while he tried to smile without his teeth being out.

It looked very twisting.

_Is that what I look like when being toothless? Great skies above, I hope not..._

Then Wings-Of-Ice grumbled to himself while shaking his head.

"No... Would you tell me why you want to meet the pack? I must know before I agree to fly you to them."

Hiccup crossed his arms and answered after a moment of thought.

"We want to meet them to warn them about a danger. There is a danger they cannot hide from."

Wings-Of-Ice gave a more considerate grumble and looked off into the night.

"A danger to the pack? What danger?"

Hiccup groaned, not sure what to say. They knew to keep the truth of the Ring secret, but there was enough they could hopefully share to convince Wings-Of-Ice.

"It's a long story, but there are people who might want to hurt Ni... dark wings or use them in fighting. Toothless and I already had to fight Nazgul, basically living shadow-things, and..."

Wings-Of-Ice interrupted with a bark of alarm.

"Living shadow-things! That is bad. You should come and tell us about it! I will take you to the pack."

"We will, but first we have to pack," Hiccup explained.

"Pack? What?" Wings-Of-Ice grumbled.

Hiccup hit his own forehead.

"Oh, silly me. We have to get ready to fly. Let's go back to the fire."

The three of them turned back for the fire, Toothless walking between Hiccup and Wings-Of-Ice, just to be safe. Both Furies sat down next to the fire and waited while Hiccup packed his things and worked on the saddle and tailfin.

"What were you doing out here?" Toothless asked his fellow Fury.

Wings-Of-Ice looked away from the saddle and other flying-equipment which he was visibly interested by.

"I was ranging far from the pack to look for hunting. There is a herd of four-legs that make good eating if we can find them. The pack has a heavy female, and she must eat much. The last few moon-cycles have not been good for hunting."

_A heavy female..._

The thought of that brought up some feelings that he had avoided for a long time. Being the only one of his kind, he had never known or truly felt those wants for a mate and hatchlings.

Now, with an entire pack of his kin out there, it was very likely that there would be at least one available female he could pursue.

_But I do not know their ceremonies. What they... we do to impress mates. I think I am old enough._

_I wonder..._

Hiccup strapped the last bag to his back, adjusted the saddle, and got into it after putting out the fire.

"Let's go!"

They followed Wings-Of-Ice out of the grove of trees and then into the clear sky. It was very cold again as they flew into the wind in the cloudless sky. Hiccup kept his coat and all other winter gear on and did his best to keep his face out of the wind.

Despite the cold, they both felt a warm burning inside.

"Toothless, I'm so happy for you. We found them!"

He could fly no words and settled for letting Hiccup feel his deep purr as they flew on into the night, following after a dark blur further into the northeast.

* * *

Wings-Of-Ice dove for a small grove of trees and fired a shot into them. Several shapes ran out in alarm from hiding, trying to escape into the darkness.

Toothless dove low to the ground in chase after one of the four-legs. Then he dropped from the sky and tackled the prey, quickly breaking its neck.

Wings-Of-Ice landed next to him and looked expectantly toward the catch.

"You can take it, Wings-Of-Ice. That female in the pack needs it more than I do."

Wings-Of-Ice purred in approval and then picked up the dead catch in his jaws. They returned to the sky.

"Not hungry, bud?" Hiccup teased.

"A little, but they need the prey more."

"Yeah, helping out the pack might help them like us sooner."

Toothless grunted.

_I hope so._

* * *

The full moon was high overhead when Hiccup saw the mountains. They were not nearly as tall as the Misty Mountains or even the Grey Mountains, but as he saw once the two Furies reached the slopes, they were still rocky and covered in snow at the peaks.

The northern slope was very barren and windswept with nothing more than short shrubs. The land beyond was truly nothing except snow, ice, frozen mud, and rock.

The southern slope was very different with thick rows of pines and a small flowing stream that was partly frozen over in places. The pines were mostly protected from the worst of the wind because of the mountains. There were even several reflective ponds which were steaming. It seemed strange in this land that there could be water that wasn't frozen.

_Hmm, hot springs?_

Wings-Of-Ice tucked his wings and dove, eventually touching down on the rocks next to what were indeed hot springs. Toothless settled down next to him.

"Wait here!" Wings-Of-Ice growled and then bounded off into the trees with the prey in his jaws.

Toothless could not help but notice all the shed scales and different scents on the rocks. There were several Night Furies that frequently shed scales or rubbed against these rocks.

Hiccup also noticed the scales and bent down to pick up several of them.

"Toothless, you see all this?" he breathed in wonder.

Toothless bent down at nosed at the many shed scales. The scents were familiar but also not.

"Yes. I do not know what to think."

"I know. We finally found other Night Furies..." Hiccup sighed.

"My kin..." he whined.

Hiccup stepped closer so that they could be sure no others could overhear, even though they saw no others.

"They're probably going to have a lot of questions about us."

"Yes, they will."

"What do you think about telling them the whole truth? With the tailfin and all..."

He did not need to think long about that, and he answered in a whisper.

"They do not need to know that you shot me from the sky. It is nothing to me and does not matter now. You found me downed after fighting. I lost the tailfin in the fighting. All true."

"Okay."

Then Hiccup stared at his pendant.

"Bud, do you think we should put that away? It might look suspicious to them..."

"Good idea."

Hiccup took the pendant off him and put it away in the supplies. He settled down with Hiccup under an outstretched wing. More nervous waiting followed as they stared up at the sky, wondering how long it would be before they met the pack and what would happen afterwards.

Then Toothless spun in place, feeling as if he was being watched, and stared into the trees while Hiccup stood at his shoulder. They both fell silent at what they saw.

There among the trees and in the darkness were many glowing eyes of all different colors: blue, green, yellow, orange, red, and other colors in-between.

The dark shapes slowly crept out from the shadows as frilled heads appeared in the moonlight. Juveniles of various sizes hid under a parent's wing while staring wide-eyed at both of them.

Silence fell over all with no one moving anything: not an ear, a wing, or a tail twitched.

Then one pair of adults, likely a male and a female from their slightly different appearances, the female having smaller frills, a leaner shape, and larger tailfins, approached in front of the others. The leading pair walked slowly and had warily narrowed eyes that were different shades of blue.

The orange-eyed Wings-Of-Ice bounded forward as well to their sides with a soft bark.

"Alphas, we should listen to them!"

"We come in peace!" Hiccup gasped.

The male and female Alpha Night Furies froze and gasped in surprise.

"The human talks!" "By the skies!"

* * *

_**Author's Note – And there is a big reveal! We will get to know this pack very well over many chapters.**_


	27. Isolation

_**Author's Note – There will not be any POV changes from Hiccup, Toothless, and their 'narrators'.**_

* * *

Isolation

* * *

The Alpha Night Furies stared toward them in visible surprise and wariness. They especially glared at Hiccup; their eyes were narrowed, wings slightly spread, and tails twitching.

"What is this? Why is a human here?" the female growled.

"Explain this!" the male added with a snarl and stamp of a paw.

Hiccup stared in complete awe and amazement at all the glowing eyes and visible Furies around the clearing. Not only were all these Night Furies standing right before them, but they could also speak just like Toothless, exactly as he and Toothless had hoped!

_This is amazing!_

But they clearly did not look very happy that he was here with them. Their eyes were still narrowed, tails were twitching, and teeth were bared.

They looked like they wanted to tear him apart.

"Eat it! It is prey!" a male shouted.

"Kill the monster!" a female bellowed.

"Toothless, you want to, uh, explain for me..." Hiccup meekly gasped, leaning back against Toothless's chest out of worry.

Toothless curled his tail around him. Then he partially lifted his wings and glared back at the two Alphas and at the pack. As eager as he was to meet the pack of his kin, there was a real danger to Hiccup.

"This human is my friend! He is a brother to me!" he roared.

The Alphas both blinked and snorted, pawing at the ground and flashing their claws and teeth.

"A human is kin to a dark wing? That is twisted..." the female hissed.

"You let a human bind you and fly on you!" the male grumbled.

Toothless growled and rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I let him fly with me. No, he does not bind me or keep me trapped. I need him to help me fly."

That definitely confused the two Alphas as their ears lifted and heads tilted slightly.

"Why?" both Alphas barked in surprise.

Toothless once again held up the end of his tail for them all to see. It took a few moments before they noticed that one of the tailfins was not natural and did not wiggle with the remaining one. Then the Alpha pair and several of the other nearby Furies bellowed in confusion and sadness.

"Grounded!" "Lost tailfin!" "So sad..." "No flight?" "What happened to it?" "Did the human do that?"

"I lost it in fighting with bad humans! My human," he held Hiccup tighter with his tail, "saved my life... from a dangerous human and gave me a new tailfin to help me fly with! The new tailfin only works if he is flying with me on my back."

Both of the Alphas stepped closer, growled softly at Hiccup, and then sniffed at the false tailfin, inspecting it closely. He held himself still while they did so, and they eventually stepped back with soft grumbles.

"That is a twisted human-thing..." the male sighed.

"And it helps you fly? How?" the female warbled.

Toothless was very thankful that they did not look so openly hostile to Hiccup now. That was much better than before.

"My human sits on my back and makes the new tailfin move so that we can fly together. I do not understand all of how."

Wings-Of-Ice barked into the silence.

"I saw their flying, Alphas! What the dark wing says is truth!"

Calmer, more interested muttering followed that statement. Hiccup saw that everything was apparently calming down. That was reassuring and let him ask something he had been wondering about.

"Excuse me, but what are your names?" Hiccup warily asked.

The male answered for himself and his mate.

"I am Flame-In-The-Night. My mate is Snowfall. We are the Alpha pair of the pack."

Hiccup then inclined his head in a show of respect, thinking that doing so would probably help them to trust him. He at first wanted to smile, but then he remembered that the gesture could easily be misunderstood.

The Alpha pair apparently looked shocked because their wings, until then held slightly aloft in display, fell to the ground.

"I do not have wings to bend, but it is my honor to meet you both," Hiccup whispered.

"Dark wing and... human... what are your names?" Flame-In-The-Night recovered himself and asked.

"I am... Toothless."

"I am Hiccup."

Both Alphas blinked and glanced at each other in the silence that followed.

"Toothless? What were your sire and dam thinking when they named you that?" Snowfall warbled, her ears lifted in amusement.

Hiccup and Toothless shared a guilty grin while Toothless unwound his tail from Hiccup, the danger definitely having passed. He made sure to keep a close watch on the other Furies though. While this Alpha pair did not look like they wanted to do Hiccup any harm, he could not know that about the rest of the pack. But he doubted that anyone would be violent against the Alpha pair's wishes.

Getting Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall to trust Hiccup was very important.

"We both have twisted names. It is one more thing that makes us similar," Toothless chuckled.

"Hiccup is a twisted name also? What does it mean?" Snowfall wondered.

Hiccup groaned and answered for them.

"Well, it has a couple meanings: one, it means a coughing sound, which I do not make, and two, it means a mistake."

Toothless growled at that reminder of what Hiccup's name meant.

"I do not like that twistedness in the name," Toothless huffed.

Hiccup looked back at the Alpha pair peacefully sitting on their haunches before him. The way their heads were slightly tilted made them look very curious, which made sense given that he was probably... definitely the first friendly human they had ever met... and the first human they could talk with.

"Yeah, well, I am much smaller than most humans from my tribe, from my pack. They didn't see a use for me since I'm not really a fighter. I was so small as a baby that the pack custom was to name me 'mistake'."

Flame-In-The-Night growled and slapped his tail on the ground.

"That is a bad-twisted pack ceremony!"

Toothless snorted.

"I agree! Humans have many twisted ceremonies. I should know. I have to live with Hiccup."

"Really, bud?"

Seeing their Alphas interacting with him and Toothless must have reassured the pack because several more Night Furies wandered closer and gave various cries or purrs of surprise as they arrived from the shadows and approached. Hiccup looked more closely at them, and even in the darkness he could see that there were several other pairs of adults who stayed close to each other's sides. As he noticed before, the males and females looked slightly different from each other, mostly that the females had fewer frills or nubs on their heads and had a leaner shape. Some of the newcomers were clearly juveniles since they were half the size of Toothless or even smaller. The children were generally being sheltered under a protective wing while staring wide-eyed at him.

"What is that!" "A human!" "Food?" "Food does not talk, silly!"

Flame-In-The-Night slowly padded closer to Hiccup and then sniffed him. Then the Alpha sat back on his haunches and hummed warily but also with clear confusion and a swaying tail.

"I have never met a good human before. Why are you different?"

Hiccup looked around at the curious and wary Furies crowded close around him and Toothless. He could even feel their breath and their purring of curiosity. There was from them none of the fear and open hostility that had been so strong only minutes before.

"I was always different from my tribe... from my pack. They wanted to fight dragons, but I could not because I was... am small, as I said. I looked at Toothless and I saw that he was not that different from me."

"Not different? We are very different. Humans hunt us, and we hunt humans. That is how life has always been!" Flame-In-The-Night softly objected.

Hiccup tried not to envision Night Furies actually hunting anyone. Surely they would not do such a thing. Fighting in battles was one bad thing, but deliberate hunting of each other was another terrible matter entirely.

"Maybe it has been that way in the past, but it does not need to be that way now. I know that we can live in peace together."

Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall snorted and looked over their shoulders and tails to the other members of the pack.

"Yes, it will not be that way anymore. We are safe now," Flame-In-The-Night huffed.

"We have not seen humans since we flew to this range," Snowfall added.

Hiccup was about to answer her, but he froze when a young male, perhaps only ten feet long from nose to tail, crept forward and stood at Snowfall's side, rubbing against her shoulder. The young Fury's deep blue eyes were very wide and his tail was not stilled.

"Dam, is that a human?"

"Yes, Free-Flight, it is," Snowfall nuzzled him.

"Dangerous?" Free-Flight warbled with lifted ears.

"Maybe not. It might be warm to us. Where is Snowflame?"

"She is with Windripper, Breath-Of-Sky, and Mystery. I play with the human?" Free-Flight bounced on his paws.

"Not now, my little one. Now is time for sleep," Snowfall hummed.

Hiccup barely restrained himself from going over to hug Free-Flight that instant. It appeared that children would be children even across dragons and humans.

That got him thinking. He could see well over a dozen Furies right now, but he had no idea how large the pack was and how many others may be asleep elsewhere.

"Excuse me, Alphas, but how many of you are in the pack?" Hiccup eagerly asked.

Snowfall started grooming Free-Flight, licking at his neck and wings, while Flame-In-The-Night began speaking.

"Us you know. Free-Flight is our second of four winters. Snowflame is our first; she has ten and five winters. Wind-Biter and Starlight are mates. Their only female, Storm-Chaser, has five winters."

_Hmm, they count years in winters just like some of the Viking tribes do._

Another female with a youngling a little larger than Free-Flight under her wing stepped forward a few paces, though she kept her distance.

"Hunts-In-Deep-Waters is hunting prey for his mate, Lightning. She is heavy with her first cub. Wings-Of-Ice you know and..."

"Excuse me," Hiccup politely interrupted, "you said that Lightning is.. heavy with her first cub."

"Yes, I did because she is," Flame-In-The-Night answered.

Hiccup and Toothless then stared at each other in total surprise and confusion as they began to realize what that might mean. It made no sense to either of them.

"Uh... wait... what?" Hiccup stuttered.

"Are you saying that we do not hatch from eggs?" Toothless asked, dumbfounded.

Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall stared at him as though he had twisted his tail into a knot. He felt confused enough that he might have done that.

"No, we birth our young. How did you not know that?" Snowfall warbled.

Toothless stared at his paws as this knowledge flowed over him. The other dragons did lay eggs; he had seen them do so. He had always assumed that the same was true of his own kind. Why would his kind be different?

"I... never truly knew my sire and dam," Toothless sadly answered.

"No?" she added in solemn surprise.

"I was the only... dark wing in the nest. Other dragon dams helped to shelter me under their wings and gave me fish, but I do not remember others like me."

Snowfall gave a sympathetic purr as her ears fell.

"That is very bad. There is much bad in our life-flights, but we are safe now."

She resumed grooming Free-Flight, and Flame-In-The-Night resumed describing the pack. There was still a different look, more understanding perhaps, in the male's eyes.

"As I was saying, Wings-Of-Ice's mate is Eyes-That-Shimmer. They have two young: Windripper, a ten and four winters male, and Nightfall, a three winters female cub. Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer have one male, Breath-Of-Sky, with ten and one winters. The last pair is Growls-At-His-Shadow and Dreamcatcher. They have Tail-Hunter, a five winters female."

"And that is all of you?" Hiccup wondered.

"No, there are... three more. Moonbeam and Mystery are sisters. Moonbeam has two tens of winters and Mystery has ten and two winters," Flame-In-The-Night answered.

Snowfall looked up from grooming Free-Flight, and the Alpha pair shared a glance.

"The last of us is... Jumps-At-Fire. She flies far from the pack much and is away now," Snowfall huffed.

Hiccup leaned back against Toothless's side in amazement at how many there were in the pack.

_So that makes twenty three! Wow!_

"There are so many of you. This is amazing!" Hiccup exclaimed.

The Alphas softly growled while hanging their heads.

"There are not enough of us. We have none of our own sires or dams now. Our last old pack member who flew into these ranges, Whispers-At-Stars, died four winters ago. And life was not good before," Flame-In-The-Night answered.

Hiccup winced, easily imagining a possible reason for that since he understood more than the Furies probably thought he did. They might not even know that they are in a completely different world from the one they were... born in.

"There are no... dark wings where we are from. What happened to you all?"

"I want to know also," Toothless added.

Snowfall bent down to Free-Flight and whispered in his ear. He then bounded away and joined some of the other young Furies in a pile. Snowfall followed after her cub as the pack began to depart, likely to start returning to rest.

"Come with me," Flame-In-The-Night whispered.

They followed the Alpha male away from the other Furies and out into the darkness. The male's tail swayed behind him as they followed him by moonlight through the trees, around small gullies, and finally onto the warm rocks near the hot springs. Both Furies lay down on their bellies on the warmed rocks while Hiccup leaned against Toothless's side and was covered partly with a wing for warmth.

"My mate will join us soon," Flame-In-The-Night said.

Toothless gave a grunt of understanding.

The cold wind swirled in the pines with a whistle while the stars twinkled in the highest heavens. Hiccup shivered as he adjusted his mittens, fur hat, and heavy coat. His thoughts drifted to this somewhat sheltered place the pack appeared to be living in.

_Ugh, it's not so bad here as long as the wind dies down. The hot springs are very warm._

Snowfall then bounded toward them from through the dark. Flame-In-The-Night gave a weary sigh and adjusted his chin on a rock as she lay down at his side.

"I do not like to talk about the life before. Not around the youngest ones. They do not need to hear much about that when they are still young and... not hurt," he said.

"Was life that bad?" Toothless warbled.

Flame-In-The-Night turned to them, and his deep-blue eyes narrowed.

"Do you not know how bad humans are? How they hunted us? Drove us from our dens and killed our old ones? Wore our hides as false-hides! Killed our cu..."

Flame-In-The-Night's backfins barely glowed a faint blue, but that light, if it was even there, quickly faded as Snowfall nuzzled his side while purring to him.

Hiccup imagined that what he saw, that odd glow, was probably a trick of the light. It definitely didn't matter when compared to the horror of what he tried very hard to not imagine.

"I'm so sorry. I wish none of that had happened..." Hiccup whispered, wiping his cheek on his coat.

The Alpha male grumbled and looked away into the sky with a flick of his tail.

"Saying that changes nothing; it does not bring back the dead."

"Were you a pack before?" Toothless asked, wanting to change the subject.

Snowfall answered, speaking softly.

"No, we made a pack after we flew here. We came from very different ranges, all of us. We lived in cold ranges and warmer ones. Pairs lived on their own outside of nests, and pairs lived in nests with other dragons. Then something happened to us. I do not understand it, but it happened to all of us at very different times and seasons."

"You heard a voice calling to you and you flew through... twisted skies?" Toothless asked.

Both Alphas glanced at him in surprise before Flame-In-The-Night answered.

"Yes, we did. Adults and the young flew together. Most of the old either did not fly or did not live long enough to make the flight and survive in this world. We did not even know what we were doing until we had flown that flight into new skies. Then we found this land and could not fly back to where we had been," Flame-In-The-Night explained.

Snowfall hummed with peace in her light-blue eyes.

"Our pack formed over winters of new dark wings appearing in these skies. We all joined into this pack for safety against hunger and other dangers. Some pairs were mates before and others became mates after joining the pack. Moonbeam and Mystery were the last to fly to us before you, and they flew to us four winters ago."

"Is that how many dragons like to live, in a pack?" Hiccup asked.

Flame-In-The-Night closed his eyes and gave a heavy sigh.

"Most kinds like to live with their own kinds when they can. Our pack is a new life-way because we dark wings did not live like this before. We are warmed to live as a pack though; it is much safer for us all, even if living close to each other causes some problems..."

Hiccup was curious what the Alpha meant by problems, but he had something else on his mind. So far he had only seen Night Furies here.

"Was it only you dark wings that came here? What about other dragons?" Hiccup wondered.

Snowfall answered.

"We heard the whispering call. Most of the other dragons did not. Moonbeam and Mystery are a little different from us, but even they heard the call."

Toothless remembered prior musings on why only Night Furies might have heard the call.

"Could that be because the others heard the big Alphas and Monsters more than we did?" Toothless asked.

Flame-In-The-Night considered it with a soft growl and lifted ears.

"That has lift. Most of the dragons in the old ranges live in big nests with Alphas that control their thinking. We are harder for nest-Alphas to control, and we might have heard the call when others did not. Humans," he looked at Hiccup, "have killed the rest of the dragons and forced them into Alpha's nests for safety or... other hiding where they can be hidden forever."

Hiccup winced at the slightly accusatory glare and at the implication of what Flame-In-The-Night had just revealed. That news would indeed explain why dragons were supposedly found mainly in the Archipelago; they had been wiped out from or driven out of the rest of the world. He also felt that he should defend himself from the hidden accusation.

"I know how bad humans can be. My tribe taught that dragons are extremely dangerous, kill on sight. Not all of us are like that though."

Toothless nodded.

"That old world is bad and does not want to change. But you are all living safely now in a new world where we are not hated," Toothless purred.

Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall purred softly and lifted their heads, looking back through the forest toward where the pack was resting.

"Yes, this hidden world of our own is good. There are... no caves... but the water is warm, and we sleep as a pack under the thick trees and the stars. It is not very cold now in this season, but there is... good enough hunting for us all and no humans can hunt us here," Flame-In-The-Night said.

"Good hunting? You all look thin," Toothless observed.

Hiccup recalled that most of the Furies indeed looked thin.

"This season is cold, and more of the catches go to Lightning for her and the unborn cub," Flame-In-The-Night explained.

The Alphas still looked disturbed or wary though.

"What is wrong?" Hiccup asked.

"You are not the first who came here looking for us," Flame-In-The-Night growled.

"What?" Hiccup and Toothless both asked in surprise.

Flame-In-The-Night got to his feet and thrashed his tail while Snowfall remained in place.

"A thing like a human flew up here on a twisted-into-wrong dragon a pawful of winters ago," she said.

Hiccup and Toothless shared a wary glance. That description of a twisted dragon and a thing like a human sounded familiar to them.

"What did the human-like thing look like?" Hiccup asked.

"It looked like a living shadow under dark false-hides," Snowfall growled.

"Its voice was a hiss from the air," Flame-In-The-Night added.

"Nazgul!" Toothless growled.

"You know it?" Snowfall barked in surprise.

"Yes, there are nine of them. I have flamed many of them because they are bad-wrong-rotted false-life! They do not die to fire, but they do not like my fire now!"

"Did it say why it wanted you?" Hiccup asked.

Flame-In-The-Night turned toward the south, his ears swept back in worry.

"The thing wanted us to fly into the warmer ranges to join fighting, It said that it wanted to liberate us from the fear of humans. It promised that we would get many new ranges to live in and claim as ours if we fight for it and bow to its master as our new Alpha."

"Sauron..." Toothless sighed.

"What did you say to the Nazgul? You all definitely didn't join it..." Hiccup warily asked.

Flame-In-The-Night winced and looked away from them, turning to his mate.

"I and Snowfall said that our pack is safe now, and we do not want them to be in fighting. The shadow-life thing did not like what we said, and it said it would come back after we thought more about what would be best for the pack."

Hiccup thought about the situation and saw how tricky this would be.

_We are basically asking them to join the war on the other side. But they didn't want to take the pack to war because doing so is dangerous. I totally understand that._

"That is part of why we wanted to find you all."

"Why?" Snowfall warbled.

"That Nazgul came from the enemy of all the free people: the humans, the Elves, the Dwarves, and others. We wanted to find you and maybe bring you to join the war on our side and live in peace with us after the war," Hiccup explained.

Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall blinked and stepped back with a pair of faint snarls. They looked very disturbed at the idea and struggled to find words for a while.

"We are living in peace now. Why would we lead the pack into fighting? We have been hurt enough," Flame-In-The-Night whispered.

"But..." Hiccup began.

"No! It is not our fight! We owe humans nothing!" Flame-In-The-Night turned aside from them and stared into the distance.

The blue glow on his back, now definitely real and not a trick of the light, returned alongside a faint shine near his visible eye. Incredibly, a single tear streaked down his cheek before he gave a very deep growl while Snowfall gently nuzzled his neck.

"We have lost enough already..." he sighed.

Snowfall spoke softly after a long silence.

"Go talk to Moonbeam or Dreamcatcher if you want to know more. Their stories are not ours to tell. Most of the ranging hunters who will be here have flown back to us for the night."

"What about us? What should we do?" Hiccup asked.

Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall stepped aside, briefly whispered, and then returned.

"We will let all in the pack know that you are both free to roost with us. Hiccup will have pack protection. Hiccup, if you hurt any of the pack..." Flame-In-The-Night hissed.

A flash of sharp and bright white teeth followed alongside very narrowed eyes. Hiccup did not flinch on the outside, but he did have to remind himself to breathe.

"Flame-In-The-Night, Snowfall, you dark wings, Night Furies as I call you, are like family to me. I will not hurt any of you. I swear."

"I hope not. Follow us," Flame-In-The-Night softly growled.

Hiccup and Toothless glanced at each other without saying anything about all that they had heard. There would be plenty of time to talk about everything later after they were rested.

They followed the Alphas away from the hot spring, into the deep trees, and onward through the heavy treecover until they arrived at the mountainside and saw what looked like most of the pack. The Furies were all huddled together in several piles. Young Furies were tucked under their parents' wings, and adults were resting chins on necks and tails on tails. Most of the Furies who were not asleep threw wary glances their direction.

"Pack! The human and the new dark wing are allowed to range with us for now!" Flame-In-The-Night roared.

"The human is under pack protection! None of us are to hurt him!" Snowfall added.

Having seen many of Toothless's different stares, Hiccup easily recognized the calm wariness in these dragons. That wariness made perfect sense, after all, since they probably had not seen or met a friendly human before. But at the same time, he was only one human among many dragons. He was completely harmless, as he hoped they knew. They likely understood that he would be very dead very quickly if he tried to do anything to anyone here.

"You will sleep back there," Flame-In-The-Night pointed with his tail toward the rear of the pack, right up against the rocks.

"We will. You have our thanks, Alpha," Toothless nodded.

Flame-In-The-Night grumbled at what was probably to him a strange gesture and then strolled over to where Snowfall had lain down at the front of the pack. Little Free-Flight slithered out from under a wing and shared quiet words with his father.

Toothless could only purr with a soft whine at the sight of so many of his kin. It was a sight he had long imagined was impossible. He did not think that any of these fellow Night Furies would try to hurt Hiccup now, but he wanted to be careful, just in case.

Then he padded over to an open area up against the rock wall. He and Hiccup had to pass closely by a pair of the dams, who growled softly in warning but without any anger or snarling. Then he lay down several pounces away from the nearest pair. Hiccup slipped in under his wing as always for warmth and safety.

Silence fell except for the hums and purrs around them.

"How do you feel?" Hiccup whispered.

Toothless closed his eyes and gave a relieved and weary sigh.

"I do not know what to think. I am not alone..."

Hiccup nudged his side and then laughed softly.

"No, you aren't alone. It sounds like there might be some lady Furies here around your age too..."

He huffed.

"Maybe you can find one and impress her..." Hiccup continued.

"I should do that..."

"Of course, that means you have to be impressive..."

He gently beat at Hiccup's head with his tail in retaliation.

"I definitely deserved that..." Hiccup chuckled.

"Yes, you did. I am very impressive."

"Yep, you never cease to amaze me, bud."

Even as he fell asleep later, he could not help but think about the possibility. From what he remembered of the pack, there were a few unpaired females whom he could get to know.

_Maybe I can find one of the females here. That would be good. But first... I am not alone..._

He knew that there would be plenty of time, many days or even months, to get to know all in the pack.

His kin.

* * *

"Is it safe?" "Can it play?" "Does it have wings?" "Where is the tail?"

Toothless woke up, lifted his head, and yawned widely, looking around him as he did so. Then he blinked and started purring as soon as he remembered everything that had happened yesterday.

There were four Fury cubs and fledglings as well as several dams a short pounce away from him and Hiccup. The young were staring at Hiccup under his wing and were definitely very interested in Hiccup's being here.

_They have never seen a human before... or played with one!_

He nudged Hiccup's side.

"Wake up, sleepy human."

"No..." Hiccup grumbled.

"Yes, the cubs want to meet you!"

Then Hiccup woke up and stretched, which made the young leap back and clamor while bouncing on their paws.

"It is awake!" "We should play now!" "No wings!" "No tail!"

Hiccup sat down next to him and looked over all the young while smiling at them. They were sitting on their haunches, tails swaying and ears lifted high.

"Who are you all? My name is Hiccup!"

They eagerly bounded up to him and started sniffing and nudging him.

"I am Storm-Chaser!" "Tail-Hunter!" "Breath-Of-Sky!" "I am Free-Flight; you saw me already!"

"You are very eager! Want to play?" Hiccup laughed as he stroked Breath-Of-Sky's neck.

That male was definitely the oldest and largest of the group, being just over about half of Toothless's size.

"Yes!" "Play!" "Tail-tag!" "Fun!"

"But I don't have a tail..." Hiccup pointed out.

"Oh..." they sighed.

"We can still play tag, just not tail-tag."

The youngest three bounded away to their mothers and started eagerly asking if they could play. Two of the mothers slowly walked forward, keeping their eyes on Hiccup as they did so.

"Human, you want to play with our cubs?" one of them asked.

"Yes, I do. I will be gentle with them. What are your names?" he politely asked.

The one with purple eyes answered first.

"I am Wind-Biter. Storm-Chaser is my cub."

"And I am Dreamcatcher. Tail-Hunter is mine," the grey-eyed Fury curtly answered.

A brief, hesitant pause followed as the two females stared at him.

"Why are you so warm to us and our young?" Wind-Biter then warbled.

"He," Hiccup nodded at Toothless and chuckled at how the Fury had two cubs already perched on his back, "showed me that you dragons are not monsters. What do you think about humans?" he warily asked.

"Flee on sight," Wind-Biter barked.

"I do not believe that you can be good..." Dreamcatcher growled.

Hiccup frowned.

"This might sound like a strange question, but why do you think that humans are bad?"

"They have hunted us and hurt us in... many ways," Dreamcatcher answered while looking away from him.

"But why did humans do that to you? Why did they hunt you?"

"They wanted to kill us, take our dens, and stop us from eating prey-animals," Wind-Biter replied.

"I think there is more than that. They only hunted you because they didn't understand that..."

"Pounce!" a voice cried from behind him.

Hiccup was tackled to the ground. He groaned as he fell on his face and was pinned by an eager and playful cub.

"Hunted!" Tail-Hunter cried with glee.

Then the ten foot long female cub started licking his head.

"Toothless, I am being hunted!" Hiccup cried, trying to shield his head from the attack.

"Good luck!" Toothless went back to chasing after Storm-Chaser and Free-Flight.

Dreamcatcher warbled in amusement and then bent down to Tail-Hunter.

"Little one, you should let the... good human get up."

Tail-Hunter reluctantly hopped aside and shuffled on her paws.

"You sure hunted me. Well done!" Hiccup chuckled.

"If only you had a tail. I could chew it!" she sighed.

He spared her mother an amused glance.

"Why do you think we named her that?" Dreamcatcher huffed.

The sound of heavy footfalls behind him got his attention. He spun around, stared, and burst out in laughter.

Toothless was walking on his hind legs while holding young Free-Flight by his tail in his toothless jaws. Free-Flight growled and twisted uselessly, unable to free himself.

As adorable as it was, Hiccup also thought something was odd about it. Precisely, it was strange how unconcerned the adults were. The young were bounding around and playing freely without any worry at all, despite having only met Toothless today or yesterday.

He turned back to Dreamcatcher and Wind-Biter.

"Are all of you like that?"

"Like what?" Wind-Biter purred.

"So friendly and playful. I mean, you all sleep in a big pile, your kids play together, and you watch each other's kids."

"We are a pack. We protect our own," Wind-Biter answered, as if it were an obvious truth.

"But he isn't part of the pack."

"No, but he is a dark wing, and he is warm to our young ones. We would know if there was rot in his soul-fire. He will probably be part of the pack soon."

_That is very similar to how humans live. It is not every family for themselves only. It's a whole community._

Hiccup shrugged.

"We, me and Toothless, had no idea how you dark wings live."

He and the two females glanced over to where Toothless lay buried under three gnawing younglings, Tail-Hunter having joined the attack. The largest of the young, eleven year-old Breath-Of-Sky, stood a short distance away just watching the play.

"He lived in a nest with no other dark wings?" Dreamcatcher's ears fell as she spoke.

"True, other dragons helped to raise him."

"Where are his sire and dam?" Wind-Biter warbled.

"He doesn't know. They were... lost long ago. He is learning about his own kind as much as I am."

"We can tell you. What do you want to know?" Wind-Biter hummed as she sat down on her haunches next to him.

Hiccup was positively giddy at this opportunity. She was willing and eager to help him better understand Fury customs.

"Anything. What are your families like? Do you have... one mate only?"

"Yes, we have mate pairs. Life is best that way with not much in-pack fighting. Is that different from human life-ways?" Wind-Biter answered and wondered.

"No. We are similar. What about duties and work, like who does what among the mates?"

"Both help with hunting, teaching, and playing, but one always stays with the cub. Both raise the cub together, but we dams are more protective early in the cub's life."

"That's also similar to what humans do. We usually have the male do the hunting or work outside while the female stays with the kids early on. We probably do that because the males are better fighters and hunters. But that's definitely not as much of an issue for you dragons. Maybe human males aren't tough enough to be around the kids much..."

Then he had another thought regarding the Fury families. There was a strange aspect to how old the Fury kids he had seen so far were.

"What about your kids? I thought that there would be more of you."

"We only have a cub every ten winters or so," Dreamcatcher explained.

"Ten winters!" Hiccup exclaimed in surprise.

It sounded like a very long time between having kids, not that he would know anything about that part of life or ever have prospects of his own.

_There must be a reason why their families are so small._

"Why so long between... you know... having cubs?"

"Our cubs need much time to learn and much food to grow. Once we have a cub, we do not want to make another until the cub is around ten winters. It does not have fire yet at that age, but it is grown enough to help with hunting," Dreamcatcher answered.

"And..." Wind-Biter sadly hummed, "it is not safe to have many cubs."

"Not safe? What?"

Both females closed their eyes and growled softly at nothing specific.

"The dam can die when birthing the cub..." Wind-Biter explained.

"Why?" he gasped in alarm.

"We do not know. Sometimes we bleed too much. Sometimes the cub... cannot come out... and both die..." she whined.

Hiccup's heart broke a little at the thought. He also started thinking about this problem, this tragedy. Childbirth was also something dangerous back on Berk, at least if that process was unsupervised.

"There must be something you can do about that. I mean, we humans have the same problem when our moms birth us. That's why we have midwives to help make sure everything goes well."

"What are those midwives?" Wind-Biter asked in confusion.

"Females who know things about how to help others to give birth. I don't know anything about it, but they help with... getting the cub out safely."

Then he remembered a detail from yesterday.

"Wait, isn't there someone here who is expecting a baby?"

"Yes, Lightning is with cub, her first one," Wind-Biter purred.

"Can I meet her?"

Wind-Biter briefly thought about it.

"I think so. She is probably resting by the warm water. Her mate, Hunts-In-Deep-Waters is on a hunt, but I can go with you."

"I will bring Toothless."

Hiccup went over to help Toothless out of the pile of Furies, much to the dragon's relief.

"They have so much soul-fire. I do not know what their dams do with them," Toothless whispered.

"Kids are kids even in a different kind of life. Hey, I thought we might go meet Lightning. She is the one who is, uh, carrying a cub."

"Okay. Sorry, cubs, I need to go now."

The three who had been playing the most were panting in exhaustion and wandered off to their mothers. The oldest of the younglings, Breath-Of-Sky, who had hung back all the while stepped closer and gave Hiccup and Toothless a deliberate sniffing. Then he stepped back, a confused look in his wide green eyes.

"Twisted... you smell strange..." he muttered.

"I agree! Hiccup smells strange," Toothless huffed.

"Well, I am a human," Hiccup groaned.

Breath-Of-Sky just warbled softly, his ears wiggling, and then turned aside and dashed into the trees.

Hiccup shrugged, joined Toothless, and followed Wind-Biter through the trees. Then they arrived at the warm springs and rocks, and they saw the resting Fury on the warm rocks, her head on her paws. It was very obvious that she was special among the pack.

She was the first Fury they had seen who did not look at all underfed. Her large lower belly was also a giveaway that she was not alone.

_They did say that more of the food goes to her because she and the baby need it. That is very good of the pack to provide for her like that._

"Lightning," Wind-Biter hummed.

Lightning lifted her head and turned brilliant orange eyes on the three of them.

"The good human and his dark wing friend?" she warbled.

Hiccup bowed his head to her. Toothless did the same and sat down before her.

"This is amazing, meeting you. Are you... related to Wings-Of-Ice? You have the same eyes," Hiccup wondered.

Lightning purred in apparent approval.

"Yes, he is my brother," she answered.

He gestured toward her belly.

"If you don't mind me asking, how far along are you with your cub?"

"Ten moon-cycles. I have about two more moon-cycles," Lightning purred.

_A whole year! Wow, that is a long time._

"Would you believe that I thought dark wings lay eggs?" Hiccup chuckled.

"What? No! Why would you think that?" Lightning gasped.

"His fault," he nodded at Toothless.

Toothless shot him an annoyed look and rolled his eyes.

"The other dragons sit eggs. How could I know that we are different?" Toothless huffed.

"Why did you not know?" Lightning innocently wondered.

"I was the only dark wing in the nest, and I never knew my sire or dam."

Lightning's ears fell slightly as she shuffled in place.

"That is chilling. No cub should not have its sire and dam. Like Moonbeam and Mystery," she sadly added.

Hiccup started when he heard that name. Moonbeam. He had heard that name somewhere before.

_Didn't Flame-In-The-Night want us to talk to that one?_

"I think your Alphas wanted us to talk to Moonbeam. Do you know where I could find her?"

"She has been on her hunting days. She will be back here with the pack before sunfall. Mystery was flying with the fledglings above the mountains," Wind-Biter answered.

"We can go fly with them. That would be fun," Toothless offered.

"Okay," Hiccup agreed.

Lightning surprised them by getting to her feet and slowly walking toward him. He held himself still as she approached and eventually sat down on her rear before him. She stared into his eyes until she chuffed.

"You have a good soul-fire, human," she said.

"Eh, lots of us do once you get to know us... even if we have stubbornness issues..."

Lightning then leaned forward and licked his cheek. Unlike whenever Toothless did so, he did not complain. Instead, he slowly reached out and gave her a gentle rub under the chin. She closed her eyes and purred softly at his touch.

"Human paws are good," she chuckled.

Toothless snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Yes, and dangerous too in a good way!"

"Dangerous, how?" she got to her paws and stepped back in alarm.

"They can make us fall asleep!" he explained.

Lightning relaxed and barked in laughter.

"That is not human paws! We can do that to our cubs with our own paws!"

"Oh, I did not know that."

"Yes, it is a way to make them sleep," she explained.

Hiccup punched Toothless's shoulder while laughing on his own.

"Ha! That explains a lot, huh?"

"Yes, it does..." Toothless huffed.

"Toothless, you must be my cub then," Hiccup grinned.

"Am not!"

Lightning laughed at them and then turned away.

"I am warmed to have met you both, but I want more sleep now," Lightning hummed.

She shuffled over to the warm rocks on which she then curled up to rest.

Toothless nudged his shoulder after they gazed at her.

"We should go fly."

"Yeah, let's let her sleep."

Hiccup left with him for a clearing they could take off from. He hopped into the saddle, but Toothless remained sitting for a while longer, still staring off toward where Lightning was resting.

"What are you thinking?" Hiccup asked.

"I just never thought I would see that, a dam like that with a cub... inside."

"Well, we had no idea that you Furies have cubs instead of hatchlings..."

"True. She liked you!" Toothless chuckled.

"What can I say? I'm just that charming! She couldn't get enough of all this..."

Toothless slowly looked over his shoulder, ears lifted and eyes filled with deviousness.

"Who knows? We might find you a mate here too!"

It took a moment before Hiccup understood, and he almost fell out of the saddle when he did.

"Toothless! No!"

* * *

Hiccup thought that these two fledglings, Windripper and Snowflame, were similar to the cubs in that they liked to play and had a lot of energy. However, they were subtly different in how they liked to play.

Windripper and Snowflame, both almost fully-grown in size but still apparently not adults, practiced fighting. Up in the sky, they flew at each other in mock-attacks, trying to clawlessly paw at wings or touch a vulnerable spot to claim victory. While on the ground, they batted at each other, tried to toothlessly bite each other, tried to pin tails, or just tried to fully pin each other. They constantly teased each other and shouted insults while doing so.

Hiccup felt very awkward watching when Windripper pinned Snowflame on her back. But that was apparently normal and accepted in these wrestling fights. She also pinned him several times.

Toothless just watched the fun play while purring.

The two Furies dashed into the sky, fought some more, and then dove for the mountaintop where Hiccup and Toothless were sitting among large rocky outcroppings. Windripper and Snowflame landed on the white snowcap and bounded toward them without hesitation, tails swaying and ears lifted. Neither of them looked at all afraid.

"Hello!" Hiccup cheerfully began.

"The good human! I am glad you are here!" Snowflame barked and laughed.

"Really?"

She hopped so close to him that he could feel her breath. Her sky-blue eyes were very wide and welcoming.

"Yes, you are different. Life can be boring here," she said.

The four of them looked around at the distance in all directions. Everything was grey and white except for the pines on the south side of the slope.

"I believe that," Hiccup agreed.

Windripper growled softly without any anger as he also came forward.

"I have never met a human before. I heard stories of them, but I was born in this range and never saw one of you before."

Hiccup shrugged.

"I'm a little different from most humans, but even the other ones aren't bad."

Snowflame and Windripper hummed to each other.

"All the stories we heard were of humans as fighters," Snowflame said.

"Not all of us are. They just don't understand you Furies aren't monsters."

"Furies?" Windripper warbled.

"Oh, yeah, you call yourselves dark wings. Humans call you Night Furies."

"Night Furies. I like it!" Snowflame barked.

"Me also!" Windripper agreed.

"By the way, your play-fighting is impressive," Hiccup grinned.

Snowflame purred.

"I have to make sure that my... future mate can fight well!" she answered.

Hiccup blinked.

"Your... future... mate. Wait, you mean you are already... together or what?" he awkwardly asked.

"We are a pair, in a way," she coyly answered.

Windripper purred and nudged Snowflame's head. He was just slightly smaller than her, which made sense given that he was a year younger. Even so, he was visibly stronger while she was a little quicker from what he had seen of their fighting and play.

"Yes, we have known each other as friends for many winters, and we have been on many hunts together," Windripper purred.

"Hunts in which I have to do the catching!" Snowflame groaned.

"Not all the catching. You know that I can catch something..." Windripper flicked his tail into hers.

Snowflame purred at that and leaned into his nuzzling of her muzzle.

Hiccup found it a very heartwarming image. It also explained why these two were so comfortable with the wrestling fights; they trusted each other and knew each other very well. However, knowing what these two intended toward each other also helped him realize that they might enjoy such physical fights for another, more intimate reason.

He didn't yet know enough of Fury customs to know how they handled that part of life, and he was not particularly interested in going out of his way to learn about it. That could remain entirely mysterious to him and...

"How does taking mates happen?" Toothless warbled.

Windripper answered.

"There is nothing twisted. We have life-mate pairs only, and the males and females both must choose each other and name each other as mates before the pack. We know when we are grown enough to be able to make cubs."

Snowflame grumbled and thrashed her tail.

"Wind, you are not talking about the best part! The chase!"

Windripper growled at her.

"I will be the first! I will catch you!"

"Typical male. You will not catch me..."

"Huh?" "What?"

She saw their confusion.

"The male must try to catch the female as a test. It is very fun!" she chuckled.

"Maybe for you females... we are just tired," Windripper groaned.

"Not too tired at the end..." she slyly purred.

"True, we can always do what we must."

Hiccup groaned while Toothless chuckled to himself. Snowflame appeared to realize something and turned toward the nearby rocks.

"Mystery! Come here!"

Hiccup started in surprise; he had not known that there was another Fury nearby.

_Huh? How did I miss this one?_

"I do not want to!" a younger voice cried out from the rocks.

"Why not? Come meet the good human!" Snowflame barked while standing upright.

"It is scary!" the voice shouted back.

"No, it is not! He is a good human! Come see him!" Snowflame answered.

The shy Fury hidden among the rocks said nothing for a long time.

Hiccup and Toothless gasped in shock when the Fury hopped out from hiding, landed on a rock, and flared her wings wide.

Mystery was pure white except for her brilliant purple eyes.

At about half of Toothless's size, she was smaller than either Windripper or Snowflame. She had no backfins, instead having one short sail-like fin-ridge down her back. Her head had no visible frills or nubs, and her wings were a subtly different shape. Everything else about her appearance was the same as a Night Fury, but she was definitely something different and special.

She was to them, just like her name, a mystery.

"Oh my gods..." Hiccup gasped.

"What are you?" Toothless warbled in amazement.

"Afraid of him!" Mystery pointed a paw at Hiccup.

"Me, scary? What?" Hiccup laughed.

Toothless slowly turned to stare at him.

"Uh, bud, what's going on?" Hiccup wondered.

"Here is how scary Hiccup is! Watch this!" Toothless barked.

Then he lunged and knocked Hiccup over so that Hiccup fell on his face in the snow.

"Defeated!" Toothless laughed.

"Did you have to do that!" Hiccup groaned as he got to his feet again.

Snowflame and Windripper laughed freely, but Mystery remained perched where she was. At least her ears were up instead of swept back.

Hiccup took a deep breath and decided to chance it.

_It's go time..._

He slowly started through the snow toward where she was perched. Her brilliant purple eyes never left him as he approached her.

"Let's try this again. Hello, Mystery!"

She ruffled her wings and stared him down. Toothless loped over to his side, intending to talk to the strange fledgling and reassure her about Hiccup.

Then she froze, staring at his back.

"What is that thing on you?" she hissed.

"The riding and carrying thing?" Toothless glanced at his own back.

"It is a bad thing!"

"No, it is not bad. I need it to fly."

She crouched low on the rock and flared her wings again.

"Where is your mouth-closing thing?"

He could only give a confused grunt, having no idea what she was talking about.

"My human is not bad. He is good. He helps me fly now."

"He helps you fly? What?" she tilted her head in wonder.

Once again, he showed off his missing tailfin and the new one while explaining it to her.

Mystery blinked in surprise and then looked at Hiccup a lot friendlier this time. She even purred softly.

"My human is like a brother to me," he explained.

"I do not have a brother. Only a sister-dam," Mystery hummed.

"Sister-dam? What?" Toothless grumbled, wondering what she meant by that.

After a little thought, he realized that it could mean a couple different things, neither of which was good but one of which was very bad-wrong-twisted to think about.

"My sister, Moonbeam, is like a dam for me," Mystery explained.

Hiccup sighed and deflated slightly, starting to realize some of what must have happened as he put the various pieces together. While he wanted to know the full story, it felt wrong to ask that of Mystery since she was still definitely a child.

"I would like to meet your sister," he told her.

"As would I!" Toothless eagerly added.

"She is hunting now," Mystery looked toward the western horizon.

Toothless again hummed up at Mystery; he still wanted to know what she was.

"Mystery, what type of dragon are you? You are not a dark wing like me."

She preened slightly and held her white wings aloft.

"I am a light wing!"

Hiccup and Toothless glanced at each other in silent thought until they both nodded and spoke as one.

"Light Fury!"

Toothless then turned back to Mystery.

"Are there any light wings other than you and your sister?"

"No. We are the only ones in the pack," she answered.

Windripper and Snowflame bounded over next to them.

"We treat them no differently from dark wings like us," Snowflame explained.

"They are truly part of the pack!" Windripper added.

Toothless purred in approval.

"We will fly to the cold water and hunt for the very fat lumps with tusks. They are good for eating!" Snowflame said.

Hiccup wondered what they were going to hunt.

_Uh, Walrus? Seals maybe?_

"We will fly back to the pack by dark. Will you fly back with Toothless, Mystery?" Windripper asked.

Mystery hummed softly while looking down on Hiccup. She appeared to be making up her mind about him. Then she chuffed, hopped down from the rock, sat down in the snow next to him, and hummed softly.

"Yes, I will."

Hiccup did not try to touch her; doing so felt like it would be pushing his luck too far. Getting her to not hate him was a good start given that she appeared very suspicious of him for some reason.

He had a grim guess as to why she was so initially untrusting of him.

They then went their separate ways: Windripper and Snowflame flying wingtip to wingtip into the north and Toothless and Mystery gliding down the mountains toward the thick trees. Mystery wandered off toward the hot springs where some of the mothers and cubs were probably resting.

Hiccup and Toothless watched her go as her white shape vanished among the trees.

"So that happened. We must have missed her hiding in the snow," Hiccup sighed.

"I did not know about Light Furies. There were none in the nest," Toothless explained.

"Yeah, they're not in the Dragon Manual either. I wonder why not."

"Is it a mystery?" Toothless grinned.

Hiccup rolled his eyes as Toothless stamped a paw into the snow.

"Alright, that's one fish to you, bud. Anyway, she has an older sister, Moonbeam."

"Yes, she is hunting now. Something bad must have happened to them. Humans must have happened..."

Hiccup frowned.

"Moonbeam had to raise her sister as if she was the mom. Yeah, that can't be good. We'll find out eventually."

With all the flying done for the day, Hiccup removed the artificial tailfin and set it aside with the various supplies. He also took off the rest of the riding equipment. It apparently itched if left on for too long.

However, they had barely gotten all the equipment off when one of the fledglings from before, Breath-Of-Sky, flew down and landed with them.

Hiccup wondered about Fury ages and what to call the children.

_Hmm, I wonder what the difference is between the fledglings and the cubs? When does one become the other? He's almost as big as Mystery._

"There you are! I was looking for you!" Breath-Of-Sky barked.

The male fledgling bounded up to them and eagerly rubbed against Hiccup's side while sniffing him again. Hiccup chuckled happily while twisting the fledgling's ears.

"Hey there! You want to play?"

"No! I want you to follow me!"

Breath-Of-Sky closed his toothless maw around Hiccup's hand and then tugged at him. Hiccup looked at Toothless with an amused glance while Toothless just rolled his eyes. They were both completely unconcerned by this attention from Breath-Of-Sky.

"Alright, Breath-Of-Sky, lead the way!"

They followed after the eager fledgling after he let go of Hiccup's hand.

"This way!"

He led them past part of the hot springs to a small, steaming pond of the warmed water. Mosses grew on the rocks around the pond.

A pair of adult Furies were resting together on the warm shore, their tails entwined while the pair purred to each other.

"Sire! Dam!"

Two heads lifted and looked in their direction as Breath-Of-Sky jumped before the pair who were obviously his parents.

"Little one..." the female purred and nuzzled his head.

"Sire! Dam! Come here!"

They got to their paws and followed their fledgling over to them. The adults looked surprised and wary from their narrowed eyes and slow strides. They stopped several paces away to keep some distance.

Hiccup bowed to them, and Toothless did also.

"My name is Hiccup."

"Mine is Toothless."

They hummed softly in return.

"I am Far-Flight," the male said.

"I am Sky-Dancer," the female added.

"Sky-Dancer, that is a beautiful name," Hiccup told her.

"We heard some about the good human who lives with a dark wing. It sounded very twisted. Every human we ever saw was a fighter," Sky-Dancer growled softly.

"Many big fighters," Far-Flight hissed.

"Yeah, I am definitely not a fighter," Hiccup chuckled.

"I see that. You are not as big as the ones we fought and killed," Far-Flight added.

Hiccup did not want to ask for any details. That was all in the past and behind everyone now. He also thought it was odd that they would speak so openly about that part of life around Breath-Of-Sky. Or maybe it was not so odd of them. Their fledgling was much older than the cubs, and he probably had heard some about humans before.

_Maybe he already knows about all that but is just not afraid..._

"I flew back from hunting for fish, and then I heard that a new dark wing and a human were here with the pack. I thought the human was prey at first," Sky-Dancer explained.

"I've already been hunted in play by a cub!" Hiccup cheerfully pointed out.

"Tail-Hunter?" Sky-Dancer warbled.

"How did you know?" Hiccup chuckled.

Breath-Of-Sky grumbled and ruffled his wings in impatience.

"Dam, smell the human! His smell is twisted!"

"Twisted? What do you mean?" Sky-Dancer rumbled.

"He smells like us!"

"He would. He lives much with a dark wing, and together-life would share some scents," she explained.

"Smell him!"

Hiccup grinned at the fledgling's eagerness, and he offered Sky-Dancer a hand. Sky-Dancer huffed in amusement of her own, crossed the distance to him, and took a deep sniff of his hand.

Then she froze, her eyes narrowing on him.

An increasingly tense moment passed.

"Is everything okay?" Hiccup warily asked.

She said nothing. Instead, she slowly stepped over to Toothless and smelled him. She then spun around, bounded over to Far-Flight, and collapsed at his side, whining and trembling.

"Sky..." "Dam!"

Something very strange was happening, and Hiccup spared Toothless a wary look which the Fury returned. How could Toothless's scent spark such a reaction in her?

Sky-Dancer eventually stilled under Far-Flight's wing, though she was still unable to look over at them.

"I know your scent..." she eventually gasped.

"How could you know me? I have never met another dark wing until I flew here," Toothless warily explained.

Then she looked up at them. There were tears in her brilliant green eyes.

"A dam never forgets..."


	28. Lost And Found

Lost And Found

* * *

"A dam never forgets..." Sky-Dancer whispered.

Toothless froze and stared at her deep green eyes which were so similar to his own. Everything else fell away and did not matter.

His wings and tail were stilled and forgotten.

Silence echoed between him and her.

There were no memories of her. He had been too small when he was apparently left alone, abandoned in the nest by his sire and dam.

Seeing her did not spark any great warmth in his soul-fire. He did not know her.

But was there a knowing that was not in thinking? Would scent know when his memory did not? Scent was a way that other dragons in the nest had known their kin from those that were not kin. The wind was flowing from his side, carrying none of her scent to him so far. On the other paw, she had scented something about him that she clearly knew.

He was not aware of slowly walking to her as his legs trembled. He looked down on her wide green eyes since she was slightly crouched lower than him. She was staring up at him warily, fearfully, and hopefully.

No one else moved.

Then he nosed closer and took in her scent.

Night Fury, just like him.

Female, different from him.

Something else like him.

Known deep inside.

Trusted completely.

Fish from her belly.

Safe under her wing.

Echos of purrs and licks.

A known voice.

Familiar.

Familial.

Lost and found.

His dam.

Were they his tears dripping down his muzzle, or were they his dam's as she rested her chin on his hung head?

Was the purring and rough nudging on his neck his sire assuring himself that his firstborn was real?

Was the whining on his other side his blood brother he had never known?

He could not tell or think clearly.

It was not a time for thinking.

* * *

Hiccup leaned against a rock and wiped away his tears as he beheld the reunion.

Sky-Dancer, Far-Flight, and Breath-Of-Sky seemed eager to smother Toothless in nuzzles, purring, and then licking.

All of which made sense, given that they were making up for years of not being there.

_Oh, Toothless, look at you now..._

All three of the new Furies danced with swaying tails around Toothless.

Then Toothless's father, Far-Flight, apparently had enough of gentleness and leapt fully at Toothless, knocking him onto his side and then pouncing on him. Toothless bellowed in joy as he gently beat at Far-Flight in his defense. Far-Flight beat back the pawing and started licking Toothless across the face.

_Hah, revenge! Hope you like it, bud!_

"Sire!" Toothless cried.

"Burning-Star, you lived!" Far-Flight bellowed and resumed the licking and leaping attack until he fully pinned Toothless on his back. Then he finally stepped back from his son. Toothless rolled onto his paws and wiped his face cleaner after he sat down on his rear, tail still swaying wildly.

"Look at you! So big!" Sky-Dancer pranced around him, brushing against his wings and his side as she inspected him.

"Your wings! You are fast and strong!" Far-Flight added with a bellow.

"My big brother!" Breath-Of-Sky hummed.

"Your long tail and..." Sky-Dancer froze.

They all froze and stared at the end of Toothless's tail and at the missing tailfin.

"Your tail!" "What happened!" "No! Bad!"

All three of them jumped back to look more closely at and nose at the tail. Sky-Dancer then licked the old scarring while whining softly.

"I lost it in fighting with humans," Toothless solemnly explained.

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer both snarled and clawed at the dirt.

"If I ever find the human who did that, I will tear it apart myself!" Far-Flight growled.

"And I will flame it and eat its heart!" Sky-Dancer snarled, teeth bared.

Toothless blinked and warily warbled without looking over toward Hiccup.

"There is no need. The human who downed me is... gone. I... got rid of it."

Far-Flight gently bumped Toothless's shoulder and purred with approval.

"Good. I knew that my firstborn would be a great fighter."

"I was, but I learned more ways also," Toothless shrugged.

"More ways?"

"Yes, I learned that humans are not only our enemies."

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer then appeared to remember that they were not alone there, and they glanced over at Hiccup. Hiccup waved a hand at them and gave him them all a wary smile.

"You, Hiccup human, how do you know Burning-Star?" Far-Flight barked.

Hiccup again heard the name, thought a moment, and realized the obvious.

"Burning-Star? Is that his name? Sounds like it, a real name," Hiccup groaned.

Sky-Dancer stood beside Toothless and put a wing over his back while nuzzling his neck.

"Yes, we lived on a ledge in the nest where we could watch and guard the island. He was born in the last of the light before true dark. There was one very bright star burning in the sky. We named him for that and..." she went silent.

Her ears fell as she warily looked over at Far-Flight. He similarly hung his head and looked like he had lost all his previous vigor. They both whined softly and stared at the ground.

"Sire? Dam?" Toothless whispered.

Far-Flight weakly answered.

"I do not know what happened to us. You were not even a full season-cycle old when we... needed to fly away. It was like we were thought-thralls to a Monster we could not see. Something much stronger than the nest-Monster's thinking-control. The skies went... twisted around us. Then we were in these skies and..."

"And we could not fly back..." Sky-Dancer whimpered.

"We failed you... we were not there..." Far-Flight gasped.

Toothless rubbed his neck against Sky-Dancer's while purring to her.

"No, it was not your fault, dam, sire."

"Yes, it is. If we had cared more or been stronger..." she whispered.

"No! It was the Enemy we fight against! It made you do that!" Toothless snarled.

"Enemy?" "What?"

He looked between them, purring softly to them both.

"That is a story for the whole pack to hear, but it is not your fault, sire, dam. You did not want to leave. And it turned out well for me..."

"How can you say that? You lost a tailfin!" Sky-Dancer cried.

"In a way, I did. But I have another one..." he again shrugged.

Their jaws fell open. Even Breath-Of-Sky looked confused.

"What?" "What?" "What other tailfin?"

"Hiccup, will you join us?" Toothless asked him.

Hiccup came forward at the invitation. Toothless then stepped away from his parents, stood behind Hiccup, and then rested his chin on Hiccup's head.

"Will you tell us what happened after you found me downed in a net? After some dangerous human, probably a very big fighter, shot me from the sky?"

Hiccup warily faced Sky-Dancer, Far-Flight, and Breath-Of-Sky. The two adults were staring with narrowed eyes while Breath-Of-Sky's eyes were wide with eagerness. He knew that this was a tenuous situation since he didn't want Toothless's parents angry with him. Further, they were certainly the very Night Furies who had plagued Berk decades ago and had definitely killed people in the raids.

"I... uh... see, I lived on an island that the dragons raided for food. I wanted to... kill a dragon to prove myself to my tribe, to my pack. The best dragon of all to kill was a Night Fury; that's what the pack called a dark wing like you. It was after a raid that I... found him in a net in the woods. I went to kill him..."

Both of Toothless's parents snarled and pawed at the ground with their claws out. Breath-Of-Sky gasped.

"... but I did not. I realized that I'm not a killer, and I let him go instead."

They blinked in amazement and then stared at Toothless.

"And Burning-Star did not kill you! Why not?" Far-Flight barked at Toothless.

Toothless hummed softly, nuzzled Hiccup's head, and then stepped a pace away.

"Because it would have been bad of me to hurt him after he let me go and did not hurt me. I pinned him, but he looked as afraid as I had been. I looked at him and I saw myself. He was also afraid and alone as the only one of his kind in a way. He showed me that he was different from other humans, and I wanted life different from the way that had always been."

Toothless huffed and tapped the ground with his tail.

"But I was grounded. Hiccup, you saw that I could not fly. What did you do for me?"

"I built him a new tailfin that takes the place of the lost one."

"You can do that!" Sky-Dancer jaw fell open in amazement.

Toothless smirked.

"Human paws are very powerful! The new tailfin he made works if he is on my back. We learned to fly together. He saved my life. He even flew with me from his old pack and nest to keep me safe. That is why we flew through twisted skies and came here like the whole pack."

Sky-Dancer's and Far-Flight's eyes were now wide open in amazement as they stared at Hiccup. Hiccup thought that had to be good, or at least better than any open hostility. Breath-Of-Sky moved first by bounding over to his side and nuzzling him, also letting his approval be known with his loud purring and thrashing tail.

"You are a good human!"

Sky-Dancer then stepped forward, her ears and frills lifted as she crept forward. She sat down before him and was at a loss for words for a long time.

"You were... there for him when we were not. You help him fly now. You are kin to us."

She bent down to the ground before he could answer her, and then she left a slimy fish at his feet. Her wide, innocent green eyes were irresistible, as much as he felt like vomiting without even having eaten anything yet. She nudged the fish toward him with a paw and glanced down to it and then back to him.

He knew that there was no chance he could get out of taking a bite.

"Why me..." he sighed as he picked up the fish.

Toothless gave him a purr of sympathy, knowing that Hiccup did not normally eat raw fish or partly-gone fish that had been in a dragon's belly. But, just like the trusting ceremony he and Hiccup had shared, this sharing of food was an important display of kinship. That his dam was willing to name Hiccup as kin was very, very good.

Resigned to his fate, Hiccup bit down on the fish. The bite of fish made him gag, especially with how slimy it was. Somehow, he forced it down while shivering and almost retching.

Hopefully the fish would stay down.

"Ugh, and to complete the ceremony, Toothless, catch."

He tossed up the rest of the fish, and Toothless mercifully snapped it out of the air, much to the amusement of the other Furies.

"We should tell the pack when all are back here! We will let them know that we found our lost cub!" Sky-Dancer declared with a loud purr.

"Yes, we should. You will be part of the pack now, Burning-Star!" Far-Flight added.

Breath-Of-Sky hopped over and hummed at up Toothless.

"I like having a big brother!"

"And I like having another little brother," Toothless answered with a gummy smile.

Then he bent down and nudged Breath-Of-Sky's forehead.

"Another brother? A human can be a brother?" Breath-Of-Sky warbled while also practicing his toothless smile.

"Yes, they can," he smiled at Hiccup.

Sky-Dancer again stepped up to Toothless's side and nuzzled his neck with a soft croon.

"We will tell the pack tomorrow when more of them are here. Will you stay with us and talk much now?" she hummed.

"Dam, there is nowhere else I would rather be..." he answered with a very deep purr.

* * *

Hiccup rested with his back against a tree. He silently watched as Toothless sat under his mother's outstretched wing while sharing quiet words with his parents and his little brother. Breath-Of-Sky looked like he wanted play also, but he was very eager just to get to know Toothless.

They had all been talking for well over an hour and would likely keep going. They had many years of catching-up to do.

He eventually got to his feet and wandered through the trees. It was so amazing and good that Toothless had just found his family. Even so, something was bothering him, deep down.

_He is so happy now. He found his kind, his parents that he thought were gone, and his little brother that he never knew about._

He blinked.

_Kind of wish I had that too. Fly to some strange island and just... find my mom not actually dead and out there living among wild dragons. And dad... I wish he had been so excited to see me. Maybe he just wouldn't appreciate me unless I almost died, was lost, or something..._

The twigs snapped underfoot as he wandered, lost to his thoughts. In all the time, many months now, away from Berk, he had not yet lived around many other humans. Further, he knew that he wasn't going to see his father again, and his mother was long since dead. It was as though he had no remaining human family of his own.

As if he had one before either.

He eventually found his way through the trees to the clearing sheltered up against the mountain. There, he leaned against a tree to watch. The young Furies were gathered there in play, as usual, while being watched over by their mothers and a few males he did not recognize.

_I don't know._

A pair of the males noticed him and started for him, walking slowly with their tails swaying and their eyes fixed on him. He wasn't truly afraid of them, but he was still attentive of them since Toothless was nowhere nearby.

_Okay, be friendly Furies..._

The larger of the two, the one with yellow eyes, walked directly in front of him and huffed in his face.

He wondered how to greet him, and decided to huff back.

Then the male snorted and sat back on its haunches.

"The good human."

"I do not see any other humans around here, so yeah, I must be the good one," Hiccup pointed out.

"True."

"What is your name?"

"I am Hunts-In-Deep-Waters. I heard from my mate about you, Hiccup," the Fury answered.

Hiccup searched his memory, but he could not recall who Hunts-In-Deep-Waters was paired with.

"Who is your mate?"

"Lightning," the Fury answered with a very warm purr.

"Yes! I met her. I did not know that dark wings have cubs. Instead, I thought you guys... er, your females had eggs."

_I wonder why the Furies are different like that._

Hunts-In-Deep-Waters looked confused by something, but the Fury eventually ignored it.

"That is twisted of you to think," Hunts-In-Deep-Waters huffed.

"The cub will be your first, true?" Hiccup continued, thinking that asking more about his family would probably help to build some trust.

"Yes, it will be our first. It was a long flight before I caught her, but I did..." Hunts-In-Deep-Waters purred again.

"You know that she let you catch her," the other male teased.

"You think that, you pile of waste. My shadow does not scare me..." Hunts-In-Deep-Waters huffed.

A playful snap at a neck followed along with a snarl by the other Fury.

"Excuse me, I don't know you..." Hiccup asked the new Fury.

The brilliantly blue-eyed male backed away from the playful fighting and then warily regarded him. This one had kept more of his distance and looked more reluctant.

"I am Growls-At-His-Shadow," the Fury grumbled.

Hiccup thought there must be a reason behind that name, but it felt improper to ask about such a thing. The meaning behind some names was very obvious, but others might have hidden, personal reasons.

Plus, he did not want to get a big Night Fury angry with him in any way.

_I remember this pair. That's a plus._

"Dreamcatcher is your mate, right? Your cub is Tail-Hunter."

"Yes, they are," he curtly answered.

"Your cub is very playful and friendly. I like her."

Growls-At-His-Shadow huffed while Hunts-In-Deep-Waters purred in apparent approval. Then Hunts-In-Deep-Waters's ears lifted as he spoke.

"I have heard some of your story, you and... Toothless. The whole pack has been talking about it. I do not know what I should think about you."

"You should not think anything about me. Just judge me for what I do, not for what I am or what you think I am."

"You are a human. We know how dangerous humans are. You are fighters and killers," Growls-At-His-Shadow countered.

Hiccup frowned.

"I know also. Do I ever. But humans are not only fighters. If all I knew about dragons was what I saw in raids, I would think that you are all monsters that like killing and burning stuff for fun."

"We do like killing our enemies and burning their dens."

Hiccup took a deep breath and tried to not think about it. There was still a part of him that was morbidly curious though.

"What do you mean?"

Growls-At-His-Shadow bared his teeth.

"My mate lost a brother to humans. I knew him and called him my kin. I found the nest where they took his body, where they tore it apart for his hide, claws, teeth, and bones. I saw his head hanging from one of their big dens."

Hiccup wilted, trying very hard to not imagine how that had happened.

"I'm sorry... They didn't understand what he was."

"Why they did it does not matter. Do you know what I did? I started hunting that nest, one human at a time. Killing them and eating them," Growls-At-His-Shadow finished by licking his lips.

"I..." Hiccup recoiled and stepped back in alarm.

It was a shock to hear that a dragon had specifically targeted and hunted humans out of revenge. He knew that some dragons would and did eat humans, but Night Furies also...

Hunts-In-Deep-Waters stepped forward with a deep purr and sat down between them with a glance toward the other Fury.

"And we know that hunting the humans made them hunt us more out of fear. They make more cubs than we can, so that is not a fight we can win over many life-cycles. You know that, Growls."

Growls-At-His-Shadow snorted.

"Our kinds have been enemies as long as we have memories and stories. All the stories tell about how humans hunt us to take our hides and our heads. You and Lightning do not know pain as I do or as my mate does."

Hiccup knew he should not have been surprised that dragons had stories or that those stories about humans were not good ones.

Somehow, learning about and hearing that confirmation was like a knife in the heart, and it also helped him realize that his mission was not as simple as showing humans that dragons are not monsters and were amazing creatures that could bring people together.

The dragons also have to learn to trust and be able to forgive past offenses. The obstacle to peace was not only on one side.

Peace would never be possible as long as either side thought of themselves as oppressed victims of the other side, regardless of whether or not either side was more guilty.

Hiccup weakly sighed.

"I don't know what to say to that. The world we came from was stuck in old ways. Not all traditions are bad, but the fighting, dragons and humans as enemies forever, helped neither side. I want peace now."

"You would have us stop fighting so that humans can kill us off!" Growls-At-His-Shadow barked.

"I want both sides to stop fighting, and that needs one side to act first. I don't know if anything could change the world we came from, but we don't live there now. This world doesn't know you as monsters: not like the world before did," Hiccup answered.

Hunts-In-Deep-Waters huffed and looked over his shoulder toward the pile of cubs.

"We have not told the cubs much about life before. There is no reason to bring the hurts of the past into the now. We will tell them some about humans once they become adults and get fire, but they do not need to know before then."

Growls-At-His-Shadow interjected, "Because we will not see other humans. The nearest two-legged things are many suns of flying from here. We are safe up here always."

Growls-At-His-Shadow then turned back to the cubs and wandered over to them.

"Hunts?" Hiccup whispered.

Hunts-In-Deep-Waters stepped closer to him.

"Yes, Hiccup?"

"Is all that true? What Growls said about hunting humans and revenge and... all of that?"

"I believe him. Dreamcatcher said that she lost a brother. Both of that pair are very angry at humans for being monsters to them. And they have not felt the worst of humans."

"But revenge helps no one! It just makes the hate last even longer..."

"Maybe so, but it does feel good to get revenge and kill those who are a true danger. If she had not been carrying Tail-Hunter, they might have gone to get revenge on humans here and..." Hunts-In-Deep-Waters didn't finish his thought and instead silenced himself.

"And then the humans who are hurt by that will feel the same thing and will hunt you more, as you said," Hiccup explained.

Hunts-In-Deep-Waters chuffed.

"I know, and that is why I am glad that we are safe now. These ranges are cold, but they are safe from humans."

"Is that what you think of my kind: that we are monsters?" Hiccup whispered.

Hunts-In-Deep-Waters bent down and stared into his eyes. The Fury's bright yellow eyes were wide with curiosity.

"Growls spoke well that I and my mate have not been hurt my humans. I lived alone before I flew to these skies. I found her here, and we became mates last season-cycle. We do not know humans, but I think you are a good one."

Hiccup smiled back at him, remembering to do so without baring his teeth.

Hunts-In-Deep-Waters purred back to him and then calmly strode away toward the lake, likely to rest with Lightning.

His departure left Hiccup feeling slightly troubled as he watched the cubs at play.

He wasn't sure why he was so bothered other than possibly because of how content the Furies appeared to be to remain where they are. Bringing them back out of this hidden world of theirs would be dangerous for them if there was actual fighting. And there was the possibility that they might not be greeted with trust by the humans and others of Middle-earth.

The pack was living in peace away from any true dangers right now.

At least, they were surviving.

* * *

Toothless was still talking to his parents and little brother when he returned to the hot springs.

_I might as well practice. Not like I have anything better to do._

Hiccup retrieved his bow, string, and quiver of arrows.

_Alright, where to do this? Probably not in the forest. No reason to spook anyone. Actually, I probably want someone to watch me so it's not a surprise to them._

He waved over the nearest Fury he could see. It was a familiar one too.

"Windripper!"

The near-adult bounded over to him from where he had been resting.

"Hiccup! Why did you call me?"

"I wanted to let someone know that I will be practicing shooting."

Windripper barked in surprise as his tail started swaying.

"Shooting? You have fire?"

Hiccup chuckled at that and took a moment to imagine himself breathing fire. It was a very amusing image.

"Nope. I use a bow."

"A bow. What is that?"

"This."

Hiccup strung the bow, knocked it, and pointed it at a mound of dirt.

"It is a... spine-thrower?" Windripper warbled as he stepped closer and nosed at the bow.

"Basically, yeah."

"I am close to having my fire. I can shape the fire-air, but there is no spark yet!" Windripper growled and pawed at his own throat.

"Sorry, I can't help with that."

Windripper ruffled his wings.

"I will grow into having fire. You will not. That is bad. You smell like a dark wing, but you will not have fire or wings."

"Yeah, I'm a human, unfortunately..."

Windripper thought about it and then curled his tail around and flicked the fins.

"You made Toothless a new tailfin. Maybe you can make yourself wings and fire."

Hiccup considered some of the more fanciful ideas he had toyed with in the past. Giving himself fire was something he had no idea how to do. Flying, on the other hand...

_Flight with a wingsuit could be fun, but there is no way I could control the tail and fly like that at the same time. Locking the tailfin doesn't really work well. Rescue maneuvers could be very sloppy if something went wrong._

"Anyway, I wanted one of you Furies, dark wings, to be here watching me. That way you all know that I'm not trying to shoot any of you."

Windripper snorted and sat down next to him.

"Do your shooting. I want to watch how a human shoots spines."

Hiccup stared across the clearing at his target, a patch of bare ground on the dirt. He fitted an arrow, drew the bow, aimed, and took a deep breath as everything around him faded. He thought only of old hunting lessons in the woods.

Tension while holding the drawn bow.

His sightline down the arrow.

His hand trembling as he held on.

Not ready to let the arrow fly on its own.

Not ready to let go.

What was he waiting for?

A gust of chill wind briefly picked up.

He blinked, having lost track of time, and realized that he had at some point loosed the arrow after all.

The arrow was embedded in the bare patch, exactly where he had been aiming.

All was silence save for the faint breeze.

Why was his hand still trembling?

Was there a tear on his cheek?

"Was that a good shot?" Windripper warbled.

"Yeah, yeah it was."

He wiped his cheek dry and retrieved another arrow from the quiver. The tear had definitely been because of the cold, gusting wind.

* * *

Hiccup finished practicing his archery, put away his bow and arrows among the supplies, and then strolled back to Toothless and family. His warm cloak ruffled in the faint breeze as he walked, his steps crunching the frosty ground underfoot.

It was very cold this far north. Every gust brought a chill wind that whistled through the pines. However, the ground became greener and warmer as he walked and came closer to the hot springs.

_Hmm, must be around a volcano for the ground to be warm here..._

There were no Furies resting on the warm shores. In the water, however...

Toothless and Breath-Of-Sky were standing upright in the bubbling water while batting at each other with their paws and growling in play. It was an amusing fight given their difference in size: Toothless being twice as big as his brother.

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer saw him standing on the shore and then swam over to him. Sky-Dancer hauled herself out first, shook herself dry, and then bounded over to him.

"Hiccup, you should join us in the water!"

"Yeah, I'd like to, but it might not be safe for me."

"No, why not?" she warbled.

"Because it is very cold here, and I'd be wet after I get out of the water. Humans can't stay as warm as you dragons."

"Are you cold now?" she asked in concern.

"A little," he shrugged.

She immediately hopped closer to him, stood next to him, and held a wing out to block the little wind.

"Better?"

"Yes, Sky-Dancer. Thank you."

She nudged his head while purring.

"Thank you again for saving Burning-Star," she hummed.

"Well, most of him..." Far-Flight added.

Hiccup considered telling them the truth, that he had been the one who shot Toothless down, then and there, but their vicious words from before were a little too ominous.

_Maybe we can tell them the truth when we're sure they won't immediately kill me..._

"It was the best decision of my life," he whispered.

"Burning-Star told us much about you. He said that you were much like him, alone in your nest-pack," Sky-Dancer said.

Oddly, he felt none of the emptiness that the memory of being useless to his tribe normally brought. They were not his tribe anymore.

"I wasn't a fighter like them. That I was different was probably why I could accept that... Burning-Star was not a monster."

Far-Flight bobbed his head while humming.

"And we are very glad that you did. Very little is worse than a sire and dam thinking that they... lost a cub..."

Sky-Dancer hung her head and stared at her paws, so Hiccup reassured her.

"It wasn't your fault."

"I know we should think that," she whispered, "but it still hurts now. He could have died so easily."

"So don't think about the past; no one can change it anyway. Just be there for him now since that's all you can do."

"We will," she answered.

Far-Flight then stepped closer and nudged his shoulder.

"And we want to know you better also. You are the only good human we know."

Hiccup was about to answer that kind offer when Toothless and Breath-Of-Sky hauled themselves from the water and shook themselves dry, flailing their wings to fan themselves off.

Breath-Of-Sky then hopped toward him.

"Hiccup!"

"Who is that?" Hiccup grinned.

"You!"

"Oh, right, me. Been having fun with your brother?"

"Yes! I wanted a brother or sister for many winters!"

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer huffed and solemnly hummed.

_I wonder what that's about. Maybe it has something to do with why the Furies don't have many kids..._

"Well, now you have one! Hope you don't wear him out..."

Toothless rolled his eyes and knocked into Breath-Of-Sky's shoulder.

"He cannot! I am bigger and stronger!"

Breath-Of-Sky hummed while thrashing his tail.

"But I have done more playing!" he stuck out his tongue.

Hiccup laughed that such a teasing gesture was universal; he definitely had not taught the Fury that.

"Little one, the sun is going to hide from us soon. We should get ready to sleep," Sky-Dancer hummed.

"Okay, dam!"

"Burning-Star, will you rest with us tonight?" Sky-Dancer asked.

"Yes, dam! I will. We are... kin..." Toothless whispered.

"Good."

Then she spun on Hiccup while purring to him.

"You will sleep with us for warmth," she declared.

"How can I say no to that?" Hiccup chuckled.

* * *

Hiccup lay at Toothless's side under a wing while Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, and Breath-Of-Sky rested around them, covering them with their wings to help keep everyone warm. It was a beautiful, peaceful night filled with warm purring from the Furies with him and from the rest of the pack.

He almost could not accept that something so good had happened to Toothless. To them both. Toothless's parents had been alive all these years, but in a truly different world. They had been brought to Middle-earth the same as himself and Toothless and all the other Furies here.

Even the memory of being made to take another bite of raw, partially digested fish was not a bad one at all. As an act of bonding to build trust between himself and Toothless's mother, he had to do it.

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer had naturally spent more time with Toothless than with him so far, just as Toothless had been with them almost all afternoon. That was completely understandable of them.

And as he listened to their purring, he knew that he would have plenty of time to get to know them better.

Maybe even as family in a way.

The pack would be told the truth after a few more members of the pack returned from their hunts within a couple days. There was at least one person, one Light Fury in particular, he was eager to meet.

But that would wait for later.

* * *

"And everything is green there?" Tail-Hunter warbled, her head on her little paws as she stared at him.

Hiccup smiled at the cub and scratched her neck. He had been telling the cubs stories about adventures on the mainland down in the warmer reaches. The Shire had great appeal to the cubs and even the adults who were listening in.

"Yes, it is very green. The fields have many plants the small humans eat, and they also have many pigs..."

"Very tasty..." Toothless interrupted.

"You would think about that... As I was saying... pigs, sheep, chickens, even fish in the rivers..."

"Those are all prey? Good eating?" Free-Flight wondered.

"Yes," Toothless purred, "One of the best things about humans is that they grow far more food than we can find out here. They make food be instead of only finding it."

Free-Flight, Storm-Chaser, and Tail-Hunter shuffled on their little paws and flicked their ears.

"There is not always much food here," Storm-Chaser then warbled.

"It is cold when we are not in a pile!" Tail-Hunter added while pawing at Free-Flight's tail.

"The lands in the south are warmer also. I remember sitting on my back with the sun on my belly. So much sleep-wanting and warmth," Toothless chuckled.

The three cubs were taken with inspiration, rolled onto their backs, and looked up toward the sun. The sun was hidden low on the horizon and gave no warmth. They all gave sad warbles.

Hiccup could not let that disappointment remain, so he bent down next to them and started giving out belly-rubs. Toothless joined in as well when the joyful peals of laughter started echoing.

"No! Tickles!" Free-Flight thrashed.

"Feeling it yet? No remorse!" Hiccup teased as the scratching intensified.

Toothless licked at Storm-Chaser's belly until she was a breathless pile of quivering cub. Then, with her defeated, he lunged at Tail-Hunter and closed his maw around her tail. She hissed and kicked at his head to no avail.

The cubs were swiftly defeated.

Several roars then echoed over the trees as a flight returned. The cubs immediately recovered themselves and rolled to their paws.

Hiccup watched from Toothless's side as the rest of the Furies dove down into the clearing, their recent catches in their paws or maws. Several of the Furies he recognized from before, but there were some others that were new.

One of the males bounded over to the cubs, dropped a thin deer at their feet, briefly nuzzled Storm-Chaser, and then settled down to watch over the cubs.

_That must be Starlight. The cubs are really hungry and..._

Hiccup was unable to look away as the cubs started feeding, tearing through the hide with their teeth and claws and quickly disposing of large chunks of bloody flesh. They occasionally shoved at or nipped at each other with their bloody jaws.

They had been quivering piles of thrashing Night Fury cubs just moments before. Seeing this feeding and their small displays of violence were reminders that they were not tame, and that they had a wild streak in their hearts.

Toothless snorted as he looked over at them.

"I only had fish when I was a cub. There were no large land-prey that did not go to the monster."

"You never took anything from the Vikings when you were grown?"

"No... Never when they could see me," Toothless purred.

"Wait, are you saying that you did take some food?"

Toothless had a very smug grin, as though he was quite pleased with himself.

"They never saw me take food. Maybe from moon-cycle to moon-cycle, but I only..."

"There they are! Over there!" Mystery shouted.

Hiccup and Toothless stiffened and glanced to the side toward the trees. There were two white Light Furies walking from the treeline. The much smaller Fury, Mystery, they knew. The larger one they did not know.

She was an adult the same size as Toothless and with the same purple eyes as her younger sister. Her eyes were narrowed almost to slits, her ears were flattened to her head, and her white wings were slightly spread. There was an old scar that streaked down her chest.

Hiccup gulped as he realized that she already didn't like him.

_Okay, maybe a suspicious one..._

She blinked and froze midstep. Her narrowed purple eyes never left him as her growling filled the silence.

"What is this? Why is it allowed here?" she hissed.

"Hello Moonbeam!" Hiccup cheerfully began.

"It talks? The captor talks?" she barked.

"Captor? What do you mean?" he kindly asked, wanting to understand her objections to him.

She then glared at the riding equipment and ropes on Toothless's back while snarling.

"Hiccup does not keep me trapped. I am not his thrall," Toothless objected.

"You look like one. You are wearing a riding-with thing. Do you have a mouth-closing thing you wear also?"

Toothless wrinkled his nose at her and growled also. He did not like what she was saying or how hostile she was being without any provocation. It was also very disappointing that she was being so cold to Hiccup. He had hoped that she would be friendlier.

"He is my friend. I like him flying with me. And his being on my back helps me fly when I could not. He made me a new tailfin."

"What?" she growled in confusion.

"Look at his tail!" Mystery pointed with a paw.

Toothless lifted his tail for Moonbeam to be able to see the false-tailfin. She stared at it for a while and then huffed derisively.

"Did it cut off your tailfin to ground you and make you need it?"

He flashed his teeth and did not try to hide his growl of anger.

"No! Why do you hate him? He has done nothing to you!"

"It is a human. That is enough of a wrong. They are monsters."

They said nothing, settling instead for staring at each other and growling, gently pawing at the ground with their claws and teeth unsheathed.

Then Hiccup stepped between them and turned his back on Moonbeam.

"Toothless, let me talk to her, please?"

"Hiccup, what are you doing?"

"Just trust me."

Toothless blinked and reluctantly settled down. Hiccup then turned to face her as Toothless gave a cry of alarm and lunged forward.

And Hiccup stared into narrowed purple eyes just inches from his own. She had lunged at him, though she had not touched him.

A very faint snarl and parted jaws followed.

Toothless hissed something at her that he could not clearly hear.

Deep, primal fear screamed at him to run and hide and pray that she could not find him.

He took a breath of hot air and closed his eyes, telling himself one thing over and over.

She was a person just like him and Toothless. Whatever bad things had happened in the past must have tainted her opinion of humans. He could now help her with whatever was troubling her or making it hard for her to trust him.

As long as she did not kill him first.

The silence stretched out until...

"What is so twisted about you?" she warbled.

He released the breath and opened his eyes. She had stepped back and was sitting on her hindquarters. Her eyes were now wider and her ears were lifted. Her tail was not swaying though.

"I trust you dragons, you dark wings and... light wings. I know that you are not monsters," Hiccup answered.

Toothless rested his chin on Hiccup's head. He gave a soft purr of reassurance while still glaring toward Moonbeam and growling freely.

"And I know that my human friend and brother is not a monster. Have you not heard our story?"

"Some of it. I do not know how much to believe," she answered.

"Your pack Alphas told us that we should talk to you and hear your story. It was something about humans," Hiccup whispered.

A haunted look passed through Moonbeam's eyes for an instant, and then she bent down to nuzzle Mystery's forehead.

"Sister, you should go feed. There are catches for all the young."

"Okay, will you ever tell me the story?" Mystery warbled.

"When you are old enough, little one."

"The story is a mystery?"

"Yes, just like you! Go, sister."

Mystery pranced away to find an unclaimed piece of the several catches.

"And when you are strong enough..." Moonbeam whispered.

Hiccup sat back against Toothless's chest while Moonbeam still sat on her rear. He knew that this story would be painful and could reveal a part of life that he had never seen before. For all that his old tribe on Berk were accomplished dragon hunters, most of the fighting was in self-defense. Even the nest-hunts were ultimately out of self-defense, proactive self-defense.

"You want to know how bad humans are?" Moonbeam softly asked.

"Can be..." Toothless corrected her.

Hiccup put a hand on Toothless's neck.

"Toothless, let's just let her talk, okay?"

Toothless reluctantly nodded.

Moonbeam gave Hiccup a curious glance before she closed her eyes.

"I was ten and one winters, and Mystery was only one winter. She did not have flight or any words yet. We, my sire, and my dam were living in a cave-den away from humans and by the ocean. My sire and dam had left our hidden range to birth her in the above where there is more food and less fighting. We left behind the thought-voice of the Alpha of that range. Most of our kind would not do that."

She paused before continuing.

"We never hunted humans or took their prey. It happened very fast. They appeared in the cave and attacked us."

Hiccup winced, knowing what must have happened. A raid by a group of prepared hunters had killed her parents. She and Mystery had...

"Dragons attacked," she added.

"Wait, what?" "Dragons attacked?"

"They were big, red, hunter dragons with tusks on their jaws and stingers on their tails. They had mouth-closing things on their heads and human-rope-things on their backs. They were trapped-thralls. One of their tusks scratched me in the fighting."

She snarled as she stared at the saddle.

"My sire and dam fought them with fire and power-light, and they drove the hunter dragons from the den, but my sire and dam were stung. They became weak and could not fight or fly. I had no fire yet to help them in the fight. My sire told me to grab Mystery and flee the den, so I did. I was safe up in the sky when the thrall-dragons came back with a human."

"What!" "What!"

"It was a male human wearing a dark wing's hide, with white head-fur, and a... spine-throwing thing in its paws."

Hiccup was stunned speechless by that information.

_A bad dragon rider or someone like that? Was he hunting Furies? Gods, who could be that grisly? Good thing we never met him..._

"I watched that human kill my sire and dam. They could not even fight back."

Her voice was completely neutral, empty of all feeling.

"I... I'm sorry..." Hiccup whispered.

Moonbeam tilted her head slightly and stared evenly at him. Then she bared her teeth again.

"So what? What does saying those words change?"

He winced in heartfelt pain at what had happened to her. He barely knew anything of the pain to lose a parent in war, though it was nothing like losing both and seeing it happen. His own being an infant when it happened meant that he didn't remember it at all or feel the pain of his mother's death.

"I cannot change what happened. I can only work to try to make sure it never happens again."

"Will you? What do you think you can change?" she softly hissed.

"The whole world," Hiccup simply answered.

Toothless purred softly.

"I believe it. He changed the whole world, chose a different way, when he became my friend."

She blinked and huffed.

"He changed the whole world? You had to flee his nest-pack for safety, yes? They were not changed, so he did not change the whole world. Humans cannot change!" she growled.

Toothless snorted. Her thinking was very twisted by the bad that had happened to her. She could not even see what was right before her. Hiccup was proof that humans could change and learn.

"Do you not see that Hiccup changed?"

"He did not change," she barked.

"What?" Toothless warbled in confusion.

"Huh?" Hiccup wondered.

She glared at Hiccup.

"You are a small human, and you use things to help you be stronger, yes?"

"Well, yeah, I make things to help with my being smaller, but how is that relevant?"

"You must use Toothless."

Toothless instantly snarled and stepped toward her.

"Take that back! You do not know him!"

She did not retreat; rather, she snarled and stepped toward him while flashing her teeth and claws.

"I will not take it back! What are you going to do? Bite me? That is hard to do when you are toothless..."

He so wanted to lash out at her for that twisted-speaking. Instead, he stepped back and sat down between her and Hiccup. Her words had a lot of bite. Plus, striking a member of the pack would not help with his being accepted by the pack.

"I know far more humans than you do, so my words hold more wind than yours do," he groaned.

"Your captor-rider is a human. Even if he is good to you, which I doubt, he is not all humans."

"How many humans do you truly know?"

"Enough to know that I should hate them."

"But why? What good does that do to anyone?" Hiccup objected.

"It is fair. There is no need to change the world as you say. We are safe now away from humans."

"I would not be so sure about that. You are far from humans, yes, but there are other dangers," Toothless explained.

She snorted.

"What other dangers?"

"That is something we would tell the full pack eventually. You are not as safe here as you think you are," Hiccup answered.

Moonbeam glared for a while, got off her rear, and slowly walked up to him. Her purple eyes were no longer narrowed, though she did not purr either. Toothless stood next to Hiccup while softly growling in warning to her.

"Fine. I can almost believe you do not want to do us any bad. But I will be watching you."

"Please do. I will not do anything bad."

"So you say. You also look very much like the human that killed my sire and dam. It was very... small also."

"It was?" Hiccup whispered.

"Small and with white fur on its head. I will never forget that or what your kind took from me and my cub-sister."

"Do not judge them all for what one did," Toothless implored her.

"Neither should you. You seem to think they are all like your human, or that they all can change. We should always be free of them," Moonbeam calmly answered.

Without saying anything else, she wandered off to join her sister and to watch over the other young.

"Well, that was... disturbing to hear about," Hiccup muttered after she was gone.

"A dragon hunter who was hunting Night Furies and Light Furies?" Toothless growled.

"I didn't know that anyone even did that, or that he would have dragons hunting with him. Did you recognize those red dragons with stingers?"

"No. Dragons that hunt other dragons would not be allowed in the nest. Other than the Monster... anyway."

"Well, whoever that grisly hunter was, we will never see him. He'll probably think that he hunted every Night Fury and Light Fury in the world, if that is what he was doing, but he couldn't come here to Middle-earth."

"What would he want with one of us though?" Toothless wondered.

Hiccup tried to think of possible reasons, easily discounting that of capturing a Light Fury. The grisly dragon hunter had not taken prisoners, so it probably wasn't that reason.

"I do not know or want to know."

"True, neither do I," Toothless sighed.

They both stared after Moonbeam as she sat with her sister and the cubs. She occasionally broke up small fights for food and nipping contests among the cubs who, while playful, could be somewhat violent and needy regarding food.

Despite that, she looked more at peace as she watched over them while they ate.

"Bud, we should... go back to your family."

"Yes, we should. The ceremony will be tonight."

"Hope it goes well. Bud, will the pack trust and accept me?"

"Why would they not? You are just being yourself. That should be enough for them to know you."

"But what if that isn't enough? What do we do then?"

Toothless grumbled.

"I need you for flight, so the pack must keep you around if they want me to stay. If they still refuse you, then I will... I will tell them I will not stay here. Telling them that should be enough."

Hiccup frowned.

"It better be."


	29. Possibility

Possibility

* * *

Almost the entire pack was gathered together, and it looked like it would be a very cold night because of the clear skies and the exceptionally strong wind.

Hiccup rested against Toothless's side while waiting for what they both knew was going to happen. Toothless's parents were going to announce to the entire pack who Toothless truly was. After that they were going to propose that Toothless be truly accepted into the pack.

They were all anxious and excited.

Hiccup wondered how such a ceremony would go among dragons. On Berk it involved a very long trial period in which the person looking to be accepted would be at the very bottom of the entire tribe, doing the unwanted tasks like cleaning the latrines, scrubbing the cages, and rebuilding homes. It was no surprise that Berk had very few new immigrants, not even considering how cold it was or the severe pest problem.

_Hmm, so today he becomes one of the pack. Hopefully that doesn't mean anything crazy... especially if what he said can also be done. I hope so._

It was not long before Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer got to their paws and bugled softly, getting the full pack's attention.

"Pack! My mate and I must speak!" Far-Flight cried.

Flame-In-The-Night got to his paws while Snowfall lay with Free-Flight under her wing.

"Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, what would you speak of?"

Sky-Dancer purred deeply and stood on her hind legs as she spoke to the pack.

"You know of our past-story? How we were taken from the nest and lost our young cub?"

"Yes, I remember," Flame-In-The-Night sadly hummed.

"That cub is not lost now. Toothless is our lost cub! He is Burning-Star!" Far-Flight then roared.

Many heads lifted and stared toward Toothless after that pronouncement.

"He is your lost cub! You are sure?" Snowfall barked from where she lay.

"Yes, I know Burning-Star's scent! We wish him to be one of the pack now!" Sky-Dancer answered.

Flame-In-The-Night walked over to Toothless and regarded him, eventually giving him a purr of approval.

"Do you wish that, dark wing? Would you be one of the pack? Would you protect and provide for the pack?"

Toothless stretched out a wing over Hiccup and purred to the Alpha male.

"Yes, I will be one of the pack if..."

"If?" Flame-In-The-Night warbled in surprise.

"If Hiccup is also one of the pack."

Cries and yelps of surprise went through everyone who could hear.

"A human in the pack?" "Twisted!" "Can we trust him?" "What?"

Sky-Dancer roared to get everyone's attention.

"Of all humans he should have our trust! He can do things for us that we cannot do! Our cub also needs him so they can fly," she declared.

Toothless snorted softly.

"Dam, I am not a cub now..." he whispered to himself.

"My mate and I will speak for Hiccup, on our wings and soul-fires!" Far-Flight cried.

Flame-In-The-Night considered this, purred softly, and then addressed the whole pack.

"Do any of the pack object to the Hiccup human being one of the pack with us?"

Hiccup had a general sense that this was some ceremony or process the pack followed. The silence following the request for objections was probably a good thing. He was surprised that none of the Furies were speaking out against him.

_Maybe I made enough good impressions..._

He distinctly noticed a pair of purple eyes staring at him. Was Moonbeam going to speak up against him? Apparently not, because she said nothing.

Still, he felt like something about all this was unsettling. Toothless found his pack of Night Furies just as they both hoped would happen, and he was about to be accepted by the whole pack. Toothless also found his long-lost father and mother and even learned that he had a brother he had never known about. All of that was good, so what was bothering him?

Dreamcatcher stood up on her hind legs, thus drawing the pack's attention.

"I object and question the flight!"

"Speak your questions!" Flame-In-The-Night answered and then stepped back.

She stepped forward into the circle made by the assembled Furies.

"We do not know Hiccup. He feels warm to us on the outside, but it might be a trick. He might get our trust and then betray us later. I do not know how to trust humans. Someone who was close to my soul-fire... trusted a human once before."

_Was that her brother? Gods, I hope not..._

"There is enough danger with having him live with us now. Will he ask us to let another human into the pack? We are safest staying on our own."

She sat down and said no more, eventually returning to her mate's side.

Flame-In-The-Night turned to Hiccup and stared expectantly at him, which was an indication that he was to speak in his defense. Hiccup took a deep breath and then stood up, feeling all eyes fixed on him. What the rest of the pack was thinking was unknown.

_Go time!_

"I did not ask to join the pack, and I know that I'm not a dark wing. Look at me, do I look like a strong, dangerous human? I'm one human in the middle of a pack of dangerous dragons. If I did anything suspicious at all, it wouldn't be good for me. I cannot go anywhere or survive up here without Toothless, without Burning-Star. You know my story, and you should know that he is like a brother to me."

He paused in thought and to let his words sink in.

"I have no other family, no pack, left to me now. I left them all behind. I have nothing else now. I... am nothing without him and you all."

Storm-Chaser, Tail-Hunter, and Free-Flight left their parents' sides and bounded over to him.

"You are good!" "I like playing with you!" "Good human!"

He knelt down and scratched behind each of their ears.

"Thanks, little ones. How about you go back to your parents?"

They grumbled, but obeyed and dashed back to their parents.

Hiccup then stood and looked around at everyone in the pack. He thought that they looked more sympathetic now, though he might just be seeing what he wanted to see.

_I wish I knew more about their customs..._

Snowfall barked loudly.

"We have seen Hiccup living with us in peace and bonding with our cubs. I agree with Sky-Dancer and Far-Flight that we can trust him. Dreamcatcher's words have some lift; we do not truly know him yet, but we have let fellow dark wings join the pack before also after they show us their soul-fires. Any of us who see him do anything twisted will tell me and my mate. We would then speak as a pack about what to do about him."

"How can he hunt and provide?" someone shouted.

Hiccup turned in the general direction of the speaker.

"I can provide other things than food and hunting. I can tell stories and show you what humans are really like. I can help Burning-Star provide. At least having me around is different; I'm not boring!"

Everyone purred in apparent agreement or acceptance. There were a few who clearly were not happy, but they voiced no further objections.

"Hiccup, step forward," Flame-In-The-Night walked over to him.

He stepped forward and stood in full view of all the Furies.

"Would you be one of the pack? Would you protect and provide for the pack?"

It was an oath: that much was obvious. He did not know what the consequences would be for failure, and he did not want to know. He had no intentions of ever failing them, so it wouldn't matter. He had nothing but the pack's best interests at heart. It just so happened he understood what might be in the best interest of the pack far better than they themselves did.

"Yes, I will."

"Burning-Star, step forward!"

Toothless did so.

"Would you be one of the pack? Would you protect and provide for the pack?"

"I will!" Toothless firmly nodded.

"Welcome to the pack, Toothless-Burning-Star. Welcome to the pack, Hiccup."

Flame-In-The-Night then licked both of them in the face, apparently concluding the welcoming ceremony. There was no fanfare, cheering, or loud purring of approval. It was simply done and finished in front of the entire pack, most of which began to disperse afterwards.

Hiccup settled back down at Toothless's side as Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, and Breath-Of-Sky gathered around them in a warm, purring pile. All the other families did likewise where they lay, a few indistinct whispering conversations echoing on the breeze.

"What all does that mean? Being part of the pack and all?" Hiccup whispered.

Sky-Dancer gently nudged him.

"Nothing twisted. It means that you are one of this pack instead of another pack."

"Are there any others?" Hiccup eagerly asked.

"No. Well, we do not know of any other packs. There might be some we do not know about," she explained.

"I understand. What else does being part of the pack mean?"

"It means we will help protect you and feed you, and you will help protect and feed us, as much as you can. There are not many pack-rules other than what we all know in our soul-fires."

"What are those pack-rules?" Toothless asked.

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer glanced at each other and then back to them.

"Rules like no hunting other dark wings or life with soul-fires, how close kin is too close to be a good mate, having mate-pairs or not taking a mate, when to make cubs, sharing hunts so that none go without as long as they do something to help the pack, trusting the Alpha pair as leaders, those kinds of pack- and life-rules," Far-Flight explained.

"What about with the Alphas? What are they to the pack?" Toothless wondered.

There appeared to be nothing bad about how they led the pack, but he wanted to confirm that they did not have any twisted ceremonies or expectations.

"They are part of the pack also. They are leaders who can tell the pack what they would want and do as a pack, but the pack can disagree with them. Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall are a good Alpha pair. You could challenge them now as part of the pack," Sky-Dancer warily added.

Toothless snorted.

"No. They do look like good Alphas. I do not want to be a pack-leader."

Far-Flight then flicked his tail against Toothless's tail.

"One more part of being in the pack is that you can approach a female as a future mate."

Hiccup chuckled softly.

"Not something I need to think about! That's all on you, bud!"

Toothless chuffed and considered the options for himself.

"There are not many choices. Snowflame and Windripper want to be a pair. I do not know Jumps-At-Fire. Mystery is far too young, and Moonbeam... she... is..."

He fell silent at the thought of her; there was a strange feeling, a wanting that he had never felt before, in his soul-fire. She was a confident, strong female who had seen more from life than one should have. She should not have needed to raise her sister from a cub as if she were the dam. Her scar also marked her as a fighter and survivor of much loss. There was much that he admired about her and felt warmed by.

On the other paw, she would definitely have a problem trusting Hiccup. And that was not even including that she was a different type of dragon. But he was somehow sure that she was not so different that they could not become mates. Her kind smelled very similar to his own.

"She was hurt a lot in the past and might not want to trust me or any humans?" Hiccup whispered, clearly understanding the problem also.

"True," Toothless sighed.

"You might be surprised by her if you can see her soul-fire. She is very warm to cubs. I do wonder how you could catch her," Far-Flight hummed.

Toothless blinked in confusion.

"Catch her? What?"

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer glanced at each other and then warbled sadly with fallen ears.

"You do not know our ceremonies because we were not there to teach you. The first time that a pair becomes mates is when they fly a sky dance chase up beyond the clouds," Sky-Dancer explained.

Toothless chuckled deeply and turned to his dam after brief thought.

"Dam, is that a reason for your name?"

"Does my first cub truly want to know?" she slyly purred.

"Yeah, bud, how could you ask about that?" Hiccup groaned.

Toothless just snorted in Hiccup's face.

"If you must know," Far-Flight purred, "your dam is the fastest and best flier in the whole pack."

"Really?" Hiccup chuckled.

"Yes, females fly very fast, but she is fastest," Far-Flight grinned.

"I am fast too!" Breath-Of-Sky barked.

"Guess we know where you both get it from! It runs in the family!" Hiccup laughed and nudged Toothless's shoulder.

Everyone in the family laughed with warmth at that. Toothless remained awake long after everything settled down though, silently listening to the purring and eventual snoring of his family around him.

His thoughts kept flying back to what his sire and dam had said about the sky dance. The chasing sounded like a game or a test of some kind to see how deserving each of a possible pair was.

A cold wind swept through his soul-fire when the old problem became clear.

He could not fly without Hiccup.

Hiccup would need to fly with him on such a flight.

Could he ask Hiccup to do that for him? Did he want Hiccup to have to help with such an act?

Would Moonbeam or any other female even accept it, seeing how he was grounded on his own? That was very unlikely, given her past. A male who could not fly on his own could not protect and provide for her or any cubs.

A faint whispering within spoke to him with the painful truth even though he did not want to hear it. This custom the pack had was definitely a problem for him.

But at least he had a pack now.

* * *

Toothless shuffled in place as he stared at each of his fellow pack-mates around him. Starlight, Wings-Of-Ice, Growls-At-His-Shadow, and Hunts-In-Deep-Waters stood all around him while considering him.

It was slightly twisting inside to have all these fellow males so close around him. But he knew that he was the largest of the males, if only slightly. They looked a little thinner than they probably should be. A few wingbeats of reflection helped him realize the truth, which he growled softly at when he saw it.

_I am stronger than them because I am grounded. With more walking and hunting on the ground I had to get stronger... Twisted..._

"He is strong and will be good for the pack!" Starlight declared.

"I agree," Hunts-In-Deep-Waters snorted.

"Yes, he is a good fighter. I know..." Wings-Of-Ice warbled.

Growls-At-His-Shadow grumbled and lashed his tail.

"I am not convinced by him! He does not have the human-hate that he should!"

_What! Why would I want that?_

"No, Growls, I do not hate humans. Why should I?"

"Humans are bad and hunted us!"

"Humans can be bad, yes. I know that. But not all humans are bad. Some dragons are bad also."

"What?" Starlight barked.

"The thrall-dragons that hunted Moonbeam's family," he pointed out.

"Those were bad because of humans!" Growls-At-His-Shadow countered.

The other three males grumbled to themselves, so Toothless continued.

"I lived in a nest with a Monster-Alpha. That Alpha used the dragons in the nest for hunting humans, and it would eat dragons that brought no food for it."

"Yes, some Alphas are bad, but humans are not life like us. Monster-Alphas were fading from the ranges of the world while humans were spreading," Hunts-In-Deep-Waters observed.

Toothless grumbled.

"I disagree. Humans are life like us; we both have soul-fires. Humans are different in body only."

Growls-At-His-Shadow stepped forward with a soft growl.

"I think you are weak. Show me that you are strong!"

Growls-At-His-Shadow lunged, maw wide in a snap at his neck. He ducked the strike and hopped back in alarm at the suddenness of the strike.

"What is this!"

Twistingly, Starlight, Wings-Of-Ice, and Hunts-In-Deep-Waters sat on their haunches without interfering.

"This is bonding-fighting. Show him that you are strong," Starlight huffed.

_I do not need to fight to prove myself..._

Growls-At-His-Shadow jumped again, a paw held out to swipe at him, but he hopped back to avoid the strike.

"Are you so afraid of me?" Growls-At-His-Shadow huffed.

"No! I do not need to fight you."

"You do not need to fight? How about you race me in the sky to see who is faster?"

He gave Growls-At-His-Shadow an open snarl with teeth bared. That unanswerable challenge had to have been knowingly made.

"You know I cannot do that."

Growls-At-His-Shadow snorted his direction.

"Do you know what else you cannot do? Impress a female. You probably are not... big enough."

He rolled his eyes.

"I have bigger wings and a longer tail. You think that I am... not big enough? Mine is bigger than yours."

"Maybe so, but I get to use mine!" Growls-At-His-Shadow retorted.

_Stay calm..._

Growls-At-His-Shadow continued.

"Did you know that I hunted humans before flying here? They taste... like prey. It has been too long since I tasted that prey."

A flash of wrath flared in his soul-fire. Taunting, poking words flown against him and his maleness were nothing to him, but he would not allow even teasing threats to be made against Hiccup without retaliation.

A roar and lunge, a quick tussle, and he found himself with Growls-At-His-Shadow's neck between his teeth as he held him down.

While he did not want to kill a pack-mate and doing so would certainly break this fighting-ceremony's rules, he was not going to let such a cruel and hurting threat go unanswered.

He let go of the other male's neck and held him down with a paw, claws out against his throat.

"Tease me all you want, but if you make a threat against my human brother, I will hurt you so that you cannot... use it anymore... do you understand me?" he snarled.

Growls-At-His-Shadow blinked and drew a breath of alarm.

"Yes."

"Good!"

He hopped off his pack-mate and settled down as the other male got to his paws. The other three males calmly stared at him, having not moved throughout the entire disagreement and fight.

"Well fought!" "You are strong!" "Good for the pack."

Even Growls-At-His-Shadow looked impressed as he spoke. The male's ears went back as he shuffled on his paws.

"You do know that I would not hurt Hiccup? He is one of the pack, and killing another in the pack is not allowed."

He snorted and bared his teeth again.

"I would kill for Hiccup whether you were in the pack or not. You would kill to protect Tail-Hunter, true?"

"Yes, true. Is Hiccup like your cub?"

"No, he is as a brother to me."

Growls-At-His-Shadow looked away and appeared very solemn, all his anger and twistedness gone.

"While that is twisted to me, I would not want any dark wing to lose a brother. I know how bad that is."

Starlight stepped forward and spoke.

"Losing our sires and dams, as many of us have, was bad also, but losing one of the same life-order, a brother or sister, is worse."

That reminded him of something he and Hiccup had both heard: that most of the Furies in the pack were without their parents. They had not gotten a good explanation for why.

"Why did that happen to your sires and dams? Did they not fly with you to these skies?"

All the males looked down at their paws and gave soft warbles.

Wings-Of-Ice answered for them.

"Most of us had flown the den or nest and did not see our sire or dam again. Two groups of our sires and dams did make the flight with us, but they have died of age."

"How old were they, the ones who died of age?" he softly asked.

"Almost nine tens of winters," Starlight answered.

_So about as long as humans live. I suppose that is good to know._

Then he considered the other males around him. He wanted to bond more with these pack-mates, and he knew a good way to do so.

"Can you tell me about where there is good hunting? I do not know these ranges, and you are the better hunters here."

The four other males purred at his carefully chosen words. Talking to them about how good they were as hunters would definitely help them have more warmth toward him. It was also true that they knew better than he did where to hunt.

* * *

Flame-In-The-Night strode toward them around noon, which was simply the warmest part of the day.

"Hiccup, Burning-Star, can you fly with me now?"

"Sure, what's going on?" Hiccup answered, having nothing better to do with the day since both Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer were away with Breath-Of-Sky.

"Now that you are both truly part of the pack, I want to show you a place that we kept hidden. I told you both a small lie when we first spoke," Flame-In-The-Night answered.

"What?" Toothless barked in surprise.

"Yes, I told you that there are no caves, but that was not true. There are caves that the pack uses."

"Really? What for?" Hiccup asked.

"We stay warm inside them when the weather is very cold or when bad storms fly through here. We also used the deepest parts of the caves to hide... our dead."

"Oh..." Hiccup winced.

_The caves are both shelter and tombs? That's a little creepy, but practical also._

"Are there many dead?" Toothless asked in a whisper.

"No. We carried into there two pairs of our old sires and dams who passed in peace. There is also one... new cub that did not live long."

No one asked whose it had been.

"So you want us to see the caves?" Hiccup wondered.

"Yes, you should see them because you are part of the pack now. We will not go deep to where the bones are."

"Good." "Good."

They took off and flew east along the mountains until Flame-In-The-Night turned for the north and passed over the mountain range. The empty desolation further north beckoned with a chill wind that bit sharply at Hiccup's extremities despite his winter gear.

_Gods, we aren't going out there, are we?_

Fortunately not, as Flame-In-The-Night stayed close to the mountains and dove down into a large cave entrance. Toothless followed closely behind him into the massive cavern and wove between the large icicles and spikes of rock.

The cavern system must have been truly enormous from the size of the first chamber alone.

"This might be as big as Erebor!" Toothless warbled in amazement.

"Yeah, Moria of the North?" Hiccup proposed.

Toothless snorted at that as they glided behind the Alpha. The cavern became darker until he could not see anything ahead. At least, he could not see with his eyes.

"Uh, bud, it's too dark... I can't see anything," Hiccup shouted.

"No, it is not!"

"Huh?"

"Trust me and let me lead our flight," Toothless answered.

Hiccup was again reminded that Night Furies could see in the dark by using sound, strange though that was.

"Alright, all you, bud!"

The musty air started feeling warmer as they flew deeper. Flame-In-The-Night eventually dove down onto the ground and landed by a sound of bubbling in the pitch-darkness. Toothless also landed next to the Alpha. Toothless then held a small flame in his mouth to give them all some light and also for Hiccup's sake. They were standing next to a small stream that bubbled. The ground felt very hot under his paws.

Hiccup could barely see the walls of the chamber they were in. The rocky ground had no moss or lichens, which made sense given that there was no light at all underground.

"This is a good place where we sleep in warmth and can drink clean water. This cave, even if this is dark, reminds me some of another good world... but that is gone now; we cannot go back there," Flame-In-The-Night sighed.

Toothless let his fire die away so he could speak. His letting his flame fade made the cave completely dark.

"I like the warmth, but living under the ground is twisted. What would we eat?"

"True, we could not live under this ground a long time; there is no prey to eat. This place is only for warmth and shelter against the coldest cold," Flame-In-The-Night agreed.  
Hiccup sighed in the total darkness. There was so little light that even the Furies' eyes had no glow at all. It was also a little disorienting how all their spoken voices echoed many times until they faded.

"I don't know how you Furies do it, seeing in the dark. Humans can't do that. I don't think we could live underground like this."

"We would not live here even if there were light-rocks. We only come down here in the worst of the cold," Flame-In-The-Night explained.

"Makes sense. Bud, think your pendant would work down here?" Hiccup wondered.

Toothless hummed while thinking about it. He could not be sure since they had not truly tested it, but his pendant had glowed with a little light when he was within Erebor.

"Yes, it probably would."

Flame-In-The-Night purred from next to them.

"I will not take you deeper. We should let the dead and the fire sleep in peace."

"I agree. I want to see the sky again," Toothless huffed.

"Same here," Hiccup added.

The two Furies took flight and turned back for the entrance to the cavern. As before, Hiccup trusted that Toothless could lead him well through the perfect darkness.

_This is amazing. Their having sound-sight or echolocation is a neat ability._

He kept wondering about that ability since something seemed strange about it. Having sound-sight was a useful ability for hunting in the dark. But he wondered if it had any other uses also.

_It is a little odd for use in the open skies though..._

* * *

Hiccup and Toothless stood together at dawn up on the rocky mountain peak covered in snow. A wing extended behind Hiccup blocked most of the chill wind. His furs and Elf-cloak swayed in the breeze.

Their gazes never left the dark shapes resting among the trees or soaring on the wind. They were both content simply to watch the entire pack resting and gradually coming awake to start a new day.

It was their pack now. Not much felt different yet, but they had only just been accepted four days ago.

But Hiccup had gotten impatient at waiting, which was why they were up here.

"Where is your brother? He said he was going to join us this morning," Hiccup wondered.

"He flew off to relieve himself. He should be here soon."

"Alright then, well, I'm not waiting any longer! I need to practice..." Hiccup cracked his knuckles.

"Practice what?"

"My tickle attack!"

He launched himself and grabbed Toothless's neck to try to scratch at his chin. Toothless just stretched his head high out of reach, stood tall on his hind legs, and tauntingly stood there with Hiccup dangling above the ground and unable to do anything except hold on.

Then Toothless yawned widely.

"Come on! Not fair!" Hiccup exclaimed.

"Very fair! I am bigger!"

Toothless then started shaking his head from side to side, making Hiccup sway wildly and struggle to hold on.

"Oh come on, you wouldn't hurt a..."

Then they froze, hearing wings diving for them.

Breath-Of-Sky bugled joyfully as he dove from the sky. He touched down and jumped toward them with a swaying tail. He also looked very amused from how his ears were lifted.

"I am here! Is it a brothers fight?"

"Yes! Help me!" Hiccup shouted.

"No! Help me! I am your brother!" Toothless shouted.

Breath-Of-Sky bounded up to them and paused, ready to pounce. The fledgling looked between them, his eyes wide and ears lifted. Then he toothlessly grinned and pounced on Toothless's back, pulling him over onto his side.

The mountain echoed with joyful cries at the rising of a new sun.

Breath-Of-Sky played like he had limitless reserves of energy. The play had eventually become complete chaos with all three of them turning against each other at random. Hiccup knew and felt that he had gotten a few bruises from flailing tails, but the injuries were totally worth it.

The eager fledgling was eventually defeated by the combination of Toothless holding him down and Hiccup scratching under his chin to render him sleepy.

They were all exhausted by that point and decided to collapse in a pile. Toothless stretched his wings out over the other two, each on one side of him.

"Brother, do you play with Mystery much?" Toothless hummed.

"Yes! She is fun and the only fledgling my age! She likes pin fighting!"

Toothless grinned to himself without purring. His little brother was far too young to be feeling any wanting to claim a mate. Not right now. For them it was only playing and bonding that built trust. His tail still swayed slightly at the thought.

_Their playing together means that they trust each other even now before they have wanting. They could be a pair, and it is true that there are no others their age. Breath-Of-Sky maybe gets Mystery and I..._

He exhaled and stared at his false-tailfin.

Moonbeam.

His thoughts kept flying back to her. To the bad that had happened to her family. To how she protected her sister and watched over cubs for the pack. To how strong she is, how big her white wings are, how long her tail is, how purple her eyes are...

Then he snorted and settled back down, head on his paws. The cold had settled in his soul-fire.

It was not going to happen.

He did not deserve a female like her. At the very least, a mate should be able to provide and contribute equally to the pairing and to the cubs. He could not do that. He could not fly on his own to catch prey or defend against threats.

It also would not be fair to ask Hiccup to help him fly to catch her or any female either. Doing that, even if Hiccup were willing to help him, would only show that he was less than other males. He was weak and grounded, unable to fly on his own.

It was not something that mattered as long as his life-flight was only him and Hiccup or even his newfound sire, dam, and younger brother. His own needing Hiccup for flight was a part of what they were that helped them bond and gave them regular shared activity.

But now...

"You should play with Moonbeam, brother! Catch her tail! She would like that!"

"Would she? Why do you think that?"

Breath-Of-Sky huffed and flicked his tail.

"She does not have anyone who plays with her. No one her age anyway."

_That is certainly true. And it would be twisted for a paired male to play... rough games with her._

"Are there any games she likes to play?" Hiccup teased.

Breath-Of-Sky looked up and then down, warbling sadly.

"Mostly cub games with the cubs. She does not play much with others."

"No? Why not?" Hiccup wondered.

"She says that play is for cubs and that we fledglings should grow up."

Toothless snorted.

_Practical, but maybe a nosetip too serious._

"Even adults should play," he huffed.

"Yes, sire and dam play much with me and with each other!"

Breath-Of-Sky then yawned widely and settled down with his head on his paws. They all settled down to rest with him.

His sire and dam eventually flew up to the mountain where they were resting. The two adults dove and landed just downwind from them.

"Burning-Star, Breath-Of-Sky!" Sky-Dancer hummed as she hopped toward them on the rocks.

She bounded straight up to Toothless and nuzzled his nose. He was entirely content to let himself be nuzzled and to hear her warm purring. Doing that still sparked a great warmth in his soul-fire now four days after first learning who she was, and he knew that warmth would not change anytime soon.

"I'm here too!" Hiccup cried while holding up a paw.

"Good! We want to do a nest flight," Far-Flight said.

"What is that?" Hiccup wondered.

"The family-nest flies together for fun. We also want to see more of your together-flying, you and Burning-Star," Sky-Dancer answered.

Hiccup hopped out from under the wing, flew to his feet without any prompting, and worked to put the flying equipment and the false-tailfin back in place. He and Toothless had taken it all off before the playing.

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer carefully inspected the false-tailfin in renewed amazement, especially after Hiccup got on his back and demonstrated how to move the tailfin.

"That is amazing that you learned together-flying," Sky-Dancer purred.

"It is bad that you are grounded on your own, but you can still fly with him," Far-Flight agreed.

"Alright, bud, ready when you are!" Hiccup shouted.

Toothless roared with joy and jumped from the ledge with a running start. He heard the swish of wings behind him, but he did not look back. Spinning while ascending higher, tilting to the side to catch more of the updraft and face into the wind, and the sun warming them as much as it could.

Then he blinked in surprise when two sets of wings flew up on each side of him.

His sire and dam had caught up to him, somehow.

_They are very fast fliers!_

Then he barked in alarm at a tickling on the tip of his tail. Breath-Of-Sky had just brushed his tail with his nose.

He bellowed a cry of fun challenge. No words were necessary.

Especially when Breath-Of-Sky stuck out his tongue at him. Hiccup noticed and was very amused by that.

As for himself, he just tucked his limbs and flew faster in pursuit.

Looking back over his tail once he finally tagged his brother, it was probably only because Breath-Of-Sky was already tired flying into the chase that he was able to catch him. Despite being much smaller than him, his brother was somehow just as fast.

They settled into a weary glide at each other's wingtips.

Sky-Dancer arrived and started weaving around them in the air, gently brushing his wings with the tips of hers. She flew so while laughing with clear joy.

_So that is why she has that name. Not only that she enjoys... being caught in the sky._

He closed his eyes with a warm hum.

_I would be very, very warmed to fly like this with my two cubs also... if I had any..._

He opened his eyes again as Far-Flight arrived. His sire glided above him while looking down toward the tailfin. He looked very curious in how it worked because he glided closer and reached out with a paw to carefully nudge it with his ears lifted.

Hiccup noticed.

"Toothless, you thinking what I'm thinking?" Hiccup shouted.

"No! We are not doing that!" Toothless roared back over the wind.

"What about..."

"Not that either! Remember what happened last time?"

"Okay, we could try..."

Toothless nodded and purred after looking toward the ground.

"I like that one!"

He heard the click and took the instant of time to warn his sire, dam, and brother.

"Watch us!" he roared.

Then he tucked his wings and dove. Hiccup stood up from his back and pushed off into freefall.

Weightless.

Falling.

Floating.

Elation.

Admittedly, Hiccup looked very strange with his heavy fur-layer flapping in the wind. Hiccup still had enough control of his falling-flight to spin around a few times just as he did the same.

_He needs a fur-thing to cover his head in this falling-flying._

A glance back under his tail showed the other three Furies diving after him in some combination of amazement, dismay, and confusion.

He closed his eyes, letting everything else fall away as they spun and fell from the sky together in a display of great trust. While he could glide to safety from a fall, Hiccup definitely could not without wings. Hiccup totally trusted to be caught as would always happen.

He would always be there to catch Hiccup when doing so was needed.

Then he knew it was time, and he swept his wings out to slide up under Hiccup. The weight reappeared on his back along with a faint click which flicked the tailfin out.

Down along the side of the mountain's slope and then up into the open air with a shared roar of triumph as they settled into a glide.

"Yeah, baby!" Hiccup roared.

"Baby? What baby?"

"It's a figure of speech, you useless reptile!"

Hiccup went silent for a while and then started laughing heavily, so heavily that he even fouled their flight some.

"Hiccup, what is twisting your tail?"

"It's just that I've been teasing you about you being a reptile all this time, but I'm pretty sure that reptiles don't birth their babies!"

"No? What are we then?"

Hiccup settled down and thought about it, suddenly not sure himself.

"Well, the opposite of reptiles are mammals like humans, but I don't think you Furies drink milk."

"What is... milk?" Toothless warbled in confusion.

"It's a drink that... human moms can make for their... cubs, but... it's hard to explain..."

"You can tell me."

Hiccup frowned and groaned.

"Your moms definitely don't make milk for you..."

"How do you know that?"

"I'd know. Don't ask..."

Toothless snorted.

"Thank you for nothing, you useless human..."

Then there were wings all around them.

"That was amazing!" Breath-Of-Sky bellowed as he spun in place.

"You could have been grounded!" Sky-Dancer cried in alarm.

"That was brave of you, Hiccup, Burning-Star!" Far-Flight hummed.

Toothless closed his eyes and glided with his family fully present, both on his back and in the skies around him. Everything was perfect in that moment.

* * *

Toothless woke up late in the morning and dashed away into the woods to relieve himself. He fully planned to return to resting with Hiccup and Breath-Of-Sky, except he noticed that Flame-In-The-Night was speaking with another Night Fury slightly away from the rest of the pack. Something about this new Fury looked different.

Then he froze in place, realizing what it was that was surprising. This new Fury was a female he had not met yet in the week he had been with the pack.

_They said that they had one more who was flying far away... Jumps... something._

He dashed over to them.

"Alpha, who is this?" he asked in wonder.

"I am Jumps-At-Fire. Who are you?" the female stepped forward in clear surprise.

Flame-In-The-Night looked frustrated at being preempted, but he said nothing about it.

Jumps-At-Fire stared at him with very wide grey eyes with flecks of silver. While she was a little smaller than Moonbeam or his own dam, she was definitely an adult.

She was also excited about meeting him from how her tail swayed and ears were lifted high.

"I am Burning-Star. I am new to the pack."

"So you are. It has been several turns of the seasons since the last new dark wing flew to us," she answered.

"Where were you these last few days?" he wondered.

"I was ranging far from here. I do that much and fly from the pack for moon-cycles at a time."

Flame-In-The-Night stepped forward and huffed to get their attention. His eyes were very slightly narrowed.

"Jumps, you are welcome back here with the pack as always. Remember what I said..."

"Are you sure, Flame? There is no harm in it."

Flame-In-The-Night did not react except for a very faint twitch of an ear. Toothless only noticed it because he was looking right at the Alpha.

"You are wrong about that," Flame-In-The-Night calmly answered.

"That is your opinion," she answered.

"I will say no more about this," he declared and turned tail on her.

They watched as the Alpha departed.

Jumps-At-Fire then stepped over to him and purred deeply in a warm greeting.

"Alright, he is gone now. So, Burning-Star, tell me about yourself. We can talk as we walk to warm rocks."

"I would like that," he agreed.

They began walking together through the forest with the hot springs and warm rocks as their destination. Her purring was encouraging.

"What to say about myself? The first thing you should know is that I have a human who is my kin; he is a brother to me."

She barked in surprise and then shuffled closer to him, even rubbing directly against his side to sniff him. He thought that was twisted, except that it was definitely practical. He also liked the attention.

"That is what I smelled and what Flame told me about! I thought you might have caught a human and eaten it," she snorted.

He wrinkled his nose, but he did not growl at her. It did not sound like she meant what she had said. It might have been a joke or a tease.

"No! Humans are not prey."

"No, they are not. Your human is living here with the pack now, yes?"

"Yes, he is. His name is Hiccup. He is a small human, but his soul-fire is very warm to us dark wings, to all dragons actually."

She blinked and stared at him, slowly blinking her grey eyes flecked with silver.

"That sounds good of him. I should meet him soon."

_She does not dislike Hiccup? That is very good!_

"There is something else you should know about him. I need him to help me fly."

That definitely surprised her because she stepped back and ruffled her wings.

"What?"

He whipped around his tail, clearly lacking a tailfin without the false-tailfin on him, for her to see.

"Yes, I am grounded without him. He helps me fly with a new false-tailfin that he makes work. I do not have it on me now."

He still winced as she stared down at his broken tail. This was always going to be an issue and something that might stop him from ever impressing a female. If Moonbeam was any indication...

"That is not a problem. You are a very interesting dark wing, Burning-Star."

He purred in approval and surprise.

"And you are also, Jumps-At-Fire. Does your name mean something about you?"

She huffed.

"The pack named me that many winters ago, and I liked the name. They named me that because I am... brave and not afraid to do what I want."

"That is good. You should not have fear of what others think. Unless the others are your kin, your family. Then their words and thoughts have weight."

Her ears fell slightly at that mention of kin and family.

"Is there bad in your past?" he softly asked as they arrived at the warm rocks.

There were no other Night Furies in sight, partly because it was still early but also because this was a more remote shore.

He lay down first with his tail lapping in the water.

Much to his amazement, she lay down at his side without any hesitation.

"I have no kin of my own. I was the only cub my dam had," she explained.

"How many winters do you have?"

"Two tens and six. You?"

"Ten and seven, I think."

She huffed.

"You are truly grown and mature. I know that, Burning-Star."

There was almost no need to ask, but he wanted to make sure of one important detail. It was hard to keep his thoughts flying straight, given how she was laying right next to him.

"You have... no mate or cubs?" he asked.

"No. None."

"Neither do I."

"Good. You are free like me."

Then she purred softly while looking at him and laying her head on her paws.

This was all very welcome news. Not only was she not opposed to Hiccup, but she had no mate of her own. She also had no objection to openly showing some interest in him, which is more than he imagined he could ever receive. And she did not care about his being grounded on his own.

"Were you off hunting far from the pack?" he asked.

She faintly growled at that, which he found very strange.

"Yes, I find living much with the pack to be... frustrating. They have rules that I do not like and that are like traps. I fly much on my own and search for other dark wings who are not like these ones who do not understand me. Doing that has me alone much," she sadly warbled.

What she was saying was very understandable since he was also frustrated at the pack's customs and what those meant for him.

"I feel that also because I was alone until I flew to this pack."

"You were alone?"

"Yes, I had never seen another dark wing before. But there is some good now. I found my sire and dam again here in the pack!"

"You did? Which ones?"

"Sky-Dancer and Far-Flight," he purred.

"Yes, they were a pair before they flew to the pack. That is good that you found them."

He then told her some of the details about the old nest with the Monster, what he had done on the raids, how he got to know Hiccup, and a little of what happened to him and Hiccup since they left that world. She looked very curious to hear everything he had to tell her.

As enjoyable and warming as it was to sit here with her and talk, there was something else he wanted to do also. Hiccup was sure to be awake by now, and she needed to meet him.

He hopped to his paws and chuffed happily.

"Jumps-At-Fire, you should come meet my human brother now. He would like to meet you also."

She blinked, apparently in thought, and then she gave a grunt of agreement as she too hopped to her paws.

"Lead me to him, Burning-Star. I want to meet him before I rest. I flew into much wind to come back here, but it was worth the flight."

She purred softly to him and then fell in at his side as he led her back to his kin. This was going very well since she was definitely not afraid of Hiccup and seemed to have no fear of humans or objection to his own condition.

It was a very good start.

* * *

Hiccup stared deeply into deep green eyes that didn't blink. They had been staring at each other for perhaps five minutes now, and he was determined to win this contest.

The chill wind gusted, but he did not react. His heavy coat that he always wore was very warm and blocked most of the wind, as usual.

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer had asked him to watch Breath-Of-Sky while they spoke about something in secret. It was also a very good opportunity to spend time with the young Fury who was almost like a little brother.

But not literally little.

"Give up yet?"

"Never! I will win!" Breath-Of-Sky bellowed.

"Really? What is that!" he pointed over Breath-Of-Sky's shoulder.

The fledgling did not flinch or blink.

_Great... that didn't work..._

It was very hard to not blink. His eyes were becoming scratchy and very dry. The wind didn't help either.

Then he saw a sight that forced him to look away in surprise. Toothless and another Night Fury had emerged from the thick pines.

He blinked in surprise when he realized that the new Fury was definitely a female whom he didn't know. She had grey eyes and...

"I win!" Breath-Of-Sky barked in triumph.

"Ugh, yeah, you win. Good job! Who is that new dark wing?"

Breath-Of-Sky spun in place and looked toward the two approaching Furies.

"She is Jumps-At-Fire. She flies away from the pack much."

Hiccup couldn't help but notice that Toothless and Jumps-At-Fire were walking very close together. That had to mean something, and it was clear what it probably was.

_Maybe she will be friendlier than Moonbeam was._

Toothless definitely looked very eager about this meeting. She looked interested, but also tired as she sat down before him.

"Hello Jumps-At-Fire, I am Hiccup."

"Yes, Burning-Star told me about you," she answered.

"Good things, I hope."

"He said that you are as a brother to him and that you fly together. Flame-In-The-Night told me earlier that you are one of the pack now."

"I am. I promised that I will protect the pack and do what is best for all of you."

Breath-Of-Sky butted in by sticking his head under Hiccup's hand for a scratching.

"Hiccup is our kin!"

"I see that," she hummed.

Then she yawned widely, flashing her teeth and shaking her head.

"I am too tired to do anything now. Hiccup, I can hear more from you another day. I should sleep now."

"I understand. Was it a long flight to here from wherever you were?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes, it was a long flight. I found good prey to hunt, but not what I was truly looking for. Burning-Star, I will come find you later to talk more."

Toothless purred in eager agreement.

"I will be here."

Jumps-At-Fire then turned away from them, jumped into the sky, and flew out of sight over the treetops.

Toothless eventually blinked, realizing that she had long since flown off, and looked over at Hiccup.

Hiccup was staring right back at him with a single eyebrow lifted.

"What?" Toothless barked.

Hiccup didn't bother hiding his amusement.

"Nothing, bud. She seems to like you," he teased.

"You think so?"

"Pretty sure about it."

Toothless stared off in the direction she had flown.

"She does not hate humans," he observed.

"Well, that is a good sign," Hiccup agreed.

"Yes, it is."

* * *

_**Author's Note – There was a hint within this chapter. One tiny, passing reference to something that we might understand, but which our duo would not know of.**_


	30. Eagerness

_**Author's Note – This chapter has some situational sensuality. There will not be anything in this story that crosses into M levels of detail for romance material.**_

* * *

Eagerness

* * *

Toothless spent much of the day lost in his thoughts even while playing with Hiccup and Breath-Of-Sky. It was very hard to think about anything at all other than the kind attention that Jumps-At-Fire had shown him early in the morning.

"Hey, are you listening?"

She had told him that she had no mate, showed him some affection of a kind he had never felt before, and displayed no fear toward or disliking of Hiccup. Neither did she seem very bothered by his being grounded. That was all very good and meant that there was hope for him and her.

He wanted that goodness in his life. He wanted to chase her, get to know her better, and maybe they could...

Hiccup twisted one of his ears, which made him bark and leap back in surprise.

"Hiccup! Why did you do that?"

"Because you were not listening to anything I was saying..."

"Sorry, I was thinking..."

Hiccup crossed his arms on his chest while grinning.

"You were thinking? Who are you and what have you done with Toothless? He wouldn't do that..."

"Hiccup..."

"Let me guess. Is this about Jumps-At-Fire?"

"Yes," he purred.

Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"Well, I'll admit that she's definitely friendlier than Moonbeam."

"I know. I want to get to know Jumps better."

"Just how much better?" Hiccup asked.

Toothless favored Hiccup with a withering glare.

"You try never before seeing a friendly female of your kind..."

Oddly, Hiccup then smiled back at him with a cheeky grin.

"Yeah, about that, I kinda know what that's like. I never got a date back on Berk."

"A date? What is that?"

"It means... a ceremony to get to know if she could be a... good mate..."

Toothless hummed in thought, eventually deciding he liked that ceremony.

"Hmm, I would like to date Jumps-At-Fire. But about you... I think Astrid liked you."

Hiccup clutched his sides and roared with laughter until he recovered himself.

"Astrid liked me? Well, she liked looking down on me like I was something nasty to be scraped off the bottom of a boot. Punching me and dropping her ax on me were some of her favorite things to do. Really felt the affection there... definitely a healthy relationship from the start."

Hiccup sighed and cast his eyes down to the ground in sadness or resignation. That made Toothless feel a chill for Hiccup also. He also knew that his human brother was different from most human males, mostly that he was smaller in body, far sharper in thinking, and kinder. It was also true that a possible mate who would be so dismissive and hurting was not a good possible mate. Some biting and teasing could be soul-fire warming as mate-bonding play, but that was not what he had seen between Hiccup and Astrid.

_I wonder if there is a female who can respect him for who he is and does not care that he is not a big fighter. I hope so for his life to be warmer._

"We will find someone good for you, brother."

Hiccup shrugged.

"Yeah, maybe. That won't happen any time soon. I don't think there are many available non-dragon ladies anywhere around here though."

Toothless knew that was definitely true and reminded him of their true reason for flying up here. The rest of Middle-earth was not a topic that they had spoken about in a long time now, there being more important things to do, such as get to know the pack and bond closer to his own blood-kin family. Doing that was necessary to help the pack come to truly trust him and Hiccup.

_There is time to think and talk about bringing the pack into the rest of the world later._

Then Toothless turned back to stare at the woods, wondering where Jumps-At-Fire had flown off to go rest.

_She said that she would fly back to me some time after she rested. I hope that is not too long._

* * *

Hiccup and Toothless rested with Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer over by the warm pools late in the afternoon. It was, for obvious practical reasons, a place where most of the pack liked to rest during the day and even sometimes at night. It was also the same place where they had met Toothless's parents for the first time, and that meant that it would forever be a special place to all of them.

Breath-Of-Sky was away on a practice hunt with the other fledglings and a few adults.

Both of Toothless's parents were eager to hear even more about Berk, human life, and Toothless's adventures, both with Hiccup and on his own before Hiccup.

"Why does your past pack have such twisted naming-ceremonies?" Sky-Dancer warbled to Hiccup.

He had just gotten through explaining what his name meant.

"I doubt that anyone thinks about that. They don't do much thinking anyway, preferring action. Anyway, it's a custom that everyone follows because life has always been that way for them."

Far-Flight grunted in confusion.

"But why the twisted names? Names should talk about what a dragon, or a human, has done in life. They should be something that one can hold their head and wings high with warmth for."

Hiccup sighed.

"I understand. Some human names are like that. Humans sometimes add more to the end of their name: something like the Fierce, the Busty, the Bold... the Vast... to help make themselves sound more impressive."

"What is yours?" Sky-Dancer asked.

"Don't have one. I'm just plain Hiccup."

"You should add more to your name and make your name stronger," she said.

"I guess I could eventually. Any suggestions?"

"Helpful?" Sky-Dancer proposed.

"Hapless?" Toothless grinned.

"Really, bro?" Hiccup groaned.

They all shared a laugh.

"Brave," Far-Flight declared.

"Hiccup the Brave. Yeah, right. No one back on Berk would have ever believed that one," Hiccup sighed.

"What they think does not have lift to you now," Far-Flight growled very faintly.

"Yes, why do you care about what they think?" Sky-Dancer huffed.

"True, I... I'm not one of them anymore."  
Toothless gently nudged his shoulder.

"Were you ever one of them?"

Hiccup stared off at the distant clouds and didn't say anything for a long time.

"Probably not. I wanted to be like one of them for a long time, but I'm not one of them. You're right, I never was."

"No, you are not," Toothless huffed.

Hiccup glanced back at them, a thought suddenly on his mind. So much of Viking culture, back on Berk at least, was defined by conflict with dragons. That was simply not the case with the humans of Middle-earth.

"But, now that I think about it, neither are all the other humans here in this world. They do not know you dark wings as being monsters."

"True, peace is possible here," Toothless agreed.

"Peace? What are you talking about?" Far-Flight wondered.

"We think it is possible for humans and dragons to live in peace if people just try," Hiccup explained.

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer definitely looked worried about that.

"We do not know any good humans other than you," Sky-Dancer said.

"Do you know any humans other than him?" Toothless asked.

"No," they both admitted.

"Maybe that will change eventually," Hiccup mused.

"You have changed my mind very much about humans," Sky-Dancer offered.

"And mine also," Far-Flight agreed.

Hiccup laughed to himself.

"Alright! Two down, just the rest of the pack to go."

"Burning-Star, you said that you flew some flights far from the Monster's nest but not in fighting or hunting," Far-Flight asked.

"Yes, I was not totally controlled by the Monster like the other dragons were. I ranged far from that nest because I wanted to find other dark wings like me."

"And you never did," Hiccup sighed, already knowing the answer.

"No, I did not."

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer stared down at their paws while whining softly.

"Sire, dam, I told you that it was not your fault."

"We still hurt inside that we were not there to raise you," Sky-Dancer whispered.

Toothless stepped over to her side and nuzzled her nose to reassure her.

"Do not hurt, dam. You are here now."  
She purred very softly at that.

"Bud, maybe you should keep going with the story," Hiccup proposed after the two Furies had their moment.

"Yes, I should. While I never found any other dark wings, I did find some warming places. I saw where the other dragons go to drop and sit their eggs. It is an island with pools of warm water like these here."

Hiccup was amazed to hear that there was one place in particular where dragons went to lay eggs. But that was also one more reminder of something amazing and confusing that he had only learned after reaching the pack.

"Do any of you know why you dark wings have cubs instead of eggs like the other dragons?"

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer both ruffled their wings in a shrug, clearly not knowing the answer.

"I guess you wouldn't know since having cubs is normal to you. Silly question, sorry. Burning-Star, what were some of the other places you flew to?" Hiccup asked.

Toothless's ears swept back for a moment as he sat back on his rear.

"I found a nest of lightning-wings. They did not like me for some reason. I also had to fight a spinning-teeth-rock-digger."

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer hissed softly at that.

"The other strange place I found was a nest of ice."

"An ice nest? What?" Hiccup wondered.

Toothless nodded.

"Yes, it was a nest made of ice. I did not fly into the nest because I could hear and feel something like a Monster dragon in it. Sire, dam, do you know of it?"

"Maybe," Far-Flight grumbled.

"What do you know?"

"There are very big Alpha dragons with tusks and ice-breath. They are like great Alphas who guard and protect large packs. They can use their ice-breath to build nests where dragons can be safe from humans. They can also control dragons by using their eyes, like the Monster you know of but stronger than it."

Hiccup nudged Toothless's shoulder.

"Good thing you didn't fly in there, huh, bud?"

"Yes, it is. I do not want to think what would have happened if I had. I might have been lost to it and... never met you," Toothless answered and ruffled his hair.

While it was terrible to think about Toothless being enthralled or controlled by another dragon, the thought did make Hiccup wonder about the story.

_He said that he was not controlled, but he stayed in that dragon island place._

"Why did you always fly back to the Monster's nest? You didn't have to since you weren't controlled by it, right?"

Toothless sighed and looked away from them.

"The dragons in that nest were my pack. We were all on the same side: fighting against the humans and fearing the Monster. I had to go back to protect the dragons as much as I could."

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer lifted their heads and purred in approval.

"That is brave of you, Burning-Star," Far-Flight growled.

"Yes, we are very proud of you," Sky-Dancer hummed.

Hiccup fully appreciated Toothless's reasons for doing what he had done, even given what that had meant for Berk.

"There he is!" a new voice cried out.

They all glanced toward the trees as a grey and silver-eyed Fury bounded toward them. It was Jumps-At-Fire.

"Jumps! How was your rest?" Toothless purred to her as she settled down before him.

"It was good to rest in this range nearer my kin instead of on my own. Sky-Dancer, Far-Flight, it is good to see you... both again."

They stared at her and eventually purred in welcome.

"How was your ranging, Jumps?" Sky-Dancer asked.

"I did not find any others, but there was some good hunting far toward the new suns."

"That is good. Those waters have much prey," Sky-Dancer agreed.

"Have you met Hiccup?" Far-Flight asked.

"I have. He is a good human," Jumps-At-Fire answered.

Then she hummed softly at Toothless.

"Burning-Star, are you busy right now?" Jumps-At-Fire asked.

"We were talking about many things. Do you want to join us?" he answered.

She blinked and stepped back a couple paces.

"I wanted to... talk to you."

"Come talk then."

"On our own, you and me. I can show you more of this range," she added.

He would have to leave his sire, dam, and Hiccup to go speak with her alone. It was not exactly what he wanted to do, but it would probably be respectful to go along with what she asked. Plus, he was curious what she wanted to talk about, spending time with her would let them bond more, and he had already had a full day with his closest kin.

"Okay, we can talk," he hopped to his paws.

"And," Hiccup coughed, "I'll stay here with your parents. Good to see you again, Jumps!"

"You also, Hiccup," she purred to him.

She then nudged Toothless's shoulder with her nose, and then she started off into the forest with Toothless at her side.

* * *

Hiccup watched as Toothless wandered off with Jumps-At-Fire through the pines. The two Furies were already speaking together as they walked off.

Then they were gone from view.

On the one hand, he was happy that Toothless wanted to spend some time with a female who might become something more than a friend. On the other hand, that attention meant that Toothless was spending time with someone else.

What would happen if Toothless got together with a female as a mate? He wasn't sure he wanted to think about that until it became more likely to happen. It would be a big change in their relationship, that much was for sure. Hopefully it wouldn't mean anything would change for the worse.

Sky-Dancer and Far-Flight snorted and grumbled.

"What's wrong?"

They turned to him with slightly narrowed eyes. It was a look that was not normal for them.

"We do not want to say anything twisted about... a packmate," Far-Flight answered.

"But she has problems," Sky-Dancer added while rubbing against Far-Flight's neck.

_Who doesn't?_

"What kind of problems?"

"Trust problems. Those problems are why she flies away from the pack much," Sky-Dancer explained.

_That doesn't sound like her at all. She doesn't dislike me or Toothless._

"She might have changed some since last time that there was an incident, but I doubt it," Far-Flight then said.

"What kind of incident?"

Far-Flight grumbled without answering, and it was obvious that neither he nor Sky-Dancer were going to speak about this.

"I wonder if I should... no... he is an adult and can make his own choices..." Far-Flight grumbled.

Sky-Dancer looked away and shuffled on her paws.

They were both being far too dramatic about something.

_Oh well, every community has someone who causes some drama, and not everyone will like everyone else. That's just how people are. Toothless knows what he is doing._

Hiccup went over to lean against Sky-Dancer's side since he didn't plan on going anywhere else for now. She gladly covered him with a wing to help block the little wind.

"Any idea when Breath-Of-Sky will get back from his hunt?"

He remembered that Breath-Of-Sky, Mystery, and Windripper had gone on a practice hunt with Flame-In-The-Night and several other adults.

"Probably after sunfall," Sky-Dancer answered.

"Until then, can you tell us more stories about you and Burning-Star?" Far-Flight eagerly asked as he sat down next to him.

Their eagerness to learn as much as possible about him and Toothless was very heartwarming. It was obvious to him that they were very devoted and loving parents, which was already evident from how well Breath-Of-Sky had turned out so far.

"More stories? Absolutely! There was one time we had to sneak into my old human nest; I had gotten stuck to the saddle after an accident."

"An accident?" Sky-Dancer gasped.

"Neither of us were hurt. We tumbled because of the wind when I was trying to learn to use the tailfin. So there we were, stuck together and sneaking through my nest in the dark..."

* * *

Jumps-At-Fire asked him many questions, mostly about his kin and about Hiccup. She wanted to know why Hiccup was a friendly human who did not hate dragons. That interest of hers was very good and showed that she definitely cared to learn more about one of the most important parts of his life.

It was such a contrast to the cold hostility that he had received from another whom he had been hopeful he might come to know better.

_She is much warmer than Moonbeam._

His suspicion was only confirmed when Jumps-At-Fire stepped before him after they had walked well down the range away from where all the other Furies were resting. She freely let her tail brush his forelegs as she walked. It was good that she was not afraid to show some affection and interest.

He liked that interest.

"Where are we going?"

"Do you truly care?" she purred.

"Not truly. I like talking to you."

"Talking is good, yes. Is it only talking you want to do?"

"No. I like playing also. It is fun to play with my brothers, but they are both much smaller than me."

She looked up, deep in thought.

"Playing? That would be fun. None of the dark wings in the pack want to play with me."

"Why not?" he grumbled.

"They do not understand me or want to let me live as I wish. They... almost push me out of the pack without openly saying that. I feel so alone very much," she whined softly, head hung and tail stilled.

He was moved to pity for her. He also felt some frustration with the pack's apparent rejection of her.

So he stepped up to her side and nuzzled her neck while purring deeply to her. She smelled so alone, so inviting, so warm. She also definitely wanted that attention because she leaned into his nuzzling.

"Catch me!" she then barked and bounded away from him.

He stood frozen in place as she leaped away. Her lithe shape bounded between the trees and around boulders. Then he started after her, running in pursuit as she teasingly waved her tail at him. Through the pines and around rocks covered in moss they ran. Jumping over small streams and downed trees. The chase filled his blood and soul-fire with warmth.

He chased after her until they ran out into a clearing by the base of the mountains. They were so far away from the rest of the pack that he was sure he could not see the place where the pack lived; that place was hidden around a corner in the mountains. The afternoon sun was falling overhead, and warm on his back, but it was not as warm as his soul-fire; he had never chased after a female in play before.

Then she scrambled to a stop, spun around, and leaped at him. They tumbled on the ground, rolled onto their sides, and collapsed in place.

They were very breathless from the running and rough play.

"That was fun!" he barked.

"Yes, very. I hope you are not too tired," she chuckled.

"No, why would I be too tired?"

She hopped to her paws and faced him, glaring slightly in a challenge as her tail swished behind her.

"Because I do not know how strong you are."

That sounded like a challenge, so he snorted and preened, flaring his wings wide.

"I flew attack flights with a flock of other dragons, and I have flamed many enemies! I am strong and dangerous!"

"Yes, you are strong. You are a little bigger than the other males in the pack," she agreed.

He knew it was true. He was definitely better-fed than almost everyone else in the pack, and he was barely larger than most of the other males. His being grounded had made him stronger on the ground than the other dragons who were not so limited.

"You never knew dark wings before now?" she asked.

"No. I had no kin back then."

Understanding flashed in her eyes.

"I understand that. You have never been with a female before?"

Her eyes were narrowed, and she smelled so like fire. He knew that he wanted her. She was definitely very interested in him.

But there was the problem that he could not fly the sky chase that was the normal ceremony. On the other paw, she probably did not approve of that ceremony anyway. She was very like him, being alone and not liking certain ceremonies that were assumed normal.

"No, I cannot fly on my own..."

She snorted and strode toward him, gently brushing her wingtips against his side. He could not help but growl with warmth at her touch. Her scent was an overpowering fire and also very much alone. No other pack female he had scented had smelled like this or had such strength to wiggle into his thinking and burn away everything else.

She strode entirely around him, stood at his shoulder, stroked his tail with her own, and whispered.

"I do not care about that."

"No?" he breathlessly gasped.

"There is no need."

Her grey and silver eyes narrowed on him in challenge as she stared, teasingly tilted her head, and gave a beckoning purr.

The trees, the sun, the sky, and the wind were not anymore. He knew nothing except for her invitation, her teasing challenge such as he had never seen or felt before.

No female had ever offered herself to him. He did not know the joy of being in a true embrace and being one as mates. He had only met her this morning, knew very little of who she truly was, and now she was inviting him. She might be the only female who would ever offer this to him.

There was a whispering voice deep inside his soul-fire. Could he make her happy and satisfy her as a mate must be able? He had to prove himself to her or to himself; it was unclear which and did not matter anyway. She wanted this, he wanted this, and that was all they needed. Was it?

He had to give in to the natural, good want.

She could be part of his treasure also.

He should claim her as his mate.

He did not want to be alone.

Action was all that remained.

* * *

He rested beside her, feeling the eagerness and burning fire fade until only a warm ember remained of what had been. She had accepted him, which was something he had long thought could never happen.

But now that the eagerness had faded and as he fondly stared over at her, he felt a very faint confusion. While being one with her had been very warming, affirming, and good in a way he had never known before, he did not know what was going to happen next. This had been his first time, and these were strange skies he was flying into.

Is this what all the pairs, or at least the males, felt when they were together? Was there only confusion after the first time? What about her? What did she feel in her soul-fire?

"Jumps..." he hummed.

She lifted her head slightly and glanced over at him.

"Burning-Star, I knew that you were strong," she hummed.

"Yes, I am. You are also."

She chuffed and softly snorted.

"You are heavy."

"I am a big, strong male," he huffed.

"I know you are. Great skies, I needed that," she sighed.

"So did I. You are my first," he purred at her approval.

"You did well for a first time."

She got to her paws. She then stepped forward and stretched everything, flicking her tail and pawing at the ground. He purred with warmth as he watched her stretch.

Then he hopped up next to her, lifted a wing, and gestured to his side in invitation to rest and bonding. It felt like what he should do for her now.

"You can rest with me," he hummed.

"Thank you, Burning-Star, but I will go drink and then go to sleep. I am very tired after the playing and being with you."

"Good, I want to rest with you," he huffed.

"If you want to," she eventually answered.

"I do. I will walk with you."

He followed her on paw through the trees and along the mountains. All along the way he walked at her side, humming to her and staying close. Everything about her was beautiful and tempting.

"That was very warming, Jumps."

"Yes, Burning-Star, it was. We both needed to do that," she sighed and flicked her tail against his legs.

"I agree."

They finally arrived at a small stream with clear water, and she bent down to lap at the stream. He did the same and then lay a wing over her back.

"What is this?" she asked in obvious surprise.

"Do you not want bonding now?" he chuckled.

"Bonding, I suppose so," she warbled after a brief pause.

She finished drinking, followed him away onto the sand, and lay down at his side as he covered her with a wing and lay his tail over hers. She lay her head on her paws and closed her eyes.

He stared long at her while wondering about the future and about why he felt a little twisted about this. Her reaction was not entirely what he thought a female would have to her new mate wanting to be there with her. But he also had no prior experience in this part of life.

_Did I do something wrong? I hope not._

He lay down at her side and closed his eyes. He could hear nothing except the beautiful sound of her purring.

* * *

Motion woke him up sometime later. Everything was covered in an orange glow from the evening sun.

He opened his eyes as Jumps-At-Fire stepped away from his side to stretch. She saw him staring at her as she was fanning her wings.

"Jumps, what is happening?"

"That was good rest, but I want to fly now."

That was frustrating since he could not join her flight in the sky. It also felt strange again that she did not want to stay at his side now.

"Is it not good for a new pair to bond after they mate?"

"Yes, I suppose it would be. But there is no need for us."

He softly warbled in confusion as he hopped to his paws.

"Jumps, I do not understand. What is twisted? Is there something about this ceremony that I do not know?"

She also looked confused from how her tail twitched. Then she rolled her eyes and chuckled to herself.

"I understand now. Burning-Star, we are not a mated pair."

He blinked and froze, certain that he had misheard or not understood. What she said had no lift at all after what they had just done.

"What?"

"We were together, and you did everything very well."

"I... do not understand. You... what is happening?"

She gave a huff of frustration and lashed the ground with her tail.

"Do you know how long it had been since I had a male be with me? Winters! After so long alone, I almost thought I would never have a male again and never be wanted. You had never mated before, and I gave you that. We both gave the other what we wanted. That is all."

He stepped back in shock. Her words echoed in his thoughts and poured a cold wind into his soul-fire. Something was very, very twisted and wrong about this.

"But... no! It is not only mating that I want! I want a life-mate and cubs!"

She shivered and hissed at that.

"A life-mate? Those are false-lies. Each pretends that they want their mate to be happy, but the truth is that they only use each other. Being in a pair makes each less free. All should be free to join with whoever they want. And cubs are a way of males trapping females in a pair."

He stepped back from her in total disbelief that she could think so wrong and twisted about so much.

"How can you think that? That is very twisted."

"Is it?" she hissed, "Having a cub forces the female to stay with it, tend to it, and rely on the male to provide. That is a trap that makes her weak! I will always be free of that trap."

He turned aside from her and started pacing. Everything had gone wrong so fast.

How did he not see this earlier? How had he missed that she had twisted thinking? At the very least, he had to understand why she thought as she did.

"Jumps, what happened to you to make you think that? Yes, the female needs the male to provide when she cannot, but that is not bad. If anything, that is a trap for the male also because he must work for her and the cub. Both need each other and trust each other."

"What happened to me? My... sire," she unsheathed her claws and tore at the ground, "left my dam to raise me alone! He left her for a younger mate! That taught me that males are false and cannot be trusted in bonding or mating."

He almost felt a flash of pity for her, except that there was falseness and twistedness in her words.

"But you did that with me!"

She sighed and sounded very weary.

"No, Burning-Star. I used you just as you used me. We both had needs. There is nothing more between us."

While terrible to hear, her words had a spark of truth in them. He could remember clearly the overwhelming neediness and the urge to act and claim her. The wanting had been so strong that he could not think of objections or realize that he was too eager and did not truly know her. All that had mattered was assuring himself that he could be wanted. He had let nature take over and lead him to action.

He gulped in fear at something new he had just thought of.

"What if there is a cub?"

She answered without hesitation.

"Do not fear that. I will not get a cub from this because I cannot make a cub right now. I know my cub-making times."

He looked away from her, feeling a twisted relief that there would not be a cub with her. Having one with such a thought-twisted female would have been bad. He also winced at the reminder, now clear since his head and thinking were his own again, that he had not been thinking about cubs before joining with her.

The eagerness had only been about his own wanting reassurance that a female could want and accept him. There had also been a hint of a need to claim her as part of his hoard, as a thing that would be his. There could not be more, no true care for her, because he had not truly known her before they started.

His own motivations were not very different from hers.

_What have I done?_

"It is... good that there is no... cub from this..." he grumbled without looking back at her.

"Yes," she grunted in agreement, "do we understand each other now?"

He turned to face her.

"Yes, I understand now. Were you always pretending?"

"Pretending what?"

"Your being friendly to Hiccup. Was that only a trick to make me trust you?" he wearily asked.

She blinked and hummed softly.

"Not truly. A good human is interesting also, but I did want you to trust me and give me this. It was good for both of us."

He growled at that, and then she stepped up closer to him while purring softly.

"Burning-Star, you are too angry. You sound like you wanted something that I cannot give you."

It was true, and he knew it. If only he had known that beforepaw.

"And it is my fault for not knowing what you wanted first," he grumbled.

"Maybe, but I could have been more honest also. I was not trying to trick you into thinking that I wanted what I did not want."

_At least she is honest about that. She never said anything about wanting a life-mate..._

Then she stepped away from him while flaring her wings, preparing to leave. She did not take flight though. Instead, she hesitated, folded her wings away, and stared at him again as if she was deep in thought.

A long silence followed between them until she finally spoke.

"The rest of the pack has very few females you could be with. The only other one who is grown and not... paired... is Moonbeam," she said.

"I know," he grumbled.

"I do not think that she or any other female there would want a male who is grounded on his own."

He could not be frustrated with her saying that. He suspected her words were true. Then he reluctantly looked back at her, wondering why she brought this up.

"Why are you saying this?"

She flicked her tailfins and stepped up before him again while softly crooning.

"I will not tell any others about today or about us," she said.

"I agree. We should not tell anyone else."

She chuffed.

"Now that we understand each other, I think we should start doing this more. Joining for fun only. No bonding to be life-mates. No cub-making. It would be good for us to do this more and stay free. We have needs."

As confusing as his thoughts were toward her, he knew that it was no small offer she had just made. It was very unlikely that there was any other in the pack who would satisfy his or her needs and wants. And there would be no misunderstanding between them if there was a next time.

Did he want there to be a next time?

"I will... think about it..." he grumbled.

"Please do," she purred.

With that, she jumped for the sky and vanished over the distant trees, leaving him alone by the stream. He waited, frozen in place until he was sure that she was long gone.

Then, once he was certain that he was completely alone, he spun around, looked for the nearest boulder, and flamed it with a glowing shot that shattered the rock into countless pieces. Once the rock was gone and the smoke finally stopped curling from his maw, he hung his head and whined his loss and confusion.

Regretful at how blind he had been to his own motivations and to hers.

Pained that he had not understood what was truly happening.

Shamed that he had been so fast to act without thinking.

He closed his eyes and lay there alone until the sky was completely dark except for the bright moonlight and the stars.

How had he been so stupid as to think that he and she could so quickly come together in that so intimate way and that doing so would somehow make her trust him or truly want him? Finding a life-mate was not as simple as finding the first available, willing, and interested female and jumping on her.

It was a part of life that he never had a chance to live before, so he naturally was inexperienced and perhaps... definitely far too eager.

Her parting words and offer eventually came back to mind and roused him from the darkness as he got to his paws. Confusion replaced the shame and pain in his soul-fire as he stared off in the direction she had flown.

The act itself was very enjoyable. It was naturally good and definitely made both of them feel warmth and acceptance that they had not felt in a very long time, or ever before in his case.

He still winced at the reminder that she was probably correct in what she said about her being the only female he could be with. There might have been some twisted kindness in her parting offer of them being together more since neither of them could have anyone else in that way.

He knocked away a small stone and then turned back for the range where the rest of the pack lived. It would be a long walk to get back there, but that was fine. There was plenty of time to think about this mistake he had made and to think about what to do in the future.

Was it truly a mistake if it made him and her feel great warmth for a while? They had both agreed to it.

Was life better to have none of that goodness or some of it, even if not all that he wanted? Surely he deserved some of that warmth in his life.

Maybe he should talk about this to someone he trusted. He could tell Hiccup that... no. Hiccup probably would not understand; Hiccup did not make mistakes this bad.

_I am not talking to Hiccup about this. He does not need to know this ever happened._

His ears still fell as he felt a slight cold inside from realizing that he had to hide some of the truth from Hiccup. That felt wrong to deceive his friend, but it was necessary.

He continued on through the trees and along the same path that he and she had run in play earlier. Her scent was still here from before. Another reminder that...

He paused as he realized the obvious that he carried her scent with him for now. That would be more than enough for any other member of the pack to realize that something had happened between him and her.

Fortunately, there were many warm ponds that he could bathe in to completely wash off her scent before he got back to the pack. That would keep the secret of what had happened. She certainly was not going to tell anyone about what they had done, so neither would he.

He arrived at the first deep enough pool of hot water he could find and then jumped right in, completely vanishing under the water.

The warmth of the water around him and the rocks and the ground underpaw reminded him of another warmth that he had only felt for the first time today. A different warmth in his blood and soul-fire from his and her time together.

Maybe she could change with time if he showed her some trust and affection. She did tell the truth by the end, and they both understood each other better now.

It was entirely possible that she had trust problems not only because of the bad example set by her own sire but also because no male wanted to trust her, give her a chance to change, or give her the attention she wanted.

_I want to give her a chance. She might be my only chance._

He hauled himself from the water and shook himself dry. Satisfied that he could smell none of her on himself now, he continued on toward the pack through the cold of night. Then he huffed at himself as he appreciated another truth. While he hoped that he could use her offer to get her to change and truly want him, being with her more would also be pleasing on its own. But he still needed to think about whether that was enough of a reason to start seeing her. Probably not alone, but combined with trying to turn her soul-fire to him...

He eventually arrived back with the resting pack, but he paused in the trees when he saw them all. Pairs, fledglings, and cubs were resting together in peace, warmth, and trust. So good.

And what he could not have, at least not any time soon.

At the very least he could have... something from her.

Then he strode through the pack and found his family where they normally rested. His sire had his chin on dam's neck as they slept. Hiccup, wrapped up in his furs as always, was deeply asleep under one of her wings. Breath-Of-Sky was asleep behind their sire.

Far-Flight's light-green eyes opened and fixed on him.

_Great skies..._

He stiffened and barely restrained himself from bellowing in surprise as his sire lifted his head.

"Burning-Star?" he whispered.

"Sire," he whispered back after sitting down before him.

"We missed you earlier with making the sleeping-pile. I was staying awake to wait for you."

"Sorry, I was busy."

"How was your talk and walk with her?"

How much to reveal?

He yawned widely, truly exhausted but also hoping that this would limit the conversation.

"Good. I talked much with her about Hiccup and why he is a good human."

"That is good. Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

Did his sire know what had happened? Walking away with a female alone could look suspicious. Could he speak of this to his sire? Confide in him? Or was it better to keep to himself what he had done and was thinking about doing?

He did not truly know his sire deeply in his soul-fire yet, and if he did not want Hiccup to know about this, then how could he let Far-Flight know?

"No, sire, I just want sleep now."

"Okay, my cub. Rest with us."

Far-Flight purred softly, lay his chin back on Sky-Dancer's neck, and closed his eyes.

Toothless lay down on the cold ground next to them and then pulled a wing over himself. Sleep did not come to him for a long time.

He had lied to his sire for the first time.


	31. Hunting

_**Author's Note – Surprise, Toothless is not a perfect person. He definitely has some life-lessons still to learn. In other news, there is a very overt hint in this chapter as to how the two referenced worlds, LOTR and HTTYD, weave together. There is also a meta implication to this that I wonder if any of you will pick up on.**_

* * *

Hunting

* * *

Sky-Dancer bounded over to Toothless and nuzzled him soon after the family awoke late in the morning. She had taken every opportunity to bring him fresh fish whenever she came back from hunting. He thought that she was trying to make up for having not been there for him before, and he was more than willing to let her be his dam now. He understood her desire to care for him as she should have done long ago.

Her doing this for him now was also practical since he could not hunt as well on his own.

"Burning-Star, your sire and I are going on a hunt with others in the pack. You and Hiccup should hunt with us!"

He flew to his paws, tail swaying wildly at the opportunity to hunt with his sire and dam. He would not turn his nose up at such a flight. This hunt would be the first time he ever hunted with his kin. It might also help distract himself from... other matters for a while.

"Yes, we will!"

He then nuzzled Hiccup, and Hiccup roused himself under his wing.

"Hiccup, did you hear that?"

"We are flying on a hunt?" Hiccup yawned and stretched as he got up.

"Yes. Where are we flying?" Toothless asked his dam.

Sky-Dancer pointed with her tail up the mountain ridge.

"We will fly beyond the line of mountains and into the very cold beyond. There is an ocean past the mountains and some toward the sun's flight."

He liked the chance to hunt in an ocean. He had not caught his own fish in a long time.

"Good. We have not flown up there yet."

There had not yet been a reason to fly beyond the mountains into the desolation, not without knowing if there was anything worth flying to up there.

Hiccup pulled his coat tighter.

"Great, more cold. Love it!"

"Do you? Want to sleep on your own then?" Toothless grinned.

"Eh, not so much."

Hiccup then put on the fur-mask that covered his face except for his eyes and nose.

"Bud, how does that look? Good enough to survive the cold?"

"You lived on Berk. You can survive this," Toothless teased him.

"I don't know. This might be colder than Berk. Gods, I never thought I'd say that..."

"I can help keep you warm on the flight."

"Hope so."

Toothless then turned to his sire and dam.

"How long will we be away from here?"

"The rest of the sun. We fly soon, and we will be back here at sunfall," Sky-Dancer answered.

Toothless saw a flash of motion outside the pack, and he thought he knew who it was. He thought about what he saw, and realized that he had to do something. There was a talk that he definitely needed to have sooner rather than later. His kin were flying on this hunt very soon, so he had little time to go find who he needed to speak with.

"I will come back here soon. Hiccup, will you wait here? I need some time to myself."

"Sure thing, bud."

* * *

Toothless wandered the woods, searching for one particular fellow Night Fury whom he had seen shortly after waking up. She had been resting by the warm waters and had then wandered off into the trees when last he saw her.

_Where is she? I know I saw her here earlier._

It was not too hard to find her scent and start following the trail; he would probably always remember that scent.

He could probably call her to him by roaring for her, but that would bring too much attention from the rest of the pack.

He still found it curious why she did not want to be around the pack in bonding activities. She did not rest with the pack, probably because she had somewhere else that she rested on her own. She could try to rest with the pack for warmth, but she chose not to. That made him feel another pang of pity for her. She was forcing herself to be alone because of her own actions and beliefs.

If only she would accept and live by more of the pack's customs, she would be more accepted for sure. Was it right to expect someone to change their own ideas so that they could live more in keeping with their pack's expectations? Hiccup could have done that and been more accepted by Berk, but something felt different about her situation. Her idea and opinions held her life back from being more and better.

Finally, after much searching, he saw a dark shape behind the trees just ahead.

It was her.

He took a deep breath and trotted toward her while wondering what he was going to say.

Two full days had passed since they were together. He had not spoken to her since then, but he had plenty of time to think about what had happened, especially on those rare occasions when he saw her down in the woods or by the water.

He did not want to think that she was a bad person. She had suffered bad things in the past, even if she did not want to change or move on now. While she had definitely used him for her own satisfaction, she had also seemed pleased that he enjoyed being with her. And he had also used her to satisfy his own eagerness, so he could not blame her for that without blaming himself also.

Most importantly and the real reason why he needed to speak with her now was her offer of their being together more. He was still not sure what to think about that except that it was an opportunity. Being with her more was a chance to turn her soul-fire to him truly and to help her. That was his duty. At least it felt like he had a duty to do that, both for her and himself.

"Jumps-At-Fire!"

She hopped to her paws and turned to him. Her grey and silver eyes were very wide with surprise as she stared and approached him, the branches crunching under her paws.

_What does she think of me?_

She settled down before him and curled her tail around her forepaws.

"Good morning, Burning-Star. How are you?"

"Well. You?"

"I am rested."

"Good. What are you doing here near the pack?"

"I was resting by the warm water and rocks."

"That is a very warming place to rest. I saw you around the pack these last couple days."

"Yes... you know I do not like being around the others in the pack too much, but it is still warming to be around other dark wings. I am glad that I am here now."

He was glad to hear that she was not totally opposed to her own kind. Even though she did not feel welcomed within the pack, she still felt something for them. Maybe all she needed was more time being around the pack while on bonding activities.

There was an opportunity here. Hopefully she would want to join him on the hunting. Her doing that would be an opportunity for him to bond with her and for her to be around the pack more.

"I understand that and feel the same. My kin and others in the pack are flying a hunting-flight soon."

"Where to?"

"The colder ranges beyond the mountains."

She purr-growled.

"Those are good hunts. I know those ranges well since I have flown much in them."

"Do you want to fly that hunt also with us?"

"No, I like to hunt on my own so I do not need others. Maybe another time. Thank you for the offer."

There was more of that wanting to isolate herself, which was frustrating of her. But there was another offer she had made to him and which was very important for them both; that offer was the real reason he was speaking to her now.

"Jumps, you... remember what you said about... us and more being together?"

"Yes," she purred and flicked her tailfins, "have you thought more about it?"

"I have and...

He paused, realizing that he had already made the decision. She probably needed a reason, a push, to change for the better. He wanted to be that reason. If he could give her a reason to truly want him... if he could feel her soul-fire and help her do the same with him...

"... I want to be there for you... if you want me."

She stared back at him without blinking.

What was she going to say? Had she changed her mind since the last time they were together?

Apparently not, since she stepped closer and crooned at him.

"Good. I want that also. How do you want to do this?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that we do not want others to see us talking and walking away together. We should meet in secret when we plan to beforepaw so that others do not know."

She did not want to give off any impression that they were a pair. That was sensible of her because the pack had certain expectations that what he and she were doing was best done in committed pairs only. It was probably a good idea to keep their secretly being together... a secret.

Even if that meant keeping it a secret from those he cared about.

"That is a good plan. When and where?" he asked.

"Where is easy. The same place where we were before. You know that place, yes?"

"How could I forget?" he sighed.

She purred before continuing.

"When is not so easy. I am not missed by any of the pack. You would be missed more by your kin and Hiccup."

He winced at how true that was. It would be harder for him to get away from Hiccup and his own family without being noticed. There had to be a way around that problem.

_Hiccup has been giving more time to them and to others in the pack. He wants them to trust humans. Maybe this is not such a problem._

Still, the idea of sneaking around so that Hiccup did not know about this felt twisted of him.

"I will find a reason to be away at night. Maybe I can ask Hiccup to bond more with my sire and dam or others in the pack. We will fly back here from the hunt before sunfall. How about tonight when the moon is starting its flight?"

She grunted in agreement.

"I will be waiting."

* * *

Toothless kept looking from side to side at all the other fellow Furies in the sky with him. His sire, his dam, Flame-In-The-Night, Wind-Biter, Eyes-That-Shimmer, Moonbeam, and Growls-At-His-Shadow flew around him.

This was the first time he had ever flown with a flight of his own kind. It was not a very large flight, but it was still very soul-fire warming. His kind were definitely pack dragons and not meant to be alone.

His sire and dam flew circles around each other, gently caressing wingtips or tails as they passed. Wind-Biter and Eyes-That-Shimmer were flying close together and talking about something. Flame-In-The-Night led the flight as the Alpha while Moonbeam and Growls-At-His-Shadow kept more off to the side on their own.

_This would only be better if Jumps were flying with us, with me now..._

He closed his eyes and purred deeply in peace. The company of his kind, and Hiccup also, was perhaps the only warming thing about this place where they were flying.

There were no trees or green plants at all. Snow and ice covered the ground except where masses of sharp grey rocks stood out. The air itself felt colder with a very dry wind that flowed down from the North.

_Hard to believe there are prey up here, but she did say that she hunts up here much._

Then he glanced back over his shoulder. Hiccup was staying very close to his back to stay out of the wind as much as possible.

"Staying warm?"

"Yeah," Hiccup nodded while shivering slightly.

It made him feel guilty that Hiccup had to be exposed to the cold like this. But there was nothing either of them could do about that. The thick coat-furs that Hiccup always wore helped much with keeping him warm.

The flight eventually arrived at a very cold ocean. The sheer cliffs fell down into a choppy water filled with jagged spikes of rock. The water itself further out to sea had giant blue icebergs bobbing in the waves.

He shivered at his last memory of a time when he had seen large icebergs in the water.

Even the water's edge far to the west before they had found the pack was more filled with life than was this place.

The land the flight had just left behind was apparently dead without anything growing in it at all, not even small mosses.

Wondering where they were truly flying, he winged closer to his sire.

"Sire, where are we flying?"

"An island with very fat ground-prey!"

"Do they have tusks, or flop on the ground?"

"Yes."

_Walrus or seal, one of those is what Hiccup called them. They are very fat and tasty._

He still grumbled as he looked down on the long stretches of ice and the seeming mountains of snow that rose from the water.

_Hopefully we do not need to dive in the water to catch them. This water is very cold._

* * *

The prey had no chance against a diving a pack of his kin. The seals and walrus tried to wiggle and flop down the sandy shore to hop into the water, but four of them were caught and killed down on the sandy shore.

"A good catch," Sky-Dancer huffed.

"How are you going to get these back to the pack?" Hiccup wondered.

"They are very big catches. I do not think I can carry one," Toothless agreed.

His dam chuckled and put a paw on the seal she had killed.

"We do not take all the prey back whole. We eat for ourselves, and then we carry back half of each catch."

Far-Flight loped over to their side.

"We will not need to hunt for many suns after these catches."

"What will we do then?" Hiccup asked.

"Sleep in warmth. Tell stories. Talk. Those warming things," Far-Flight answered.

Sky-Dancer tilted her head and gave curious hum.

"We would like to hear stories that you and Hiccup can tell us and the pack."

Hiccup nodded to her in ready agreement.

"I can do that. I know a few stories that the pack might want to hear."

He watched for a while as the Furies got to work eating part of the catches. Then, once it started getting bloody, he wandered away toward the sea and stood at the edge of the shore.

The waves rolled with a regular crashing against the foam-licked shore.

The horizon far off in the north looked odd, or maybe it was that he knew there was nothing but ice up there.

_Even the maps Gandalf and Elrond showed me don't have anything up there. Is this truly further north than Berk would be. Probably._

The empty, deathly wind gusted so cold and biting that he turned away from the wind and put his back to the shore. His cheeks and nose felt numbed.

_Gods, this is much worse than Berk..._

To his surprise, Sky-Dancer bounded over to him while Toothless and Far-Flight ate. She stepped up next to him and extended a wing to block the wind, as if she knew he was cold.

"Thank you, Sky-Dancer."

She purred.

"You are kin to us. I should help keep you warm."

"You really don't feel the cold up here? None of you do?"

She opened her mouth and briefly showed her fire. Even from a few feet away, he felt the ambient heat of her flame the same as he frequently did with Toothless.

"None of the adults feel a dangerous cold. The young, the cubs and the fledglings who have no fire, do feel more of the cold. They must stay in sleeping piles or at their sire's and dam's sides at night," she explained.

"How cold does it get back where the pack is living?"

"This is warm now. We fly further down into the warmer ranges when it is much colder, but we never fly past the mountains."

_So they migrate in the worst winters. Makes sense. And if they never fly past the Grey Mountains, then they would never be seen by anyone._

He glanced toward the west where the sun was already falling lower on the horizon.

He frowned, remembering a terrible thing he had learned only a few days ago. It seemed impossible that anyone could do what it seemed someone was doing back in the world he was from.

"Moonbeam told me about the human that had other dragons it was using to hunt for it. That human had... furs made from a... dark wing's hide."

She snarled and growled with all her teeth bared.

"Is all that true? Did any others in the pack hear of that... terrible human?"

"Not the human. Some other pairs said that they fled from stinging-tail dragons that were hunting in a small pack," she answered.

He frowned. Those other instances were confirmation of what he suspected.

"I don't understand why anyone would do something like that. I know that there were dragon hunters out in the world, but those humans hunted all kinds of dragons. None of those humans used other dragons to hunt for them. More of them were like... my old pack..."

She warbled sadly and looked away toward the other Furies busily eating. He joined her in staring at Far-Flight and Toothless, both of whom were sharing words between their mouthfuls of seal.

"Your life in your old pack was not good, true?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm smaller and weaker than most humans."

She gently nudged his shoulder with her nose.

"I noticed that you are smaller and different from the ones I remember... seeing. Is it true that you had few close kin in your pack?"

"My family was... that's confusing even now. My father, my sire, was the Alpha of that pack. My dam was killed by a dragon when I was only a baby, a cub. I have no human brothers or sisters."

She hummed sadly and rested her chin on his shoulder. He could feel her sympathetic purr echoing in his chest. However, she still looked hesitant or afraid of something.

"Do you know what dragon killed her?" she warily asked.

"I heard that she was taken by a dragon with four wings, what humans call a Stormcutter."

She gave a faint sigh of apparent relief.

"Good. No, it is not good... but I was afraid that I or Far-Flight might have... killed her."

It was even now still a strange feeling to know that she and Far-Flight had once aided on attacks on Berk. They had definitely killed before. There was a reason why Night Furies were said to have never missed.

Still, that she was worried about possibly have hurt him or his mother long ago was very considerate and heartwarming of her.

"Nope. It was not one of you."

She purred softly in appreciation.

"You should come join us for warmth," she said.

Given the choice between the biting wind and the minor annoyance of being around some blood and gore, it was not a difficult choice.

So he followed at her side as she strode over to Far-Flight and Toothless. Once at Toothless's side, he pulled out his loaf of cold Lembas bread to chew on.

As he watched Toothless busily feeding on the catch, making large chunks of blubber disappear, a problem started to bother him again.

There was a very obvious tension between what Toothless was and what he was named. He had given Toothless that name in a very different world in which they could not speak to each other and when he had no idea how smart the Fury truly was, even if something had changed about their situation upon their arrival in Middle-earth. He also remembered the strange, almost mocking looks that people had given Toothless after hearing his name for the first time.

Toothless never truly cared or took offense, but something still felt wrong about it. None of the Furies in the pack called him Toothless anymore; he was Burning-Star to all of them now.

_I should have done this a while ago._

He then strode over to Toothless and tapped his shoulder.

"Toothless, can we talk?" Hiccup whispered.

"Yes, we can," Toothless licked his muzzle clean and nodded.

"On our own..."

Interested, Toothless got to his paws and followed Hiccup away from the rest of the pack. There was definitely something on Hiccup's mind, given how he wanted to talk alone.

They finally reached a rather secluded place behind a rock on the shore so they could speak in peace without any other packmates overhearing. The whistling wind coming from off the ocean also helped smother their voices.

"What is twisting you?"

Hiccup put his hands in his coat and gave a heavy sigh.

"So, I've been thinking about this for a while, ever since we found your parents up here. I... we need to talk about... Toothless is a stupid name," Hiccup frowned, "and your parents gave you a much better name, Burning-Star."

"What are you saying?" Toothless whispered in surprise.

"Bud, I'm saying that Toothless is... it's not respectful; it's like you're my pet or something..."

Hiccup winced and wilted slightly.

"Do you want me to use your real name from now on?"

Toothless closed his eyes and took a deep breath while wondering about Hiccup's words.

"What do you mean, your pet or something?"

"Well, a pet is an animal that someone takes care of, provides for, and protects because it makes them feel good. It can also make them more responsible."

Toothless snorted and grinned toothlessly as he nudged Hiccup on the shoulder.

"You are my pet, Hiccup."

Hiccup glared at him and also snorted, which was a sure sign that he was starting to behave more like a dragon.

"Toothless! Are you saying I am an animal?"

"Yes, you are. Humans are animals also, just like dragons."

Hiccup stepped back in surprise at having so obvious a truth pointed out to him. Somehow, he hadn't thought of it that way before.

"Whoa, I'm being taught about human nature by a dragon, great... Anyway, back to the question, do you want me to use your real name of Burning-Star from now on? I will if you want me to do that."

Toothless crooned softly in thought until he purred with satisfaction.

"Toothless is not a bad name. It is a twisted-speaking, almost like if you were named 'clawless'. But you can have claws with daggers or your bow-thing. You call me Toothless. They can call me Burning-Star. Both are good names that are me. And I do not mind having a twisted name when you have a twisted name also," he added with a deliberate nod.

Hiccup turned away and wiped his cheek on his forearm as he stared out to the cold sea. He wasn't sure if the tear was from feeling or from the cold.

"Thank you, Toothless."

"You are welcome, Hiccup. I have been thinking about something else also."

"What is it?"

"You like to sleep under my wing. That is good bonding for us, but it might be good if you do that also with Sky-Dancer and Far-Flight. They think of you almost like a cub also, and you resting with them would make it easier for me to leave for a while if I needed to..."

Hiccup thought about it and decided that he liked the plan. They were basically his family anyway, and getting to know them better wouldn't hurt. Further, Toothless needing to go off on his own for a while, such as to relieve himself or drink some water, could be more of a problem up here in the North if he himself did not have a willing Fury who could help keep him warm.

"Good idea. I suppose I'll do that."

"You might also want to spend more time getting to know the others in the pack," Toothless added.

"Yeah, that's a good idea too. It would help them trust humans a bit more through knowing me better."

"Yes, it should."

_Maybe they can trust enough that they might want to come back from... up here. At least it is warmer down south..._

* * *

A roar went up from the pack at their approach. Flame-In-The-Night, Far-Flight, Growls-At-His-Shadow, and Moonbeam carried four halves of the seal and walrus carcasses.

They touched down in the main clearing among the low grove of pines. The rest of the pack swiftly bounded toward them around the trees' trunks.

Pairs and cubs met up with each other again.

Breath-Of-Sky ran up and pounced on Toothless's back after Hiccup climbed off.

"Got you, brother!"

Toothless rolled him off and then crouched down low, ready to pounce as well.

"Did you?" he barked, tail swaying wildly.

"Yes, I did! Did you have a good hunt?"

"We did. There is prey for all to eat. What did you do all day?"

"I played with the cubs, and slept much!"

He huffed.

"That sounds like a very good day."

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer hopped closer and nuzzled Breath-Of-Sky.

"Little one, are you hungry?" she asked.

"Yes, dam!"

"Come feed then. Stories will be after the food."

Breath-Of-Sky's ears lifted.

"Stories? I like stories!"

She chuffed.

"Good. Hiccup will tell us some human stories."

Toothless stepped closer to Hiccup and whispered to him after everyone else left.

"What stories will you tell the pack?"

"I was thinking of sharing the one that Vikings know best. The story of Ragnarok."

"That is a sad one."

"Kind of, but it is hopeful also."

"I suppose so."

Toothless then trotted off to one of the unattended prey carcasses. He had an idea of a good and considerate deed that he should definitely do, even if only one other person would know about it.

* * *

The stars were fully hidden behind thick cloud cover. The only light down in the clearing came from the small fire.

Hiccup rested against Toothless's chest next to the fire. The entire pack was gathered around them. Cubs and fledglings rested at their parents' sides and under sheltering wings.

Faintly glowing eyes of many different colors stared back at him as a faint purring filled the air in the clearing.

_Alright, it's go time!_

"Are you all ready?" he asked.

"Yes." "Story!" "Tell us!" "Please!"

"This is not a very happy story, but it is also hopeful in a way. This is the story of Ragnarok, what some call the fate of humans and the twilight of the gods. There will be a great and very cold winter. The winds will bite and the snow shall fall greater than ever before. The cold will last for three whole winters, three cycles of the seasons."

Gasps and groans followed.

"It will be so bad that there is not enough food for everyone. People will turn against each other and will forget what is right and wrong. Even families will be torn apart. Then life will get even worse."

"No!" "Bad!" "How?"

"Two very big wolves will chase the sun and the moon through the sky. Both the sun and the moon will be destroyed, and even the stars will go dark. There will be no light at all in the skies. The lands and mountains will shake, and that will set free the great wolf Fenrir. The gods raised him and tried to control him, but they betrayed him because they were afraid of how strong he would become. The world serpent or dragon, Jormungand, will also be freed from the deep ocean, and the fire-being Surtur will be freed from the underworld."

He paused in telling the story, as a strange thought struck him.

_Gandalf said that Ancalagon was bigger than a mountain. Maybe that is not so crazy after all._

"The gods themselves will leave Asgard and will join the battle for the world itself. Do you know what gods are?"

"No." "What?" "Tell us."

"They are living things of soul and spirit, pure soul-fire that can make bodies of their own. The gods shaped all that is in some way. The greatest gods: Odin, Freyr, Thor, and Heimdal, will fight against the great enemies of Fenrir, Surt, Jormungard, and Loki. They will do this even though they know what the outcome will be. And then..."

He drew out the silence to build suspense.

"What!" "Tell us!" "Please!" "They win?"

"No and yes. All those great gods and enemies will kill each other. Between the cold, the fire, and the fighting, most of life will be dead, and then all the lands will sink under the waters and in the void around the world. It will be as though nothing is anymore; no sand, no sea, no waves, no earth, no sky, no grass, nothing... no life in the void. But it is not the end."

The audience was breathless.

"A new world will be created from the void, just as the first world was. But the new one will be greener and filled with more life. The surviving gods will help remake the world better than before. Humans will also survive by hiding themselves away. A new sun will fly again in the sky and a new highest god will reveal itself. And that is the end of the story. No one knows what happens next."

Silence followed as the Furies considered the story.

"It is a sad story. So much dies at the end," Snowfall said to general agreement.

Hiccup nodded.

"Yes, but there is also hope for a better world at the end. The story reminds everyone to go out and face their fate with bravery instead of giving up. Even though they know that they will die, the gods go out and fight their enemies. Killing those enemies lets the next world be better because those enemies are gone and can't corrupt anything."

Flame-In-The-Night purred.

"True. Much danger is not a reason to not fight. Even fighting to the death can be good if the world is left better for others."

Interestingly, Moonbeam spoke up.

"Where are the dragons in this story?"

"There is only the one that was hiding under the water. I don't think there are other dragons in the story."

She huffed and flicked her tail.

"I thought your human stories would have us as monsters and..." she fell silent after glancing at the nearby cubs.

He could guess why she didn't complete her thought. She didn't want to unnecessarily scare the cubs. But he was also unsure how that knowledge of the past was passed on: whether as a pack or as a warning that each pair communicated to their children in private.

_Probably more in private where the parents can decide when it is time._

"There are not many stories of good dragons. Probably because you are big and scary."

"Like me?" Free-Flight barked.

"Yes," Hiccup laughed, "like you, Free-Flight!"

"More stories!" Storm-Chaser yelled.

"Another!" Tail-Hunter barked.

"You want to take this one, bud?"

Toothless nodded and considered his pack while thinking about a good story to tell. He had no similar very grand stories since the other dragons in the Monster's nest did not teach him any. He had only his own life to look over for good stories.

_I know a good one!_

"Let me tell you a story about a dragon that was hunting special prey."

The cubs and fledglings leaned forward and wiggled their ears with interest. He took the opportunity to rearrange his tail at his side.

"The dragon had been greatly wronged by a human, and the dragon wanted revenge for... a type of hurting that the human did in the past. The dragon had to defend its status because this dragon was a dark wing like us."

"What did the dragon do?" "How did it hunt?" "Did the human get what it deserved?"

He smugly purred.

"Yes, the dragon got a great revenge against the human. Here is what the dark wing did. He waited for an opportunity to get his special revenge. He let the human start to trust it without knowing that the dark wing was planning revenge. The human never knew what was going to happen, and it tried to taunt the dragon even more."

"Bad human!" "Get it!" "What happened?"

"The dragon struck and grabbed the human in its jaws!"

He bent down low to the ground and looked at each of the cubs and the fledglings in turn. They held themselves tense, as if ready to fight as well.

"Wait a minute..." Hiccup objected.

"Then I hopped over to the water, and I threw Hiccup into a big, cold river!"

"And I got a cold from that, thank you very much!" Hiccup shouted.

He gently slapped Hiccup's face with his tailfin.

"Why would you do that?" Hiccup groaned.

"Because you deserved it."

"I guess so..."

Peals of throaty laughter followed as the cubs and fledglings rolled and cried aloud. Even most of the adults were chuckling along with them.

"Hunted!" "Silly!" "Knew it!" "Hunting humans is fun!"

"Burning-Star, why would you throw your human in cold water? Is that not dangerous for him?" Snowfall asked.

"Why did I do it? Because he teased me with shining light long ago when I was getting to know him as a friend. Throwing him in the water would be dangerous up here, but not where we were playing in the Shire."

"What is Shire?" she wondered.

He purred again.

"It is a very good, green, and warm range that has small, peaceful human-things named Hobbits. Many of the lands down in the warmer ranges are green and have many prey, land prey and fish."

"The ranges also probably have humans in them," Growls-At-His-Shadow grumbled.

"And Elves and Dwarves," Toothless added.

"What are those?" Snowfall wondered.

Most of the pack also looked curious and also wary.

Hiccup answered.

"The Elves are like humans, but the Elves live more with the land and the trees. The Dwarves are smaller, and they are more like fighters and people who build things. There are also Hobbits, which are basically smaller humans."

"It is good that they are all away from us!" Dreamcatcher exclaimed.

Several others in the pack bobbed their heads in apparent agreement; however, there were many who looked to have no opinion on the matter, or even appeared curious. Hiccup thought that the pack looked split roughly in half on that point of whether being away from all humans was a good thing.

_It might be very hard to convince her. Seems like she and Moonbeam probably agree on not liking humans at all._

"Do any others in the pack want to tell us some stories?" Hiccup asked.

Snowfall lifted her head and stepped forward to stand at the center of attention.

"I can speak a story with lift under its wings. This is a story that all the cubs learn: the story of how we dragons came to be. Do you want to hear that?"

There was much shuffling and purring at that declaration. It looked like this was a story that many of the pack remembered and were fond of.

Hiccup and Toothless shared an eager, wide-eyed glance before looking back at her. Neither of them had heard such a story before.

"Yes, please," Hiccup answered for both of them.

"We woke up for the first time under the ground in deep caves filled with light and dark. The first dragons that were had no wings..." she ruffled her wings.

Faint hisses and gasps went through many of the pack. Meanwhile, Toothless snorted softly.

"I would never want to live under the ground. That is a trap," he muttered.

"Yeah, what is a dragon without the sky?" Hiccup agreed wholeheartedly.

"But if they have no wings, which is very terrible, then they are not meant for the sky," Toothless added with a whine.

Snowfall continued after the grumbling and hissing died down.

"They had no wings, but they did have fire. They lived much in the dark with other flames that were alive: fires with soul-fire of their own like the one below. Long the first dragons lived in the shadows and under the ground, changing in shape and kinds until it was their time to fly free after they grew wings."

Gasps went through the entire audience as Snowfall flung her wings wide.

"They were summoned by a great call and command to fly, and they did. They flew up out of the darkness of the shadow world under the ground and went up into the open sky which they had not seen yet. They flew with fire and power into the new world above: a world filled with clouds, rain, the stars, and the great waters high above that none can fly to!"

"Yes!" "Flying!" "Good!"

She paused in the telling and gave a very solemn croon.

"But they met enemies in the above: other great sky-hunters met them and fought with beak and claws. The world above was one of dangers that were not in the world below. The sky was filled with great thunder, lightning, and a cloud of fire. Even one of the stars itself turned against the first dragons, and flew with the other sky-hunters. We saw the danger and were filled with fire in our soul-fires. We had to fight and protect our own kind. Many of the larger dragons fell in the fighting. And then something happened to many of the remaining dragons..."

"What!" "Tell us!" "Save them!" "Save us, silly..."

Hiccup held his breath, eagerly waiting to hear what the story said happened to the dragons.

Snowfall then lifted her head and roared to the heavens with her wings stretched wide.

"A great roar echoed through the sky, the ground, and the waters! The skies were torn apart with strikes of lightning that made a storm. Pits appeared in the sky and the clouds, and the empty places hid the dragons, many small ones and even some of the very big ones. The world changed for them, for us. We were in new skies and ranges after the old skies went twisted around us. The enemy was gone and the fighting was also not happening when we flew out of the twisted skies. That strong soul-fire that was burning inside us and making us stronger... vanished, and we forgot much of what we were or where we came from. Our kinds were different, we dark wings, the lightning wings, the light wings, the fire wings, the rock bellies, and many others, and we flew off to be with our own kin or in big nests with other dragons. Life was good for all dragons in the new world."

"Except for the humans..." Growls-At-His-Shadow interjected.

Snowfall huffed and ignored that interruption as she continued speaking.

"True, but the humans being in our lives is another story. This story is the one for where we came from."

She huffed and stomped on the ground with a paw, apparently concluding the story.

"Thank you for the story, Snowfall. I had no idea that dragons had stories of where you're from," Hiccup thanked her.

"Even if it is a story about us living under the ground once. That feels twisted to me," Toothless shrugged and grumbled.

Oddly, Far-Flight chuckled and nudged Toothless's shoulder.

"Not as much as you think, my cub..."

Hiccup just started wondering what Toothless's father meant by that when Toothless barked in shocked annoyance.

"Sire! I am not a cub now!"

Almost the entire pack laughed in good humor. Hiccup and Toothless eventually joined in the laughter.

Afterwards, everyone started yawning widely.

"Pack, we should rest closely as a pack tonight. This will be a very cold night," Flame-In-The-Night declared.

Hiccup chuckled at the thought of all the Furies in a massive heap together.

Everyone seemed to agree and started to gather into very close sleeping quarters under the trees. The pairs rested at each other's sides while the cubs hid under wings. Everyone was whispering about the stories they had heard. It would still be some time before everyone went to sleep.

"Bud, did you know that you all do that? It sounds like it would be very warm."

"I did not. I am sure it is very warm. Can you stay with Sky-Dancer tonight? She will keep you warm."

"Sure can. You okay with that, Sky-Dancer?"

She lifted a wing and let him snuggle in there at her side.

"Will you be back with us soon, Burning-Star?" she asked.

"I do not know. Maybe. I want to think some on my own."

Toothless said nothing more and then turned away to trot off into the darkness. Surprisingly, someone stepped into his path.

It was Moonbeam.

"Burning-Star."

"Moonbeam."

She huffed.

"Your story made me laugh."

_She would laugh at a story about... revenge... on a human. Twisted of her._

"I am warmed that you laughed."

She said nothing else and then bounded back over to her sister and lay down with the pack.

He snorted softly, turned away, and continued on into the darkness. He stopped outside where the pack rested, picked up the large chunk of meat that he had saved, and started walking down the mountain range. The howling wind was very cold as he walked alone.

* * *

Hiccup remained awake long after the Furies seemed to have fallen asleep. The entire grove was filled with purring and warmth even after the fire faded.

Everything was peaceful.

His thoughts drifted far away.

_Is everything peaceful in the south? How is the Fellowship doing? What is happening down there?_

He looked over all the sleeping Furies whom he could see. While life was certainly difficult this far north, it was also peaceful for them. There were no threats to them other than the constant need to provide for themselves. They were not directly part of the war right now.

But he and Toothless were hoping to convince them to travel into the south for exactly that reason: to join the war and hopefully live in peace afterwards.

_I don't know. They might need to do it, but it still feels... _

He frowned, staring aimlessly into the distance.

_Is it their fight? How can I ask them to do this? They probably need a while longer to get to know me and trust humans._

He froze, staring into purple eyes that did not look away for a very long time. Then they blinked and vanished.

It was very difficult for him to tell the individual Furies apart in the night when he could not see their eyes and the shapes of their bodies, but he knew who this one had to be from the color of its eyes, the lighter color in the darkness around the eyes, and from the general suspicion this Light Fury harbored toward him.

_What does she think about me and our story? I hope she and the other suspicious ones can learn to trust eventually._

* * *

Toothless carried the chunk of walrus in his jaws. It felt appropriate to do this for her since she had not been there to eat with the pack and also because of what he and she were going to do.

It was a very long walk, but it might have only felt so long because of what he knew he was walking to.

Some of the same twisted thoughts kept bothering him. She had used him before, just as he had used her to satisfy a need. They had both been wrong to do that.

Was this different? He truly wanted her to change for the better, as he understood it, in addition to this being a deed that was... warming for himself. That made it different and better...

_She needs good attention so that she can learn that I am not like her sire. I would not leave her or hurt her._

He finally arrived at the place that was so familiar, a clearing behind a bend in the mountains. Thankfully, she was indeed there and awake. She immediately hopped to her paws and bounded over to him.

"Burning-Star! How was your... what is that?"

He proudly strode up before her and dropped the large chunk of prey on the ground at her paws.

"I brought some of the catch for us."

"You did not need to."

He shrugged.

"No, but I wanted to. You were not with the pack for the eating-ceremony or the stories."

That news seemed to surprise her because her eyes went wide.

"They had stories? I did like the stories the pack had long ago before... What were they about?"

"They were stories about where we dragons come from, what humans think will happen at the end of the world, and a good revenge that a dragon got against a human. You should have been there to hear the stories."

She shuffled on her paws and said nothing. She was not likely ready to think about being among the pack more.

"Or I could tell you the new stories... after we do this..." he proposed.

"I would like that," she huffed.

Then he nudged the chunk of prey.

"Jumps, please eat with me. I want to eat with you... before we start."

She narrowed her eyes and tapped the ground with her tail.

"Burning-Star, is this bonding? You know I do not want that."

_Yes, almost..._

"No, I want us both to be strong and well-fed for this."

Her ears lifted as she thought about it.

"That is a good reason."

They ate together, but he let her eat more than he did. She had probably not had anything to eat today. That thought made him realize something else about her. She was slightly smaller than the rest of the females, probably because she almost kept herself outside the pack and was not included in the shared hunts. She was apparently good enough at hunting on her own to survive on her long flights alone, but that did not mean she caught enough always.

That was another way her own suspicion was only hurting her.

"The pack is resting together now because it will be very cold tonight," he whispered.

She swallowed the last chunk of prey, and then she growled in agreement as she stared at the sky, her grey and silver eyes reflecting the starlight and moonlight.

"Yes, it will be cold. We will not feel it."

"No, we will not. You have warming eyes."

She blinked and stepped back a couple paces with a grumble.

"You know my rule. No true bonding."

"I know that is your rule; I respect that, but I want us to do some pretend bonding."

She flicked an ear at that.

"Pretend bonding? Why? There is no need."

"No, but it should help me want you more... and do better. I might want some true bonding, but I know you do not want true bonding. We can do pretend bonding instead. We both get some of what we want."

She considered it and eventually grunted in agreement.

"Yes, I can do pretend bonding after... this..."

Then she stalked toward him, brushed his side as she had the last time, and nipped at his flanks. He spun on her, nuzzled her neck, and growled freely at her familiar scent of fire that sparked such eagerness. He could better control himself this time since he expected it and understood why he was doing this. It was not only for his own wants, hot though that fire was, because he also hoped this might be good for both of them. But it was still a hot, eager desire that burned away reluctance and almost all thought.

* * *

He lay his tail across hers, but she flinched and swung her tail away.

"Pretend," he softly growled.

"I... will."

This time she did not pull away from that small act of bonding and let him lay his tail on hers.

They lay there together for a long time in peace and quiet, neither of them saying anything as they calmed and stared elsewhere. The cold wind whipped through the pines above, but he felt none of it.

"So? How was... that?" he purred.

"Very warming."

"Good."

He let their tails sway together until she chuffed and lay her head on her paws.

"We can do our pretend bonding now. We both get some of what we want, as you said," she whispered.

"I understand."

Then he leaned over and rested his chin on her neck. A long peace followed as they rested together and purred. It was mostly peaceful, except that a voice whispered from within his soul-fire.

_How different would this be if we were true mates? The mating is probably the same, but this now would be much warmer and truer._

"Jumps, you can tell me the truth; I will not judge you. Why do you fear bonding?"

"Because it is not safe. Letting a mate truly into my life will mean that he can hurt me... in many ways."

"True, but a good mate would not do that."

Her ears visibly fell.

"A good mate? I do not believe in those, not anymore," she snorted.

"I do. I see that in the pairs of the pack and in my own sire and dam. I would want that if my female also did."

She softly huffed.

"Is that what this is? Are you trying to make me want you as a... good mate?"

He shrugged and lifted his head from her neck so that she could look back at him. They stared into each other's eyes.

"This is only mating and some pretend bonding because I have not had either before you. Maybe we will change far in the future and want more."

"I doubt it," she growled.

"Even if not, I do want to understand you more now. You are alone much. Why do you not believe that good mates can be? Is it because of your sire?" he whispered.

She stared at him as something flickered in her eyes. She struggled to answer and eventually sighed as her eyes went cold again.

"Him and another who hurt me. What we are doing is safer because I have control and stay free of true feeling. None of the males in the pack will join with me now, even if I were to ask them."

He suspected that was true, but it was also twisted that she would propose that. He was the only unpaired, grown male in the pack.

"All the other grown males have mates of their own. You cannot ask them to do that with you. That is twisted."

She glared at him.

"Yes, I can. There would be no harm in it if they were to be with me. No one gets hurt, and I know how to avoid making cubs."

"Yes, there would be hurt! Doing that would hurt and break the trust between the pair of mates."

"I disagree with that. There would only be hurt if they both know what happened, and I and the male would keep the secret. No one would know."

"You and the male would know. His own soul-fire should tell him that he did bad and broke trust."

She huffed and looked off into the distance.

"I do not want to talk more about it. Not now."

He very much wanted to know what she was hiding about her past, but this was enough progress for now. He had gained a lot of trust with her so far, and he did not want to break it by asking too many questions.

"As you want. I understand."

"I hope so, Burning-Star. Can you save the stories for another time?"

"Yes, I will."

She took a deep breath and got up, stretching her legs and tail as she gazed up at the mountains.

"Good. I will go sleep now. I have a den where I always sleep. It is not a true cave, but it is almost one."

"Do you want me to come with you? It is a cold night."

She hummed, staring back at him in thought.

"Maybe another time. This pretend bonding might have some warmth in it."

She spun around and bounded off into the night. He watched her go as she flew up toward the mountains and out of sight. He wondered what her den was like and where it was hidden.

He turned back for the ponds and the pack once she was gone. He knew the routine he had to follow to keep the secret of what was happening.

With her gone, he realized another obvious obstacle to the two of them bonding truly as he wished. He could not stay an entire night with her in bonding and warmth-sharing. Doing that would mean that his family at least would wonder where he had gone for the whole night. As it was, he had been away from them just long enough that he could pretend to have been truly just thinking on his own or wandering the range for the sake of wandering.

_She is changing some, maybe. She does not totally dislike bonding. This might work._


	32. Progress

Progress

* * *

Hiccup sat on a small boulder and looked around at the adult Furies resting by him. He had taken Toothless's advice to heart since that very cold but also heartwarming hunt in the north two weeks ago. He had used the time since then getting to know as many of the families in the pack as he could.

Most of them were eager to get to know him also as someone other than the strangely friendly human who lives among them as one of the pack. Through him they learned more about how humans lived within tribes and what customs and beliefs were common.

The four adult Furies with him now were among the friendlier ones he had interacted with.

Lightning lay on the ground with her head on her paws while Hunts-In-Deep-Waters rested at her side with a wing over her back. Wings-Of-Ice and Eyes-That-Shimmer were sitting on their haunches before him.

"And you all lived far away from humans before?" he continued.

"Yes," Wings-Of-Ice purred and glanced at his sister, Lightning, "our home-den was good and safe, far from danger. We did fight with some of the humans when we hunted their four-legs after we flew, but we saw no more of the humans after we flew to this range and joined the pack."

"You both flew together?"

The siblings purred as one.

"Yes, we flew together to look for other dark wings and to stay safer," Lightning explained.

_Makes sense..._

"Someone had to keep my little cub-sister safe!" Wings-Of-Ice barked while Lightning flicked her tail in amusement.

"Was it only you two?"

Wings-Of-Ice hummed.

"Yes, we were the only cubs our sire and dam had. They said they were going to fly back to the safer world once we flew on our own."

_Hmm, not sure what that means. Probably somewhere far away from the mainland._

"What about you, Hunts-In-Deep-Waters? Did you know anything of humans before?"

"No, I never knew humans, but I had heard many stories. You are not like the stories say you must be," Hunts-In-Deep-Waters agreed with a snort.

Hiccup shrugged and smiled at them.

"Yeah, I'm a little different from most humans. Even the other humans are not only..."

All four of the Furies were making various strange looks, from tilted heads to lifted ears and raised eyeridges.

"Uh, did I just grow a tail or something else strange?"

"Your teeth-showing is twisting," Eyes-That-Shimmer explained.

_Why would smiling be... ah..._

"Oh, yeah, that. For humans it means we are happy, not that we want to fight anyone. Burning-Star knows how to do it without showing his teeth."

Eyes-That-Shimmer barked in amusement.

"That is twisted and funny!" she exclaimed.

"Ice, you know how to smile!" Hiccup grinned.

"Do it, brother!" Lightning chortled.

Wings-Of-Ice grumbled and then reluctantly demonstrated a toothless smile. The other three Furies laughed at him and then mirrored that look without any practice.

"My dear mate, we are all toothless now!" Hunts-In-Deep-Waters laughed to Lightning.

"Hiccup, you do it! Hide your teeth!" Lightning barked in amusement.

"Sorry, but I can't do that. My teeth are always there."

They all looked shocked and surprised.

"That you humans always have teeth out feels twisting, almost like it means something about humans," Hunts-In-Deep-Waters mused.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you are very dangerous."

"More than you dragons? You have wings, fire, claws, big teeth, and you are bigger than humans. You are more dangerous, in a way, but that doesn't make you bad," Hiccup countered.

They all hummed while thinking about it.

"True, I agree that being dangerous does not make someone bad," Eyes-That-Shimmer nodded.

Hiccup nodded also, glad that she so readily agreed with him.

"We humans are really not that bad once you get to know us. We make a lot of mistakes... and we have stubbornness issues, but we also keep trying to do better. Sometimes we need help doing that or someone to remind us when we are wrong."

Then he had an idea. He had already done this with another group that he spent several days getting to know earlier. It had led to some amusing results.

"Hey, I have a question for all of you. I will count to three and then I will say a word. You say the first thing that you think of when you hear the word. Understand?"

They purred in agreement.

"Sky."

"Clouds!" "Flying!" "Catching!" "Hunts! You... grr... wind!"

"Cubs."

"Ours!" "Tiring!" "Soon!"

Lightning only purred.

"Humans."

"Strange..." "Hunters..." "Not-prey..." "Kind..."

Hiccup sighed and sat down on the boulder while lost to his thoughts. It was true that there were some among the pack who took a more hostile approach and apparently thought nothing good of humans. But it was also clear that there were many who either had not known pain from humans or otherwise did not carry that pain with them.

He also remembered that the adults did not generally try to pass down that hostility to their cubs, preferring to save such lessons of warning for when their children became fledglings or adults and could better understand the danger. That was only possible because of how far away the Furies were living from everyone else right now.

_What is peace?_

It was not a pleasant line of thought, but he felt that it deserved some consideration.

_Maybe it would be better for them to never meet other humans. Maybe living apart forever and never meeting each other would be best. Let the dragons fade from memory and be free on their own. That would be a type of peace._

Then he looked back up the four adults with him. Their red, orange, and yellow eyes were wide, warm, and inviting.

"Have any of you... lost one of your kin to humans?"

Eyes-That-Shimmer looked away from him whereas the others did not react.

"Eyes-That-Shimmer?" he whispered.

She looked back at him after staring off at the sky, and she spoke softly.

"My dam might have died to humans, but I am not certain. There was no body when I flew back to the den."

Wings-Of-Ice stretched a wing out over her back while purring to her.

She did not look especially sad or grieved. She did not hang her head or whine in pain. Her mother apparently disappearing on her had happened long ago.

But he remembered the stories of Furies in the pack who had been deeply hurt. Several of them carried scars, physical and emotional, even now.

"I am so sorry about how life was before: how bad it was for all of you..." he whispered.

"You are sorry? Why?" Lightning chuffed.

"I... I wish that everything had been different: that everyone hadn't thought of you as kill on sight..."

Eyes-That-Shimmer huffed at that.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Because humans hurt so many of you," he explained.

"Yes, but you are not humans. You are a human. You do not carry any of their bad thinking in your soul-fire," she answered.

"I agree," Lightning chuffed, "that you should only be sorry for bad that you do, not for the bad of others. Group-rot is a twisted thought."

He shrugged, not entirely convinced by that easy dismissal. However, she was not wrong either.

"I suppose that's true. Maybe this world can be different."

"This world?" Wings-Of-Ice warbled.

"Yes, you do not know what happened to you?"

All four of them looked confused.

"Do you remember flying through twisted skies?"

"Yes," they all said.

"That flight through twisted skies brought you to this world which is very different from where we are all from. The humans here have some stories about bad dragons, but they do not know about you. Dark wings are completely new dragons to this world."

"Bad dragons like the big Alphas or the ones that hunt other dragons?" Wings-Of-Ice asked.

"I don't know about that, but this world has some very bad dragons. Toothless and I met one of them before we found the pack."

That definitely was news to them because they all gasped in surprise.

"It was an ice-breathing dragon much bigger than us. It tried to kill me and Toothless, and it even tried to break us apart," he explained.

"Why would it do that?" Eyes-That-Shimmer stamped a paw on the ground.

The best explanation he had come up with was that their turning on each other would make their deaths more likely, which would keep secret where Vorunturth's treasure hoard was hidden.

"I don't know for sure, but it did. Anyway, the humans in this world do not know you dark wings. I want to think that you could maybe live in peace with them. What do you think about that?"

They glanced between themselves without saying anything. They were purring, and their ears were lifted though. That was encouraging.

"What would that mean to live in peace with them?" Lightning asked.

"Just what it sounds like. You and them could be like two packs that live in the same range in peace. You protect each other and work for each other. No fighting or killing each other."

A long silence followed as they all thought about it.

"I want my cub to never know fighting and dying," Lightning then whispered aloud.

That simple, heartfelt concern and wish for her child to know a better world was a desire he knew was common to both kinds.

"I want that too. Do any of you know where Growls-At-His-Shadow and Dreamcatcher are?"

"They are by the far warm pool," Wings-Of-Ice answered.

"Okay, I want to go talk to them. Thank you for talking to me. All of you."

As he watched Lightning and Hunts-In-Deep-Waters and Wings-Of-Ice and Eyes-That-Shimmer quietly speaking to each other, he wondered about his own mission; it was very fragile. So much would have to go right to give the Furies an opportunity to prove themselves to humans who would be willing to listen and give them a chance.

But first the pack would have to be convinced that it was worth taking the risk in the first place.

_Getting to know the pairs and helping them to think differently about humans is probably all I can do right now._

* * *

The pair of adults was resting by the pond while their cub swam in the steaming water.

_Alright, how to go about this one..._

They were sure to be difficult to get to. Both of them had significant issues that might prevent them from being able to trust him or any human.

Dreamcatcher had lost a brother to humans long ago, and Growls-At-His-Shadow had killed humans and even targeted them out of revenge. He had even... eaten humans before, so the Fury said, and he had no reason to doubt that.

But little Tail-Hunter had none of that violence or pain. She was so playful and full of life.

_Definitely with her._

He took a deep breath and then strode toward them. They saw him and watched as he approached.

"Hello, snack..." Growls-At-His-Shadow snarled.

_Okay, going to ignore that one._

"Where? Do you have a snack for me?"

"No, you are the snack."

"What? I'm the snack?"

"Yes."

"Is he always like that?" he asked Dreamcatcher.

She blinked and stared at him until she finally answered with a question.

"Like what?"

"Mean to someone who hasn't done anything mean to him..."

"Yes, you have," Growls-At-His-Shadow growled back.

"What did I do?"

"Being a human! You are one of... them..."

Hiccup nodded and glanced out at the pond as Tail-Hunter swam to shore.

"Us or them... yeah, did you know that I lived in a pack of dragon-killing humans?"

"We have heard," Dreamcatcher warbled.

"That was what they said that humans should think like. That tribe for itself against others. Humans against dragons. Us or them. If you fault me for being human, you are just as bad as them."

Growls-At-His-Shadow clawed at the dirt and bared his teeth.

"I should kill you now..." Growls-At-His-Shadow snarled.

"You should kill one of the pack while your daughter watches?" he whispered.

"Hiccup!" Tail-Hunter bellowed.

She hauled herself from the water, shook herself off, and hopped at him. He hopped back as she waved her tail in eager play.

"Tail-Hunter, have a good swim?"

"Yes!"

"What? You not tired?" he chuckled.

"No!"

"Come on then, you fierce dark wing!"

She roared at him and then spun on her parents.

"We should play with Hiccup!" Tail-Hunter shouted.

"Little one, come here..." Growls-At-His-Shadow hummed.

"Sire?"

She dutifully sat on her haunches before her father and mother, both of whom glanced from her to him and back.

Dreamcatcher then bent down and nuzzled her neck.

"You play with him, little one. We will watch you."

"Yay, playing!"

Growls-At-His-Shadow and Dreamcatcher got to their feet; the two adults were coming with to supervise the play as they said they would. Tail-Hunter spun on him and crouched down to the ground.

"I am the hunter! You be the prey!" she cried.

Hunter and prey was a common game that the cubs liked playing. It was exactly what it sounded like: one of the players was the hunter and tried to catch the other who was being the prey. The game was basically hide and seek with some roughhousing at the end.

"No flying!" he shouted at her.

"Okay! Run!" she agreed.

He ran, weaving through the trees as best he could. There was of course no chance that he could escape her forever, but that was not the point.

The point was just to interact peacefully and be friendly and patient. Do that enough with their daughter and there was no way that her parents could be angry or suspicious of him.

No reasonable way, at least. There was no guarantee they would be reasonable.

Tail-Hunter roared in pursuit until she finally caught up to him and pinned him on his back.

"Got you!" she bellowed.

"No, I got you!"

He tickled her under the chin. She collapsed in place on him, pinning him to the ground as she became very drowsy.

Then her parents stepped up beside him and stared down at him. They looked calm but also very alert and wary.

"Uh, little help here?"

Dreamcatcher huffed and bent down to lick Tail-Hunter's head while purring to her. The drowsy cub immediately awoke, rolled off him, and hopped to her paws.

"I got him!"

"Yep! Well hunted!" he chuckled as he got to his feet.

She still yawned widely after that, probably because she had been swimming and then playing afterwards.

"Tired?"

"No..." she yawned again.

"How about you go with your dam and have a nap?"

"Do I have to?" Tail-Hunter objected.

"Yes, little one," Dreamcatcher hummed.

"Okay, dam! Bye Hiccup!"

Tail-Hunter and Dreamcatcher walked off together while Growls-At-His-Shadow remained behind. The Fury's expression was unreadable.

"So? Still thinking of killing me?"

"If I need to."

"You don't mean that."

Growls-At-His-Shadow bared his teeth and stepped closer until Hiccup could feel his hot breath.

"Yes, I do!"

"Then go ahead and do it. Kill me now and go explain why I am dead to Burning-Star, Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, the Alphas, and everyone else in the pack. I don't think you are a monster."

Exactly as he knew would happen, Growls-At-His-Shadow said and did nothing. Rather, he instead snarled and stalked off to follow after his mate and daughter.

While the Fury definitely had a violent side and was bitter, he was not stupid. Neither was he afraid. Even his anger felt somehow shallow, as if he was being that way as a display or an act.

Hiccup shrugged and started walking alone through the forest.

_It'll take time with him. I've got plenty of that now._

* * *

Hiccup frowned while scratching Toothless's neck. A problem had been on his mind for the last few days.

"Toothless, we don't go flying much these days."

Toothless grumbled and shook his head; the Fury's thoughts had probably been somewhere else as he rested.

"No, but do you truly want to be up in these cold winds unless you must?" Toothless answered.

"Fair point, but I was also thinking about you. Don't you want to go flying? We haven't really flown anywhere since that hunt in the north a couple weeks ago."

Toothless purred in acknowledgment.

"Thank you, Hiccup. I do not need to fly right now. Being on the ground with my kin is enough."

"Alright, just tell me if you want to go flying."

"I will. Can I see my starlight pendant?"

"Sure, let me get it for you."

He went over to the supply bags and found the pendant. He had to search through the supplies, which were starting to run a little low on Lembas bread.

_There's nothing but meat and sometimes fish up here. I'd say I can probably make it another month up here at most._

He returned to Toothless and held out the pendant to him.

"Do you want to wear it now?"

"No, I only want to look at it."

So he set it down on the ground before Toothless and watched as the Fury stared at the white pearl. The gem did not glow or shine with much visible light during the day. It only glowed very bright at night, and he had no idea why that would be except possibly some connection to the stars being out. Maybe all it needed was darkness for it to show its light.

Toothless eventually sighed and turned away from the pendant.

"Can you put it back?"

He did and then came back. Toothless's ears were fallen as he stared at his paws.

"Bud, are you okay?"

"Yes, I am."

"You don't look happy."

Toothless sighed and lay his head down on his paws.

Privately, Hiccup thought that Toothless was a little more reserved recently: not talking cheerfully or wanting to play in the morning. He had been sleeping in a lot more also.

It was probably something about the weather and the cold. The dreary clouds and chill wind could certainly sap the will to do much of anything.

"I do not? Hiccup, I am... happy in a way I have never been before."

Something about how he said that almost sounded uncertain, as if Toothless was trying to assure himself that was true.

"Bud? Are you sure?"

Toothless then looked at him.

"Yes. I feel... wanted by my kin now... by everyone I care for."

Hiccup nodded in understanding.

_Yeah, finding a tribe of your kind and finding your family will definitely do that..._

"And," Toothless continued, "I have been thinking a lot more about the future and what I want from life."  
"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I have been talking a lot with Jumps-At-Fire, and I feel much warmth for her."

Hiccup started in surprise, and he was not entirely sure what to think of this news, which he now knew he absolutely should have known was going to happen eventually.

This was the first that Toothless had openly told him about such interest as more than a vague possibility. He had seen Toothless and Jumps-At-Fire occasionally talking in the range, but no more than would be expected for any fellow Fury of the pack. She was also apparently a loner among the pack, from what he had been told, and didn't spend much time around the rest of the pack.

"Warmth?"

Toothless turned to him, hesitated as if he wanted to say something, and then sighed, his ears fallen.

"Yes, I want to make her my life-mate."

There the admission was. He totally should have foreseen this, especially since he had teased Toothless about exactly this.

On the one hand, he knew that it would probably be good for Toothless if he could find a mate and have a family of his own. On the other hand, Toothless finding a mate would change a lot about their own relationship in ways he could not know beforehand. It was also awkward to think about them... doing that... and having a kid, a cub.

_Oh, I understand. That's why he's feeling anxious right now. He's just nervous about figuring out life._

"Okay, so how does that... happen for you two?"

Toothless looked off into the distance for a long time before answering.

"I... need to learn more about her before we would become a true pair."

That was good. The longer that they took to figure that out the better it would be. Taking time in relationships was a good idea, as far as he knew. Not that he himself had any experience in relationships.

"That's fair enough. I hope that goes well for you both and you make each other happy."

"So do I."

"Want to talk about anything else, bud?"

"What is there to talk about?"

"How about the pack? What do you think of them, other than your family of course?"

Toothless huffed.

"I had no idea what my kin would be like. Their lives are simple, slow, and safe. I like that they live much as a pack with no true fighting with each other. They trust everyone in the pack."

"Yeah, definitely. Do you think they'd have lived like this before coming to Middle-earth?"

"What do you mean?"

Hiccup frowned as he thought about how to describe it.

"Well, many of the pairs said they were living on their own, not as a pack. What they are doing here is... apparently different from what they were living like back then."

Toothless hummed in agreement.

"Yes, I heard that also. They have only the life-rules that they need so they can live in peace: rules like having mate-pairs, working and hunting for the good of the pack, choosing a good pair to be their Alphas, and listening to the Alphas to resolve disputes."

Hiccup idly nodded while wondering about one odd characteristic of all the Furies up here in the pack. It was something that he had noticed and wondered about almost from the first moment they met Wings-Of-Ice.

"Bud, do you think it's odd that they can talk like you and me?"

"Odd? Hmm, no more odd and twisted than me talking," Toothless pointed out.

"Right, but even you learned what some words meant by listening to me, as you said. If they are changed to talk like you, are they also... tempted by gold and treasure?"

"I hope not, but I have not thought about that," Toothless grumbled.

"Maybe we can find out. It's something we should probably learn, just in case."

"Yes, we probably should."

"In other news, I've made good progress with most of the pack. Just survived Dreamcatcher and Growls..."

Toothless growled and grumbled.

"I do not like that male. He has problems."

"Yep, I noticed, but he hasn't killed me yet!"

"Good. Are any other packmates being cold to you?"

Hiccup paused before answering him.

"Well, there is someone I haven't spoken to yet..."

* * *

Hiccup put his hands behind his back and took a deep breath to steady himself. This was probably going to be the most difficult talk of all, based on what he knew of everyone in the pack. He had not approached her or spoken to her since that day over three weeks ago when he and Toothless had first met her and learned how painful her past was. That inability to talk to her in the meantime was partially because she had kept busy with hunting, but it was also because she took no initiative to be around them and give them a chance to interact with her.

It was only possible for him to meet her now because she was resting with a couple of the cubs, Free-Flight and Storm-Chaser, under a wing after having watched over their play.

_Hopefully she does not kill me! I'd be okay with getting just a scar out of this. Maybe a slight mauling would suffice..._

_At least Growls didn't do anything violent to me._

Resigned to his fate, whatever it would be, he started toward her.

"Hello Moonbeam!"

Her white head lifted as she turned to silently stare at him. Her eyes narrowed while she said nothing and remained very still.

He stopped before her and shuffled in place under her intense gaze. Her ears were back while she grumbled.

"So, uh, nice weather we are having," he began.

"What do you want?" she barked.

_No small talk. Got it._

"I just want to talk."

"You certainly can. There is nothing more I need to say to you."

He did his best to ignore how short her temper was. Losing his patience would not help.

"Are they asleep?" he gestured to the cubs.

"Yes."

He stepped closer to her, intending to sit down next to the two young Furies, but he froze when she softly growled at him.

"Touch me and you lose a paw!" she hissed.

"I was not going to touch you. I will not. I promise."

He frowned as he sat crosslegged before her. She kept glaring at him all the while.

"Why do you not trust me? You know that I'm not a monster human; you said so yourself."

"I have my reasons. Why do you care?" she huffed and looked away from him.

She was being very frustrating.

"I care because I am one of the pack now. You did not object to that either."

"I know. I should have, but I did not. It was twisted of me..."

"Why didn't you?"

She sighed.

"You, Burning-Star, Breath-Of-Sky, Far-Flight, and Sky-Dancer looked so... happy. Almost like a good, whole family..."

She then remembered who she was talking to and narrowed her eyes again.

"If you ever do anything twisted that hurts the pack, I will tell the Alphas, and they will throw you out of the pack or worse."

"That will never happen because you will not have anything to tell. I will not betray the pack. I made a promise."

She tapped her tail on the ground.

"You might trick us."

"Really? All of you? If I could trick Burning-Star, both Alphas, Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, and all the other pairs... well, you would all deserve whatever happened then if you were all that blind."

She huffed.

"True, that would be twisted for none of us to see your falseness."

"There is none, but that is what someone who is false would say, so that doesn't actually help me."

"No, it does not. Humans are the best hunters of all," she snorted.

He was very stuck with her; she didn't want to open up at all to him.

_Maybe a different approach might work better._

"How are they?" he gestured toward the cubs, both of whom had their tailfins over their heads.

She glanced down at them and hummed softly.

"They will sleep much. I played pinning with them and was teaching them how to get out of a pin."

"Their sires and dams are hunting now, right?"

"Yes, I do much cub-watching for the pack. They need much protection against dangers."

"What dangers?"

"There are wolf-hunters in this range. They usually stay away from us, but we do not leave the cubs unprotected. The cold is also a danger to them."

He shivered at the memory of meeting those large wolflike things in the Waste. Normal wolves did not have glowing eyes.

"Being with cubs makes my soul-fire warm," she added.

"Mine too," he whispered.

She blinked.

"Does it? Planning to take their wings and back for your own also?"

"No. I want to be friendly with them and show them humans are not bad."

"So you say. What about Burning-Star? What does he think about cubs?"

It was a strange question coming from her.

"He likes them a lot. You should have seen him with the small-not-human cubs, the Hobbit cubs. He let them climb all over him and slide down his wings. I'm sure you've seen him playing with pack's cubs too."

"Yes, I have been... watching both of you. I have also seen him... talking to Jumps-At-Fire."

There was a hint in how she said that which suggested she knew what was happening, so there was no reason denying it on Toothless's behalf.

"They are talking about becoming mates," he explained.

She stared at him for a while until she snorted.

"Are they? Truly? They might be good for each other, except for the cubs part, since he is a downed dragon and she has her problems."

It was hard to ignore the blatant mention of Toothless being a downed dragon.

This was also the second time he had heard that Jumps-At-Fire had problems, but he had no idea what that meant. She definitely felt more comfortable on her own, but he understood that preference. He wished he had more chances to speak to her, since he hadn't talked to her after their first introduction.

He also wasn't sure what Moonbeam meant about cubs being a problem.

"I don't understand. What problems?"

She looked like he wanted to answer his question but wasn't sure what to say.

"She has problems trusting others because of... a hurt in her past," she finally answered.

_Honestly, that sounds like you too._

He considered saying it out loud, but thought better of it. Intentionally antagonizing her would not help her trust him at all, even if what he said was strictly correct.

"Everyone can change and heal with time," he settled on.

"That is easy for you to say! What have you lost? Have you lost both your parents to dragons that hunted humans?" she hissed.

He scowled at that and crossed his arms.

"My mother, my dam, was killed... carried away by a dragon! You don't see me hating all dragons because of that one..."

"Then you did not truly care for her."

That took him aback. His retort died before he could say anything.

She was correct that he had not deeply felt that loss since he had still been a mere baby then. He could not even remember that terrible event, so he didn't feel it as terribly as his father must have. On the other hand, she had been plenty old enough to understand and feel the pain from when her parents were killed.

It was frustrating how she countered, even unknowingly, so many of his points.

"No, I have not become bitter like my enemy."

Then she shuffled in place and grumbled. She looked like she was about to shout at him when she suddenly gasped and lifted a wing. All her frustration withered in an instant.

"The cubs are waking up," she whispered.

Sure enough, Free-Flight opened his eyes, yawned widely, and hopped to his paws while stretching everything.

"Hiccup! Are you here to play?" Free-Flight asked with his eyes very wide and tail swaying.

His swaying tail knocked into Storm-Chaser and woke her up also. She cried aloud and nipped at Free-Flight's tail before she noticed him there also.

"Hiccup!" she shouted.

_Always playing... I always wanted to play at that age too. Never could find any trolls in Berk's forest..._

"Sure, I can play. How about I hide and you both try to find me!"

"Okay!" both cubs shouted.

He spared Moonbeam one more glance before he ran off to find a hiding place. She stared calmly back at him without snarling or glaring. She would probably be following the cubs as they searched for him.

It was not much, but it was progress.

* * *

Toothless continued on alone through the night. This was a very familiar walk to him by now because he made this journey every few nights to meet her. It was only different this time because a soft dusting of snow was steadily falling from the clouds above.

Their nights followed the same pattern: they were together as she wanted, they practiced bonding and cuddling afterwards as he wanted, they spoke some about life and experiences, and then he journeyed back to the pack and his kin. The bonding was a part of the night she was still reluctant to embrace because of what doing so implied about him and her.

But he wanted this night to be different. After several nights of enjoying each other, he wanted more time for them just to talk and be in each other's presence. It felt important to know if they could bond at all and enjoy being together without any mating. Hopefully she would want that also. There was nothing wrong with jumping straight to the bonding. He was unsure whether he enjoyed more being one with her or the bonding that followed. Both were good.

She was sitting attentively, waiting for him when he arrived. The ground was covered in a thin layer of snow and many of her pawprints where she had been pacing.

"Burning-Star, how was your day?"

"Not the best. There was not much hunting the last few days. The pack should fly to the cold waters again soon."

"Is there a problem with that?"

"I feel twisted making Hiccup fly with me on the very cold flights."

She hummed, "That is a problem. You probably do not want to stop flying those hunting-flights though."

"True, I want to provide for the pack."

"Is there anything you want to talk about?" she asked.

He said nothing about feeling more tired and discouraged about his lack of progress with her.

"There is something else. This looks like it will be a very cold night, but I can help with that," he purred.

She slyly purred, ready to start, so he interrupted her.

"I want us to go somewhere else."

This was a change which he hoped she would go along with.

"Where do you want to go?"

He yawned widely and nodded toward the mountains.  
"To your den. I do not know where it is."

She had never mentioned where her den was hidden.

"Fine. Follow me," she said.

He dipped his head with a purr of surprise. That she was willing to go along with this was very good. Hopefully she would be accepting of the other way he wanted this night to be different.

"You lead me, my pretend mate."

She chuffed at that and started on paw, alternatively running and trotting toward the mountains. It was another long journey with climbing up the slope which was covered by some moss, many boulders or large rocks, and only a few small bushes. He was short of breath by the time they got to a high ledge.

He blinked in surprise when he saw the place that she led him to. It was on the side of the mountain where the range turned slightly for the north. From the edge of the ledge, he could see the distant western horizon across all his vision. The fallen snow reflected the moonlight and glowed with a faint light.

Back against the mountain's slope was a slight shelter where the cold wind did not blow and the snow did not fall. It was not a cave, but it certainly had the same purpose and was probably good enough to live in permanently. The rocky ground was covered in a tough moss near what was once probably a very small stream on the side of the ledge.

Hers was a beautiful almost-den that would be a good place to live in and raise cubs to see the open sky and the horizon.

He sighed at the thought and then trotted over to her in her almost-den.

"It is a warming den. I like how open to the sky this is."

She purred and lifted her ears as she looked around the place.

"So do I. It is close enough to the pack and also lets me stay far enough away. I see the open sky every day and night I am here. I never feel trapped here."

He sat down before her and softly asked the question which kept nipping his tail.

"Why do you still want to keep yourself away from the rest of the pack?"

She huffed, stepped over to him, and put a paw to his muzzle.

"No questions now. You know what to do."

He huffed with a soft groan of frustration while hoping that she would enjoy what he wanted instead of mating.

"True. I am yours now, but I want us to do something different this time."

"Different? What?"

He gently nudged her nose.

"Will you sit with me and... watch the stars and talk with me? I am tired after a long day and... I want some peaceful pretend-bonding this time."

She purred while nuzzling his side.

"No mating?" she wondered.

"True. There is no need for that right now."

She barked softly in surprise and hopped away, though she stared curiously at him.

"I... alright then... why not try this once? You want to watch the stars?"

"Yes, and maybe see a burning one falling from the sky," he chuckled.

She chuckled at his wit, and then she nodded toward a flat part of her ledge. He followed her over there and lay down at her side. Neither of them said anything for a while.

All the stars were visible as the moon also shone brightly high above. The mountain blocked the worst of the biting wind, but it was still very cold up at this height.

"My pretend mate, are you ready for bonding?" he hummed.

She huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Yes, we should try that," she said.

With that reassurance, he wrapped his tail around hers and stretched a wing over her back. She leaned against his shoulder while purring in peace and staring at the sky. The aurora flowed high above while the stars burned, flying freely as they always did.

"Do you want to talk about anything?" she asked.

That she asked him first was encouraging and a good sign. Maybe she was warming to him truly. The warmth inside his soul-fire at the possibility helped a lot with the chill, and he hoped that she similarly did not feel much of the cold.

"Do you know what the stars are?" he wondered.

"They are the soul-fires of dragons, or so the stories say. I do not know if those stories are true."

"No, how could any of us know that?"

She huffed.

"True. One part I do not like in the stories is that there is no place for the free-fliers like me. All the dead are expected to join with a star-pack. I do not need a pack. It is... safer on my own."

_Safer? What are you afraid of?_

She seemed to him afraid of the pack or of being part of a community. That much was rather obvious. She did not fit in with the pack because of her ideas.

"When did you join the pack?" he asked.

"Nine winters ago. I flew from the den after my dam did not fly back to the den. Then I was in these skies and wandered until I found the pack."

"Was she lost to humans?"

She grunted once and huffed.

"I do not know or care."

"What? Why not?"

"Because she and I had... problems in our kinship. She was very angry and cold after my sire left her."

He growled.

"Why would he do that?"

"Because he wanted a younger mate," she answered without hesitation.

She seemed very certain of that, but he was not sure.

_Maybe it is that simple or maybe not._

"He must have had problems in his life, but I do not know anything about him. What about your dam? Why did you have problems with her?"

She hesitated before answering.

"She... taught me a painful lesson, but it helped me grow strong and survive."

"What lesson?"

She stared aimlessly into the distance without answering him.

He was very curious what that lesson was. However, she did not say anything more, and he was not going to push her on that if she did not want to speak about what had happened.

"What about the pack? You are part of the pack even though you keep yourself outside it much."

She sighed and shuffled in place before staring off at the distant horizon. He joined her in doing so in peaceful silence until she lay her head down on the ground between her paws.

"They are trapped in their ways that make them less free. I see the females with their cubs, talking to them, playing with them, and nuzzling them. Those females let themselves be trapped by life and needing their males to hunt for them much. They are not like me. Free."

He winced at how twisted her thought was on that matter.

She continued.

"I sometimes hunt for the pack, but I do not feel warmth resting with them. The males rejected me, and the females are living in traps," she added.

He nudged her shoulder and licked her neck.

"None of them talk much about you or say bad things about you."

"They think it," she countered, staring into the distance.

"I will stay here and keep you warm as long as you want," he offered.

"Thank you, Burning-Star. Sharing warmth is good," she sighed.

A long and peaceful silence followed as he wondered what else to do with her. There was no mating-wanting at all; he only wanted more bonding and more getting to know her soul-fire.

He chuckled.

"I have an idea. You tell me a story, and I will tell you a story. You wanted storytelling one of these times."

She purred and lifted her head to gaze at him.

"You want me to tell you a story? What kind of story?"

It was good that she was interested.

"Tell me about your flights, maybe about a special place you have flown to."

She was silent in thought until her eyes lit and ears went up.

"There is an island far off in the cold waters. The island is covered in teeth of ice and has caves with rocks that shine with light inside when the sun's light shines. There are no humans, other dragons, or any prey except fish in the waters. I flew to that island, hunted fish, and then slept there. I remember waking up on the rocks as the sun rose to fly in the sky. The light bounced and danced off the ice like sparks of fire. The cold wind flew in my face and wings, but my soul-fire was so warmed by the pure freedom. A full belly, nothing holding me down, and no obligations or duties."

She inhaled and continued.

"That was the one time in my life when I felt perfect oneness with... all the world out there. What about you, Burning-Star?"

He hummed while staring at the stars.

"I know what you mean. I felt that when Hiccup and I first flew together in a true shared flight. We flew closely though tight teeth of rocks. We were flying so fast that hitting any of them would have killed us. Hiccup learned how to fly with me when he learned my small signals, a lean or head-turn, and trusted his own soul-fire more."

She gave a wary warble.

"I do not care about your being grounded; we do not need flying for each other. But being grounded on your own must be very bad for you."

He rolled his shoulders in a shrug.

"It is what it is. I am not grounded when Hiccup is with me. My being grounded brought my and his life-flights together, and that is good. I am not free to fly on my own, true, and I am..."

He grumbled, not sure what to say.

"I am trapped with him, but I do not hate that. Sometimes a trap can be a good one if you are trapped with someone you care about and who cares for you."

She appeared uncertain about that, so he continued.

"I can trust you with this. There is something else about me and Hiccup; no others in the pack know about this truth."

"What is it?" she whispered.

"You and all the pack know that he found me and could have killed me. True?"

"Yes, you told us."

"But he is also why I am grounded. He shot me from the sky, and I lost the tailfin when I fell into a tree."

She gasped and stared at him in shock.

"And you do not hate him for that?"

"No. Why would I carry anger in my claws and thinking? Doing that would only weigh down my flight."

"I suppose it might," she chuffed and lay her head on her paws.

Neither of them said anything else for a very long time. He finally bent down and nudged her head.

"What do you want now, Jumps? Should I stay here tonight and keep you warm?"

She considered him and then looked around her den.

"How do you want to keep me warm?"

"Whichever way you want. I do want some rest though," he answered.

She growled softly as she thought about it until her ears fell.

"You would be missed if you sleep here or stay here much longer. Your kin and Hiccup would ask where you were."

_Grr, she is right._

They had been meeting without a regular pattern, to help hide what they were doing, but his being gone an entire night and not there in the morning would be very difficult to explain. Even being with her any longer was likely to be noticed, if anyone was awake.

"True, I should go back to rest with them and the pack."

He unwound his tail from hers, hopped to his paws, and turned for the slope that led down the mountain.

"Burning-Star?"

He glanced over his tail at her.

"Jumps?"

"We should meet up here from now on."

"I would like that," he purred.

Then he roughly glided down the slope, gently landed, and started walking alone through the night.

His soul-fire was both warm and chilled at the same time, twisted though that was. He was warmed because of all that they had done together and how willing she was to start opening up to him, and he was also chilled because of this keeping themselves secret and because of how her problems kept her from trusting the pack and him as much as she should.

_She is changing slowly._

There was still a biting suspicion in his soul-fire; it felt like there was a problem he had not seen about what they were doing. Whether it was a problem with him or her, he had no idea. He still felt some warmth inside just from being around her, but there was no way to know for certain whether she also felt that warmth. She would know how to avoid getting a cub from him, so that probably was not the problem.

He could just ask her, but doing that felt dangerous since it might show her that he was almost trying to trick her into wanting him truly. Was it wrong to make her want him by learning who he was? Was that even a trick, or was that what all pairs did before becoming mates?

Was that the problem?

Another possible way to get an answer would be to talk to Hiccup or Far-Flight, but... having them give him an answer felt like a mistake. This learning was something he had to do on his own.


	33. Regrets

Regrets

* * *

Toothless was sure he had made progress with Jumps-At-Fire in the three weeks since they started meeting in secret.

This time after they were finished up on her ledge where she made her den, she left her tail woven around his and let them slowly sway together. She let him rest a wing over her back and freely lick and nuzzle her neck. Most warming was that she even returned some of that attention to him.

However, he felt more twisted inside than he ever had with her. This time he had not forgotten himself or lost himself in the act. Being with her had not felt very warming either. Rather, it felt like something he had to do just to be finished with it. It was a duty, not a shared gift.

He could not help but wonder if she felt differently about what they were doing. Where once before he had thought he saw shared joy at the possibility of life together, now he could only see her own pleasure and needy feeling of being wanted. That was the same he had felt in the past, but he did not even feel that anymore. The only true comfort he could take from it was that she enjoyed it, but that was not enough for him. There was something important... missing.

They remained resting together a long time until the inside-fire was completely gone. He never stopped purring to her as he imagined them as the true pair that they should be and were now pretending to be to each other.

"You did very well... as usual," she hummed.

"I am glad you like it. The pretend bonding is also warming," he licked her cheek.

"Yes, it is."

"We both needed this," she purred.

He did not grumble, but he thought there was more than only having a need to satisfy. There should be more. He wanted more.

"Yes, we did. You are amazing, Jumps."

"You are also, Burning-Star."

"Of course I am. I am very impressive."

She laughed.

"We both know that!"

"Very true. Now what?" he asked while grinning.

Her ears slightly fell as she gave a sympathetic warble.

"As fun and warming as this is, we need to stop for a while after this night."

That was surprising, and there had to be a reason why. She definitely was not unhappy with him. After a little thought, he suspected he knew why she wanted to stop for a while.

"Why?"

"Because I might get a cub from it if we do not stop."

He grunted in understanding. Her scent had started becoming more powerful in the last few days. Avoiding making a cub was a fair concern which he shared with her. He did not want to make a cub with her right now. Their lives were still too different to allow such a responsibility. Making a new life together would only be good if she could promise to share life with him and could reassure him about what she wanted from life.

If she could want to truly join life-flights with him, then that would change everything.

"I agree with you," he said.

He remained there holding her tail and purring peace to her for a long time under the stars.

However, her mention of avoiding making a cub reminded him of what he had thought about after every time they finished being together and also frequently whenever he was on his own and lost to his thoughts.

No cubs would come from what they had been doing. She had explained that she knew when her body was able to make a cub, and she avoided any activity during those times, as inconvenient as it was to her to not have total control. That lack of perfect control was something she did not like but could not do anything about. On the other paw, it was only a small inconvenience when compared to the freedom and reassurance a little self-control allowed.

A question started growing in his soul-fire as he stared at the sky. He needed to know this eventually but had not yet openly asked in their time together, and it felt like a good time to ask after all the progress they had made.

"Have you thought more about... us?"

"What about us?" she warbled.

He gently squeezed her tail.

"About if you can want to... be a true mate with me? I understand if not yet, but... it could be good for both of us."

She grumbled and looked away, staring off into the distance toward the horizon. Then she sighed.

"You are not as twisted as other males. You understand and respect me more than they did. You do not judge me."

This was true; he did try to respect her wishes and understand why she wanted what she did. He also was fine with letting her fly and range as much as she wanted. He did not need her constantly at his side to reassure him. However, there were certain minimums he did need from her.

He chuffed and nudged her shoulder.

"You know what it would mean if you became my true mate? You would be with me and no others, just as I would be with you and no others."

She shuffled in place before answering. She still looked away from him as she spoke.

"I could be with you only from now on... because I must. It would be twisted to me, but I could try... to want that trap. There are no others who would have us, or that would have me, so that want of mine for freedom would never fly."

He closed his eyes while hiding his frustration. What she said did not sound to him like true commitment. Instead, it sounded like resignation.

"I would not have another, and I do not see it as a trap. Why do you see it that way?"

"My sire."

He snorted.

"What about him? He is not all sires or all males. Am I anything like him?"

"No, you are not truly like him. But there was... another..."

She had avoided talking about this before. Clearly there was another male who had done something bad in her life.

"What happened?" he whispered.

She leaned against his shoulder and spoke softly without looking at him.

"A male my age found me when I was almost ready to fly the den and search for a mate."

"Did he... force you?" he growled.

"No. I was grown and had wanting for a mate. My dam warned me that to trust him would be a mistake, but I did not want to listen to her. He and I... we flew a sky dance and mated in the sky."

That surprised him. She had always been so against the very idea of such a flight or the bonding and trust it implied.

"And then he flew away from you?"

She whined.

"He died."

He gasped and nudged her shoulder as she continued.

"He died to humans because he was too young and stupid and tried to take prey he should not have. Right after he died is when I learned that we had made a cub. My dam was angry with me for making a mistake, and I was afraid of being alone. She brought me plants that would... kill the cub inside... and make the mistake... go away. I had no choice."

He stared into the distance, fully understanding what had happened and feeling mostly pity for her but also shock that she had done that to her own cub.

"After that... she taught me how to know and use my body well so I stay free. I learned the truth that I must keep control and that love hurts too much to risk."

"No, you should not think that way," he weakly objected.

She sighed and glanced at him.

"Think however you want. I would prefer that we keep doing this as have been: joining and some pretend bonding, but not as life-mates who truly need each other or care. You are enough for me as you are, and to be more would be dangerous. There is no confusion if we both stay like this. We cannot be hurt."

There was one more detail he had to know about, though he thought he knew what her answer would be.

"What about cubs? Would you ever want to..."

"No. I will not make a cub with you. That would be too much," she curtly answered as she looked away from him.

"Why is that too much? New life is good."

She waved a forepaw toward the horizon.

"Because I want to always be able to fly free, when I want and where I want. That is who I am, and it... will not change. I know that you would let me be free to do that. A cub would not."

He nodded and then looked away from her, similarly staring off into the distance as he thought about her words. She was not wrong about any of that.

"I see how that would be a problem for you," he sighed.

Was that what his life was meant for?

To join always only when no cub would come from it?

To have no little one to hold under his wing and teach to fly the winds of life?

Could he be happy with her alone in that way?

Playing with cubs was so fun and warming to his soul-fire. Being a warm sire to cubs of his own would be a way to shape the future into something better through them, as well as the warmth of giving them good lives to live. He also saw the true warmth with which other mated pairs, such as his own sire and dam, looked at each other. There was certainly more for them than only the act of joining. Without that more, that trust and true sharing of life that he wanted, the act felt lesser and left him feeling confused and unsatisfied.

More of this with her would never be enough.

He stared up at the moonlight as clarity and understanding came to him.

She thought that what they were doing was good, he had also at first, but now it felt like a trap because they wanted different things out of life. Trying to change her wants by giving her mating as he had been doing was not a good plan.

He also could not respect her willingness to be with him only out of lack of any other willing males. That was not true commitment by her. Her refusal to want a cub with him or at all was another problem between them that nothing would change.

She could not now give him what he wanted from life. More of what they had been doing was not going to change who she was or give him what he wanted... deep in his soul-fire.

It was not his duty to try to change her.

But it was hard to let go of her tail and leave her; he knew that to do so would mean he probably would not feel her warmth or the embrace of any other female ever again. He also did not want to unnecessarily hurt her; she had been hurt enough by life already.

_What should I do?_

If she was being honest, then she did not truly feel anything for him even now after everything they had done. Could she truly feel nothing for him now?

"Are you well?" she hummed.

She apparently noticed something of his worry even if she could not understand what it was.

"Yes, I understand better."

"What do you understand better?"

"What we are, you and me."

She squeezed his tail again and gave a beckoning purr along with a lick of his cheek.

"We could go again now if you want. I am not too tired, and one more time would be good before we must stop."

One more time? Probably the last time ever in his life? Part of him wanted the reassurance while the other part wanted him to leave her now and be free of her.

Delay for later or do what he knew he must do for his own good.

He turned away from her and yawned widely. Then he unwound their tails and got to his paws.

"I need sleep. It was a long day," he sighed.

"Yes, I understand. I also want sleep now."

"Where do you want to rest?" he asked.

She waved her tail at the ledge they were on and had been on all evening.

"Here is good."

"What about with the pack?"

"We do not want the rest of the pack to think we are mates," she calmly pointed out.

He did not growl at the confirmation. Instead, he only felt disappointed, though her thoughts were not a surprise.

"You can rest here, Jumps. I should go rest with my kin. Will you take my advice on something?"

"What is it?"

"You should be around the pack more. Rest around them, hunt with them, and play with their cubs. It would help you be warmer."

"I do not know. It is different from what I have done for many winters," she warily answered.

"Think about it this way: being around the pack is more warming if you are not trying to get anything from them. Just be around them and see how they live and trust inside the pack. Try my advice while you are not... with me."

She gave a reluctant grumble.

"I will think about it, and I will let you know when we can start again," she said.

Unlike after the first time she offered more in the future, he felt nothing for this offer. She could not... would not give him what he wanted. But neither did he want to directly say anything that might break all her trust in him.

He turned tail on her and departed without looking back. He walked alone down the mountain's slope and through the woods, his head hung while faintly whining to himself.

Regret was all he could feel inside. Regret that he had met her and been tempted by a needy want that he had never felt before and not known how to control. Regret that he had not been strong enough to resist at first. Regret that she did not seem able to trust and change for the better even after all they had done and spoken about.

If she had truthfully said that she would commit to him only for the rest of their lives, that she wanted his life-flight to be warmer, and that she would be willing to have a cub with him, that would have been all he truly needed from her at a minimum; they could have figured out the rest of life with time lived together. He was certain that he would never give himself to her again. She did not deserve him as she was now.

But at the same time, he could not hate her. He knew her too well and truly cared for her after feeling her pain and learning what had happened in the past. She was very hurt and thought-twisted inside because of things that were initially beyond her control. But there was too much ice around her soul-fire right now, and she had to be the one to melt the ice and fly herself out of the past so that she could be free.

Maybe if she could truly change, then something more and better might happen between them, far off in the future.

* * *

A pawful of days had passed since he had last been with her. Fortunately, Jumps-At-Fire had not come to him since then or brought any important news, such as the news that she might have gotten a cub from him. She was truly leaving him alone, but she was also showing her nose more around the pack by doing simple things like sleeping on the edge of the warm ponds, gliding on the winds over the pack, and even talking to those who were available and willing to talk to her. That was good of her.

He lay on his own by the warm pools while lost to his thoughts and searching his soul-fire. While he wished that he had not started joining with her, he had learned an important lesson about his own motivations and the need to be in better control of his wants.

_I learned that lesson with gold, but I forgot it with her. Some good did come from this..._

There was nothing bad about the act of joining, but it needed to be done for good reasons. His reasons and her reasons were not good, and they did not even have all the same reasons behind why they had done what they did.

He sighed and rearranged his tailfin on his head. Everything was peaceful and calm since Hiccup and Breath-Of-Sky were off together, playing and bonding. He did not particularly feel like going to them for playing and bonding.

It was probably twisted of him, but he felt... fouled somehow, as though there was dirt or waste that would never come off no matter how much he washed. Was that feeling all his regrets reminding him how weak he was to temptation? Or maybe the truth was that fouled soul-fires could not truly be not-fouled.

He briefly saw Moonbeam and Mystery off in the distance, and he looked away from them,

preferring to keep to himself, just as he had been since leaving Jumps-At-Fire. Sleeping was very good and something he had not been doing enough of. Plus, being alone meant he felt less shame, not seeing how warm others were and how they had not made his mistakes.

Then he heard the crashing of an approaching Fury.

_Great... who is..._

"Burning-Star, there you are!" Far-Flight barked.

"Sire, were you looking for me?"

Far-Flight bounded over to him and stood before him. There was a worry in his sire's eyes that he had not seen there before.

"Yes, I was looking for you, my cub."

He ignored being called his sire's cub, not wanting to protest that teasing.

"Well, you found me. Why were you looking for me?"

"They asked me to find you, and I was thinking about you. You feel tail-twisted."

"Maybe I am. I just want to sleep now."

Far-Flight sat down on his rear and warbled at him.

"You just want to sleep now? That is not like my first cub. You did not want to sleep even when you were newborn."

"No?"

"No. You stayed awake even after we licked you clean and gave you a fish. You kept me and your dam awake much."

"Sorry about that."

His sire stepped closer and nudged his nose with a purr.

"Do not be. You always had a hot soul-fire that burned brightly like a star. That is why we named you as we did."

Despite his chill inside, he purred softly at that learning where his name came from.

"You were not this quiet when you and Hiccup first found us. What is the problem? Do you want to talk now?"

He did not want to talk to his sire about this mistake he had made. It felt very twisted to explain to his own sire what had been happening with Jumps-At-Fire. But on the other paw, there was no possibility he would ever talk with his dam about this. His sire might also be more understanding or better able to relate to him since they were both males.

They were also alone now and could speak without being overheard.

"We can talk. It might help me feel better."

He looked away from his sire and lay his head on his paws. His tail, stilled and forgotten, lay under his chin.

"I made a mistake, no, several mistakes."

"Everyone does."

"This was a big mistake."  
His sire hummed in wary thought.

"Did you hurt anyone else?"

"Mostly myself. No, the other was not hurt at all."

"You hurt yourself because of something you did?"

"And someone else hurt me also, but most of the hurt is from me alone."

Far-Flight's tail twitched at his side.

"Was it Jumps-At-Fire who hurt you?"

He blinked, remembering that his sire and dam had seen him walk off to talk with her at least once. If only it had truly been talking only.

"Yes."

His sire faintly growled and continued speaking.

"Let me guess, you talked much with her and you thought that she might be a good mate? You talked to her about that and she did not want you?"

_Oh sire, if only it was that..._

"That is all almost true, but there is more. She was so warm to Hiccup that I trusted her. She showed what I thought was wanting for me as a mate, but it was not. I... was not thinking well... and I... had never been around a female of my kind before, or any other good kind..."

He closed his eyes and sighed.

"I joined with her. We mated much."

Far-Flight did not say anything for many wingbeats after that. The wind and their heavy breaths were the only sounds he could hear.

"You mated with her, thinking that she wanted you as a life-mate?" Far-Flight asked.

"Yes, but she did not want that. She did not lie to me; I was not thinking well. After I learned the truth, I thought she might change and want me truly if I stayed around her and... was with her more, but she does not."

"Will there be a cub?"

"She said no. I do not think she was able to make a cub in any of those times, and she would probably know about that. We are not doing it now because... she said she might get a cub from it... and because I do not want her anymore."

Far-Flight growled, though at what he could not tell. He was also afraid to look at his sire and see the disapproval or shame that must be there.

Was this anything like what Hiccup must have felt from his own sire, even if for very different reasons?

Then his sire lay his chin on his shoulder and purred deeply without saying anything for a very long time. Surprised, he was content to let his sire give him that wordless comfort that touched his cold soul-fire.

Far-Flight then stepped back and huffed at him.

"Look at me, my cub."

Far-Flight's eyes were wide and filled with understanding, completely without shame or disapproval at his actions.

"I am not surprised by her. She has problems."

"I know. She told me about her past and what her sire did," he explained.

"Yes, many of her problems come from that. She does not trust any male to be truly close to her soul-fire, but she has the same wanting to have a mate that all probably have. She also thinks that she must have control over us because of what her sire did to her dam. That is why she uses mating to make herself feel powerful."

That certainly flew with everything he had figured out himself.

Far-Flight continued speaking.

"I know that she has asked four of us males to be with her even when we already have life-mates of our own. One of us was with her before he took a true life-mate."

He could not help but think about who that could have been.

"Was it Hunts-In-Deep-Waters?"

"I will not say. She asked me to join with her last winter. I refused her."

The wrongness of that, that she would be willing to mate a sire and that sire's grown cub, was so great that he almost felt sadness for her. Almost.

_Can she truly change? She might be always trapped in her own thinking. And about traps..._

"She also said that females are trapped in mate pairs," he grumbled.

Far-Flight snorted and clawed at the dirt.

"None of the other females in the pack agree or think like that. She has a very twisted idea of freedom."

"How do you mean, sire?"

Far-Flight's ears lifted slightly as he leaned closer.

"Freedom is like a choice you have not made yet. You could fly into one range or into another, but you cannot fly into both at once. Being free means that you have possibility, but it also means that you have not made a choice yet. She wants to be free always and never commit to one male. I wonder if, when she is old and her scales are grey and she is alone, she will regret that she made having freedom only the most important part of her life."

Toothless huffed and looked back down at his paws.

"I wish I had that choice again so that I could not make it as I did. I wish that I had not been with her at all. She... tricked me, but I let myself be tricked. It was my mistake as much as it was hers."

"Was she your... first time?"

"Yes."

"Did you do well?"

"Sire!"

Far-Flight nudged his shoulder with a paw while chuckling.

"I had to foul your flight, my dear cub."

He huffed at his sire.

"Flight fouled. If you must know... she was satisfied with me... for what she wanted..."

His sire's eyes flashed with amusement.

He just sighed and continued.

"She said that I should be thankful that she... gave me that... and that no other female in the pack would want me... because I am grounded..."

Far-Flight's gaze fell and his eyes were filled with sympathy when he finally looked back up at him.

"I do not know what to say about that. Maybe you and Hiccup can talk about him helping you fly... if you, Hiccup, and the female do not object," Far-Flight proposed.

Toothless chuckled with a resigned humor. He suspected that Hiccup would probably help him with that flight, but it felt wrong to make Hiccup have to be on his back for that. There was also another problem with that plan.

"The only other female is Moonbeam, and she does not like humans anyway. She would never let Hiccup help me fly with her, and I do not think she would want a grounded mate."

Then he let out a snarl.

"Jumps-At-Fire said that she wants to be with me more in secret, but I will not do that. Not anymore."

Far-Flight growled openly in approval.

"Good. You made a mistake because you did not know better and because you were feeling wants you had never felt before. You learned and will not make that mistake again."

"Yes, I will be more careful in the future, not that it will matter. I do wish that I could have a true life-mate and cubs of my own."

Far-Flight gently nudged his nose.

"All that I can say to you, my dear cub, is that you should try to get to know Moonbeam eventually. She is much warmer in her soul-fire than you think she is. She is kind to cubs, and I believe she can warm to Hiccup eventually. Her problems are very different from the problems Jumps-At-Fire has."

There was something he wanted to know about Moonbeam, or more precisely about Light Furies. It was possible that Far-Flight wouldn't know the answer to this, but he probably did since he had just suggested Moonbeam as a possible mate for him.

"Sire, can a dark wing and a light wing be good mates? Could I have a cub with her?"

"Yes, that is a pair that can be and make cubs. It does not happen many times, but I have heard stories of it being."

Far-Flight then looked away from him at the sky.

"If I had known what you were thinking about with Jumps, I might have warned you about her problems. I should have known that you... did not know what you were doing. But it is your life to live, and you are grown enough to make those decisions without needing my advice."

The idea of his sire giving him advice on what females to pursue or avoid was a very twisting one, but in this case it might have saved him much pain.

Then Far-Flight asked something strange.

"Will you let me tell you about me and your dam?"

Hearing about how his sire came to know Sky-Dancer was a very twisted offer, but he might learn a life-lesson from it. Plus, this was a very good opportunity to bond closer with his sire and understand him better.

"Please."

Far-Flight purred in agreement.

"I flew out of a hidden world under the ground. That hidden world is filled with plants that are not up here and also with rocks that make light. I flew that flight because there were no other dark wings who I could take as a mate. I could have chased the light wings, but I wanted a dark wing like me."

_A hidden world under the ground? Interesting, I should ask about that later._

"I searched for winters and found some of these dark wings who are in the pack now. I gave myself this name to speak about how far I had flown on my search. Our kind liked to live on our own in pairs before we made this pack. But I could not find an unpaired female, and I would not break up a pair."

His sire gave a heavy sigh.

"Six winters I searched before I saw a lone dark shape flying very fast over an island. I chased after the shape until it saw me. We landed on the mountain in the middle of the island. Her name then was Hopeful-Wanderer."

Far-Flight purred very deeply.

"She had named herself that because she had been wandering also and looking for a life-mate. It was good chance that we found each other. Neither of us had any brothers or sisters or other kin we wanted to go back to."

That last part was said with a touch of sadness.

"Was your kinship not good with your sire and dam, sire?"

"No, it was not bad, but I... did not need to go back there under the ground. A dragon that has lived under the ground and then sees the open skies should not want to go back under the ground where the world is smaller, lesser, and more dangerous."

He entirely agreed with that. Every time he had been deep under the ground, most recently Erebor and the nearby caverns the pack used for shelter, there had been nothing to make him want to stay underground.

"Hopeful-Wanderer was then and is now very beautiful and soul-fire-warming. I very much wanted to join with her because of how long I had been alone. She would not accept me at first, for over a moon-cycle. We talked about what we wanted in life, I learned about her life-story, we hunted much together, and she wanted me to show her that I can provide for her and truly want her. She also showed me that she knew good plants to eat for health, that she was a fast and strong flier, that she could hunt well, that her thinking was sharp, and that she wanted cubs. We flew a sky dance until she was satisfied with me, and then we became one up in the last light above the clouds."

Far-Flight said nothing for a long time. His eyes were closed as he purred very deeply.

"I teased her much about how she liked to dance in the sky, both to make a cub and also just for the fun of flying, and she gave herself the name Sky-Dancer. We started wandering together. We had tried to stay away from humans all our lives, but the humans were ranging into more places and becoming harder to avoid. We had to fly to islands far out in the waters. Then we saw a big flight of dragons attacking a human nest."

Far-Flight winced and looked away.

"We saw the humans kill over a pawful of dragons in that attack, and we followed the dragons back to their nest after we helped them fight the humans. We saw the Monster and another dark wing in the nest."

That was news to him. He had not known that there was another Night Fury in that bad nest.

"You saw another dark wing in that nest?"

"Yes, but it was old. It had been defending the dragons of that nest for much of its life. That one died of age, and the Monster made us want to stay in that nest to take the place of the lost one. We went on many attack-flights for the Monster until your dam became too heavy with you to fly much on fights. Then you were born, and we kept you out of the mountain when we could. Other dragons were also interested in you since they knew that our kind helped much on the attacks. Having you also made it easier for us to think less of the Monster's wants."

His sire winced.

"You know what happened after that."

"Yes, sire. I know. I understand now."

The important points of the story were that his sire and dam took time to get to know each other first, and they let each other know what they wanted with no hiding from the truth. Both lessons confirmed what he had learned on his own.

Far-Flight then leaned closer and nudged him again.

"Hiccup wanted me to find you since you had been resting all day."

"Is he done playing with Breath-Of-Sky?"

"Yes, they are back with Sky-Dancer. You should come back with me."

The more he thought about it, the less lift his own actions had. He had regrets over what he had done and how he had not been strong enough to resist temptation at first. However, hiding himself away from Hiccup and his own blood-kin was not going to help him feel better and warmer.

"You speak well, sire. I will."

He groaned and got to his paws while his sire growled in approval.

"Good, I will not speak to anyone of what we talked about, not even to Hiccup or Sky-Dancer. You will tell them if there is need for them to know."

That was very reassuring. He did not want either of them to think less of him.

_They probably would not, but still... they do not need to know. I learned my lesson and will live differently in the future._

"Thank you, sire."

* * *

"There he is. What have you been up to all day, mister lazy dragon?" Hiccup yawned.

Toothless just rolled his eyes and lay down next to him.

"Nothing much. More thinking about life, mostly."

"Is this about Jumps?"

Toothless paused for a long time while grumbling. His twitching tail gave away that he was anxious.

"I need to talk to you about her," Toothless then sighed.

"So yes, it was. What is it?"

"You know that she and I have been talking?"

"Yeah, I noticed eventually. I think it's good for you two. You get to know her better, and I get more time to meet everyone else in the pack."

Toothless blinked, remembering and appreciating again what Hiccup had been doing by getting to know more of the pack.

"How has that been going?"

Hiccup smiled, recalling the many good interactions that had happened over the last couple weeks.

"Very well. Almost everyone likes me and listened to the stories about the world down south; well, everyone except Dreamcatcher, Growls-At-His-Shadow, and Moonbeam. I'm not so sure about them."

Toothless rolled his eyes.

"Those three are not surprising. But about Jumps, I was thinking about her being my mate, but she does not want it because of... many reasons. I do not want her either. I wanted you to know that."

Hiccup started in surprise. It was almost a relief that nothing had worked out for Toothless and Jumps-At-Fire, though it was also a little disappointing.

"Bud, I'm sorry to hear that."

Toothless shrugged his wings and stepped closer to him.

"I learned a life-lesson, and that is good for me. Can you go get my starlight pendant now? I want to see it again."

Hiccup went over to the supplies and retrieved the pendant. He brought it back to Toothless and let him gaze at it. The small pearl had a very faint glow, only barely visible over the remaining daylight.

"What is that?" Far-Flight barked as he and Sky-Dancer bounded over to them.

Both of them stared down in awe at the pendant while Hiccup fondly remembered the sights and sounds of Lothlorien.

"It is... the light of a star. The Elf, someone like a human but different, who gave it to Burning-Star said that even the smallest people can change how the future will be," Hiccup explained.

Toothless purred and nudged the pendant.

"The light is warming to my soul-fire, and it helped me think fewer bad thoughts in the past."

Far-Flight also purred and touched the pendant with a paw.

"It reminds me of light-making rocks."

Hiccup wondered what Far-Flight meant by that, but then he remembered that he himself knew a Wizard, had seen cursed blades, had looked into a magical water-mirror, and had been in a massive Dwarven realm underground. Rocks that could make light would not be a surprise at all. Toothless's pendant was another example of a very strange thing which he could not explain, but which was real.

Sky-Dancer crouched at Far-Flight's side while also staring at the pendant.

"It is warming to me also. This is a good thing," she said.

Toothless crooned to his parents.

"My pendant has helped me when I felt lost before. It reminds me of a star flying freely until the last days."

"What?" "I do not understand."

Hiccup hit himself in the forehead.

"We haven't told you about Earendil, have we?"

"No, is this a story?" Far-Flight barked.

"Story time! I like stories!" Breath-Of-Sky bellowed as he hopped over to Toothless's side.

The three Furies who did not know the tale of Earendil the Mariner warmly hummed at Hiccup, eager for him to tell the story.

"It's a long story, you want it now?"

"Yes! I want to hear another human story!" Sky-Dancer exclaimed.

"This is not a human story, even though there is a human in it. First, I need to tell you the story of Beren and Luthien and how they snuck into a hidden world deep underground on a mission to get a Silmaril, a shining rock that burned with starlight."

"Like this one?" Sky-Dancer asked.

Hiccup smirked, knowing that she was not wrong at all. Toothless's pendant, if they understood Galadriel's words, did have some of the light from Earendil's Silmaril, which would make this something like a lesser Silmaril.

"Yeah, like this one, but much brighter..."

* * *

Toothless lay awake late at night. His sire, dam, and both brothers were piled around him for warmth-sharing. He was only awake right now because he had gotten into a routine of being awake and very busy at this time. His thoughts being confused might also have been keeping him awake.

His gaze wandered over all in the pack whom he could see in the moonlight. Then he stared off in the direction of the forest where Jumps-At-Fire was probably resting alone, slightly removed from the pack, since she was resting near the pack this night.

There was no temptation or pull to go to her for pleasure. As a fellow pack-member who truly cared for her and who understood the cause of her hurts, he did feel a weak pull to comfort her. Being excluded from the pack, even if her own fear was the main reason for that, was not good for her. At least she was resting near the pack tonight, whether because of the cold, free choice, or a whim from his parting words with her was unclear.

_Hopefully she can grow and change. If she does then I might want her. But for now, I will not try to chase her or Moonbeam. I need to rest from that._

He sighed.

His thoughts turned toward the warmer ranges far away from here. There was no way to know what had happened to everyone in the Fellowship. His and Hiccup's original reason for flying into these ranges returned to mind as he considered the pack around him.

_If Hiccup has not changed their soul-fires to be warmer toward humans by now, I will be very surprised. He changes the world without doing anything except being himself._

Then he closed his eyes, ruffled his wings, and lay his head on his paws. The constant purring of his family around him lulled him to sleep in peace.


	34. In The Deep

_**Author's Note – Some of you are getting eager for more LOTR content. The departure from the Forodwaith is not far away.**_

* * *

In The Deep

* * *

The moaning wind came down from the mountains cold, and like a tide it roared and rolled. Wispy snow blew, whipping with every gust on the frozen ground.

Hiccup wrapped himself even tighter in his furs, and faced away from the wind as he returned to the pack.

_Gods, is this Niflheim? Haven't seen any frost giants yet. Did Morgoth have giants?_

He wasn't sure about it, but Gandalf or Elrond could easily answer that question about Middle-earth's past. But that required that he go to them... wherever they were in Middle-earth. Gandalf had not shared the details about where he intended to lead the Fellowship.

He returned to the pack, found Toothless and family, and fell in under the offered wing. Having Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, and Breath-Of-Sky packed in around them helped greatly with the cold.

"Staying warm?" Toothless smugly purred.

"Very funny. Just wait until I start breathing fire too!"

Toothless snorted a puff of smoke.

"You are not a dragon."

"I'll... figure it out one of these days, bud! I will have fire and wings!"

"And I will be there to save you when you fall."

"Who said anything about falling?"

"You just did."

"Only because you did."

Sky-Dancer chuffed, getting their attention.

"What are you cubs talking about?"

Toothless faced his mother and purred to her.

"I was twisting Hiccup's tail... the one he does not have."

"Why?" she chuckled.

"Because he was thinking he should be a dragon."

Breath-Of-Sky barked in amusement.

"That is twisted! He should be a human!"

"I agree. He is good as he is!" she purred.

Hiccup wistfully smiled at her words, and then he snuggled under Toothless's wing for warmth as they always did at night. Whenever Toothless was not away to think on his own, anyway.

He looked around at everyone else he could see. They were settling down for rest on what was already one of the coldest nights yet. He even saw Jumps-At-Fire resting with the pack tonight; that apparently was something she did not do much because she preferred to be on her own. At least, that is how Toothless explained it to him. She had also been being around the pack more recently.

_That's good of her to want to spend more time with the pack. I wonder what changed. Maybe she just knows how cold this night is going to..._

"Pack! We must speak together!" Snowfall cried into the silence.

The entire pack gathered closely around her in answer. Hiccup yawned as he followed at Toothless's side; they were both curious what the cause was for this sudden pack gathering. The pack did not have such formal meetings and announcements often, especially not at night.

_Must be something important..._

"Hunts-In-Deep-Waters was hunting in the cold waters. He saw a very cold storm with snow and much wind. The storm is flying for us!" Snowfall cried while her ears were swept back.

All the adults groaned or hissed in displeasure while the cubs and fledglings hopped to their paws with eager cries.

"To the cave!" "Warmth!" "Hide!" "Bad snow!" "Good snow!" "Very cold!" "Fun!" "Hide and hunt!"

Everyone started moving, getting to their paws and stretching their legs and wings. Some of the families even went aloft without further instruction.

Hiccup thought he understood what was happening, but he wanted to make sure.

"Bud, let's go ask your parents what's going on."

"Yes, we should," Toothless agreed.

They ran over to Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, and Breath-Of-Sky, all of whom it appeared had also been looking for them.

"What's going on?" Hiccup asked.

"The pack is flying into the big cave for more warmth. We will wait there for the cold storm to fly past us," Far-Flight answered.

"Then we can roll in the snow afterwards!" Breath-Of-Sky joyfully cried.

Hiccup nodded in understanding. The mountains helped to shelter these woods from the worst of the wind and the cold, but the ground, at least away from the hot springs, was still covered in frost and snow even now. A true blizzard coming through here could apparently be dangerous even to the dragons, at the very least to the cubs and fledglings. And himself.

_Definitely would be for me anyway. The whiteout storms on Berk were dangerous to everyone. Alright, time to plan..._

"How long will we hide there?" he asked.

"Until the very cold storm passes us. That is usually no more than two days," Sky-Dancer purred.

"Two days in the dark? That doesn't sound fun at all," he grumbled.

"It is not all dark. Some of the deeper caves have melted rock and sleeping fire," she answered.

_Melted rock and fire... this area is volcanic..._

"Those deeper caves are also where the dead were put, right?"

"True. That is where their bodies were dropped. Their soul-fires are in the stars now," she hummed.

Hiccup briefly thought about the whole mythology that he had known nothing about. The Furies had ideas and stories about what where they came from and happened to them after death, but he still had so much to learn about them.

"Alright, Burning-Star, we should probably pack up our stuff and take it with us. The storm might bury everything or even blow it away."

"Good thinking," Toothless agreed.

They ran across the clearing to where Hiccup had been storing his stuff behind a series of boulders. Hiccup quickly packed everything into Toothless's saddlebag. Finally, he found a branch that could be a torch, if there were to be need for sustained lighting down below. Unless...

_We'll get to test Toothless's pendant and see if it gives light down there. That would be amazing if it did..._

"Bud, want to test your pendant and see if it makes any light down there?"

Toothless purred and nodded.

"We should. I want to see more of its light."

Hiccup took the pendant out of storage and tightened it around Toothless's neck. The pendant already had its usual faint night glow. Then, with the last of the preparations finished and the last supplies secured in the saddlebag, Hiccup put the last of his winter gear and strapped himself in on Toothless's back.

"Alright, let's go! Can't wait to get out of this cold!"

Toothless roared aloud and followed his parents and little brother into the sky as the pack gradually turned for the east. Over snowcapped, windswept hills and rocks they flew in silence while the wind continued to pick up.

Toothless glanced to his left, to the dark northern emptiness. Even in the darkness a mass of swirling clouds was visible in the distance. The ground before the storm was being whipped up in spinning ground-clouds as snow blew across the ground.

_That looks very bad! Flying in that would be bad!_

So he flew a little faster as he followed the flight.

They shortly arrived at the large cave and flew into the entrance, leaving the cold entirely behind. The cries of his kin seeing with sound echoed from the beckoning darkness up ahead as he wove through the icicles and spires.

"All you now, bud..." Hiccup shouted.

Onward they flew into the total darkness, but Toothless could see clearly. With so many voices crying out from ahead and bouncing off the walls of the cave, he could see almost all the shapes even with his eyes closed. He knew how to see in the dark. The sound of all his kin flying and crying aloud bounced so many times off the walls that he could see far ahead into the passages and could make out a couple pawfuls of his kin.

They flew deeper, just as before with Flame-In-The-Night, until the air completely lost its chill. Then, with a long stretch of open air, he slowed to a glide.

"Hope you know where you're going..." Hiccup sighed, unable to even see a hand before his face.

"Of course I do. Am I a Night Fury?"

"I don't know... I can't see anything. You could be a Gronkle for all I know..."

"Gronkle? Those are the rock-eating dragons with very small wings, true?"

"Yeah, that's them."

Toothless huffed and stuck out his tongue at Hiccup, even though he knew that Hiccup could not see him do so.

"How do they fly with those short wings?" Hiccup added.

"That is a good question. I do not know the answer."

Dragons lived in all different shapes and sizes, some of which did not look like they should be able to fly at all. Rock-belly-Gronkles were definitely one of those. Maybe they weighed far less than they looked like they did.

_My kind is the best!_

He kept following the flight deeper into the darkness, over deep crevasses that had no bottom he could see and around spires from the ground and from the ceiling. Then he barked in surprise when he saw the faintest outlines of green eyes in the sky at his side.

_Wait, what?_

That was when he realized that there must be some light for their eyes to be able to shine. He glanced down at his chest and purred when he saw the gem was faintly glowing. It was just bright enough that he could see his outstretched paw that he held out as a test.

"Hiccup! My pendant does give light!" he cried in joy.

"Amazing! Good thing we figured that out!"

Hiccup still wondered to himself how it was possible that a gemstone could capture light and glow like Toothless's pendant did.

_I mean, I suppose that magic is always an explanation... but that feels so... lazy. Ugh, what is magic, anyway?_

His thoughts drifted to the most magical place he could remember: Lothlorien.

_Is magic just a word for an explanation we don't understand in engineering, forging, or making stuff normally? On the other hand, if that is common, like in Lothlorien, then it isn't abnormal at all. Oh well..._

Toothless followed the rest of the pack down to the ground, not too far away from the place Flame-In-The-Night had shown him and Hiccup several weeks ago. He touched down and pranced to a stop on the warm ground by a running stream. Several other landing Furies next to him were definitely his parents and little brother, from the green hue of their shining eyes.

Even more surprising was that his pendant was bright enough that he could see with his eyes the ground where he stood. The rock was smooth as if it had been flowing long ago.

"Bud, is it safe for me?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes, the ground is not very hot here."

Hiccup hopped down from his back and stood at his shoulder while looking at the pendant.

"Yeah, look at that. Who'd have thought that it could glow this far underground?" Hiccup wondered.

Sky-Dancer pranced up before them both, and she purred softly as she stared at the glowing jewel. Then she stepped closer and gently nosed at it before she stepped back and nodded once.

"It is very soul-fire warming. I still like that light."

"What happens now?" Hiccup asked her as more wings passed overhead.

"Now we wait for all the pack to get here. Some of us will stay up in the cave to watch for when the storm passes."

"Is there anything dangerous down here?" he wondered.

"Dangerous?"

"Like other dragons or things that might hunt me?"

Sky-Dancer growled softly.

"No. These deep caves have no life other than us and the fire."

"Good to know. Is this water good to drink?" he gestured toward the stream.

"Yes, it does not taste very good, but you can drink it."

With that reassurance, he and Toothless ambled over to the stream. The water, while slowly flowing, was steaming around the edges of the stream.

"Looks kinda hot. You want to try first, bud?"

Toothless drank first after smelling the water. It smelled and tasted like the water that flowed in the Monster's nest.

"Try some. It does not taste good, but it is warm."

Hiccup tested the water, which was very warm but not scalding, and then drank a little.

_Ugh, oily and smells like sulfur. But at least it is warm water. Haven't had that in weeks..._

"Can't say it's my favorite, but I won't complain. It's better than melted snow..."

Toothless then grinned and nudged Hiccup's shoulder.

"Speaking of complaining, you should take a bath."

"Uh, why?"

"Because you smell like a human! You have worn the same furs for many weeks."

"Nope! I am not taking a bath while the entire pack can see me!"

"Why do you care? We do not wear clothing-furs..."

"Yeah, but you don't need to... hide anything!"

Toothless huffed and sat down.

"You did not answer my question. Why do you care? I have seen you without your furs on."

Hiccup gasped in shock and glared at him.

"What! You! How could you do that!"

"You were having a bath while I was asleep. I woke up and saw you."

Hiccup crossed his arms on his chest and scowled.

"You could have... not looked... or something!"

"Brother, we are both males. Why do you care?"

"I just... do..."

"Would you feel better if I said that you have not much to hide either?"

"No!"

Toothless huffed.

"I do not know what other human males look like, but..."

Sky-Dancer bounded over to them, making them jump in alarm as she appeared through the darkness.

"What are you two talking about?" she asked.

"Nothing!" "Nothing!"

"Nothing? You are being loud, talking about nothing."

"We're just being... annoying brothers..." Hiccup grumbled.

"That is easy for him to do," Toothless chuckled.

Sky-Dancer also chuckled at that.

"The pack will sleep now. We are all here," she said.

"Okay, we will be right there!" Hiccup answered.

She spun around and vanished into the darkness.

"Not a word..." Hiccup grumbled once she was gone.

"What about lots of words?" Toothless grinned.

"You just don't stop, do you?"

"No, what else is there to do here but tease you?"

"Ugh, good thing I'm not stuck underground with you forever. Not sure how I'd survive that..."

Toothless hummed in thought as they listened to the flowing water and the distant, echoing voices of the pack. Then he saw the obvious answer.

"Having mates and cubs of our own would help. We could tease them also instead of only each other."

"Yeah, I guess so," Hiccup frowned, "but living underground would still be very strange for everyone. What would we do for food and light?"

"I do not know. Those are problems not for us to think about. Maybe we should ask the Dwarves at Erebor what they do."

"Yes, good plan. They'd be best to ask since they basically live underground all the time."

Toothless then yawned, "We should go rest."

Together, they walked back to the pack and found where their kin were resting. Toothless lay down at his dam's side; Hiccup took off his supplies and then lay down between him and Sky-Dancer.

There were many conversations echoing in the dark as well as happy growls and yipping from cubs at play.

Toothless sighed, content.

_The pack probably does not fly down here much._

Then he closed his eyes to get some rest. The darkness and purring around him made that very easy to do.

* * *

"Dam, where do we go to relieve ourselves?"

They could barely see Sky-Dancer point with her tail toward a passage on the other side of the river.

"That cave leads to a deep fall down into water. Go there."

Toothless purred in acknowledgment, left Hiccup with her, and went off to do what he needed.

"Hiccup, you can rest with me," Sky-Dancer purred and stepped to Hiccup's side.

"Thanks, I'd like that," he put a hand on her neck.

She led them both through the darkness, which was total since Toothless had gone off on his own. He stumbled on a slope he didn't know about.

"Do you want some light?" she asked.

"Please. A little would help until we get there."

She then held a small flame in her maw. That light illuminated the ground several fathoms in every direction until he could see the rest of the pack gathered together around the stream. Then they arrived at Far-Flight's and Breath-Of-Sky's side, she let her flame die, and she lay down while offering him a wing to rest under.

It was such a strange feeling, knowing that he was deep underground in a total pitch blackness within this hidden world. But the purring of the pack around him was very comforting.

"I hope we don't have to stay down here a long time..." he grumbled.

"We should not. Snowfall said that the storm might pass after only one day," Far-Flight answered.

_Only one day. I can probably survive that..._

* * *

Toothless walked back the long cave to where the pack was resting. The size of these chambers and caves was amazing; he had never seen anything like this place before. Erebor was much more welcoming because of the light and the life inside it.

He just reached the opening into the larger chamber when he heard a shuffling sound ahead. A shape also appeared in the dim light from his pendant.

"Is that you, Burning-Star?" Jumps-At-Fire asked.

He started in surprise, wondering why she had sought him out.

_Great skies, I hope she is not going to... ask about doing that now..._

"Yes, it is me. How are you?"

She warily warbled as she stepped closer. Her eyes glowed in the faint light.

"I do not like being underground, even though it is needed now. I feel... trapped in here."

He entirely understood that.

"I agree. Seeing the horizon and the clouds is much better. Have you explored these caves?"

"No, I did not want to. Flame-In-The-Night has explored more of these caves."

"Good to know. I did not know that any of us explored more here, other than wherever the dead ones were left to rest."

She sighed and closed her eyes.

"The old ones who died were mates for many winters. When one died, the other wanted to follow and died in... peace," she whispered.

Then she stared at his pendant.

"That thing is... soul-fire warming. Do you know how it makes light?"

"No, I do not know. Did you... want to talk about anything, Jumps?"

"Yes," she hummed, "I was thinking about your advice that I should be with the pack more. I have tried to do that some."

"I know you have. That is good for you."

"Yes, they do not feel as cold to me as they did before."

"None of them say anything bad about you, as I said," he explained.

"Maybe they do not say anything, but they still think it."

She huffed and rubbed against his shoulder as she stepped past him. Her tailfins brushed his neck.

Then she dashed down the cave. He sighed softly as he listened to her departing pawsteps.

_She still thinks we can keep doing what we were doing. That will not be a warming talk to have with her..._

Resigned to that happening eventually, he continued on to the pack, silently found his way by the light of his pendant so that he did not wake anyone who was sleeping, and lay down at his dam's side.

The constant purring of almost the entire pack and the flowing stream nearby were a calming song that helped him fall asleep.

* * *

Toothless suddenly woke up. His thoughts were confused in the moments after he awoke.

A flickering shadow danced in the total darkness.

A faint roar, so silent that he was not even sure he heard it, echoed from a far cavern pass.

A warmth like a flame flowed in the ground itself.

Something was stalking closer to his soul-fire. A whispering, beckoning call to serve and fulfill his purpose.

Then he blinked, saw the light from his pendant shining on the ground before him, and that strange feeling was gone like a storm that passed and left nothing behind.

He was not even sure what it had felt like.

Or if it was only a dream.

* * *

Hiccup woke up in the nearly total darkness to several voices nearby. He recognized them as the Alpha pair, Wings-Of-Ice, and Eyes-That-Shimmer. He crept out from under Sky-Dancer's wing and stood to stretch. It was still a very strange feeling to hold his hand directly before his nose and see nothing at all. Toothless, sound asleep, had curled up under a wing, which completely hid his Lorien pendant's light.

"When do you think they will be back?" Wings-Of-Ice asked.

"Whenever they want to come back to us. They are old enough that they can explore on their own," Snowfall answered.

"They already go hunting on their own, true. Still, they are our first cubs, and I feel like I want to watch over them," Eyes-That-Shimmer sighed.

"Even for that?" Flame-In-The-Night chuckled.

"No, not for that," Wings-Of-Ice snorted.

"For hunting, yes, we know that they are both good hunters. They both bring back catches for all, even he does despite not having his flame yet," Snowfall chuffed.

"We taught our young the life-rules, and we trust them. But part of me will always think of him as my first little one..." Eyes-That-Shimmer softly added.

_Oh, they're talking about Windripper and Snowflame. But what about with them?_

"True, but they would have flown the nest already in the old way. They are the first pair that has been made from our young born in this range. They are old enough to make their own choices and watch each other's flights," Flame-In-The-Night answered.

"And hold tails..." Wings-Of-Ice interjected.

The four adults snickered at that.

"Huh?" Hiccup wondered.

Gasps of surprise echoed in the darkness.

"Hiccup! You are awake!" Snowfall cried out.

"Yep, I'd say rise and shine, but it's only dark..."

His answering them apparently woke Toothless up also as he stirred. The Fury's doing so made a faint light appear from his pendant.

"Morning, bud!"

"Morning?" Toothless wondered.

"Just go with it..."

"Fine..."

The sound of paws padding closer came to them through the darkness. Eyes of various colors also appeared and neared.

"We were talking about our first cubs becoming a pair," Snowfall declared.

"Becoming?" Eyes-That-Shimmer chuckled.

Someone snorted.

"Excuse me. I don't understand," Hiccup said.

Snowfall purred as she answered.

"Snowflame and Windripper flew away to be alone together. We know why."

"Why would they... oh... but wait, they aren't... mates yet..."

"In a way they are," Flame-In-The-Night answered.

Hiccup groaned, confused by the situation.

"Maybe you could explain dark wing customs on... taking mates. I don't understand them..."

Toothless stepped up beside him and lay down.

"Yes, it would be good for him to hear. He is very thought-twisted on this part of life."

"Thank you for saying that," Hiccup sighed.

The two pairs of adults chuckled and glanced between themselves before answering. Snowfall answered for them all.

"Our customs were different in the past before we made this pack. The old way was that both would fly to search for available mates, and the male would need to impress the female; he must prove that she should accept him if she wants him. That would be done by showing how strong he is, proving that he can provide, and then ending with the sky dance chase. The new way we live is not very different: a pair of adults who want to become mates are free to do what they both want, no forcing by either. A male who tries to force a female would be thrown out of the pack."

"Understandable," Hiccup agreed.

She hummed and continued.

"There is no need to fly from the pack to find mates now though. The life-way is different for our fledglings who are not adults yet. Those who are old enough to hunt but cannot yet make cubs together can still be like mates if both sires and dams agree and if the fledglings want to join. The sires and dams would only agree if their fledglings have good thinking and have shown that they care for the one who will be their true future mate."

"I see. So, they are just like any other pair and... do everything the rest of you do... but they can't make any cubs yet," Hiccup explained.

"Yes."

"What if you or other parents found out that your kids were... doing that together... without your permission?"

Flame-In-The-Night huffed.

"That has not happened; they are the only pair that we have done this with. But... if it were to happen in the future, then both pairs of sires and dams would decide if that was only a mistake by their fledglings or if the fledglings truly want to fly life together. If so, then they would be named as mates like Snowflame and Windripper. If not, then the sires and dams would talk to us about what to do."

Hiccup thought about the custom which made more sense as he thought about it. Even back on Berk, marriages were commonly arranged by the parents and could involve children who were in their mid-teens. At least this way took what the children wanted into consideration also while letting the parents make sure that intentions were honorable.

Toothless interjected into the silence.

"Other dragons in the nest I lived in had more than one mate. The strongest males would take more mates and make many eggs if they could. Did any in the pack want that?"

Wary hums followed that for a moment until Flame-In-The-Night answered while nuzzling Snowfall.

"The adults talked about it. We did not want way of life because it makes jealousy and more fighting and hidden hating. It is also hard enough to give much time to one mate after doing all the hunting and cub-tending. Trying to give enough time to multiple mates would not have lift. Having mate-pairs and that other way does not work together in one pack."

Hiccup thought about it and agreed with all of that.

"That makes sense. Very practical, anyway. Your customs are a little different from how humans... do that."

The two pairs stepped closer and lay down before him.

"Will you tell us about human customs for this? We do not know them," Snowfall asked.

"Sure," Hiccup answered, "It differs from pack to pack, but in most packs the parents decide who their children marry... which means take as a life-mate. The marriages are usually arranged to make families stronger or make two packs into allies. There are other packs that let a pair be made entirely on their own. Some packs... where I'm from... would have the Alpha male have many females, but that is not a common way. It was not for my old pack. Almost all packs agree that the pair should be for life."

"That is good. What do humans do with the dead?" Flame-In-The-Night asked..

"The most common ceremonies are to bury them or burn them. The remaining packmates gather together to remember the one who is gone, and then they have a feast to celebrate the dead person's life."

"Gone? Gone where? Do humans know where your soul-fires go?" Snowfall softly asked.

Hiccup leaned against Toothless's neck.

"There are different stories about that. The one my pack told is about a place where the fighters go to a place where they can fight for fun, drink a lot of mead, a drink they like a lot of, and eat as much food as they want. The bad humans, the ones who turned on the pack and... did cruel things, are sent down into Helheim or Niflheim; those are basically hot and cold places where they are punished forever. The humans and other peoples like them in this world tell a different story; they say that all people will be judged in a very big hall, Mandos or something like that, and that one god would judge them and decide if they lived well. I'm not sure what happens after that."

The gathered Furies hummed in thought. Their eyes were very wide in curiosity.

"What about for you? What do you say happens to your souls?" Hiccup asked.

Flame-In-The-Night purred and spoke.

"The soul-fires of all dead dragons fly up into the sky. Those that loved their mates, raised their young well, or did good for others join one of the stars, wherever their kin also flew into. The soul-fires of the bad dragons or of monster dragons fly up into the sky and fade into the darkness between the stars. Just as their lives made nothing and became nothing, so their soul-fires fade into nothing. Their soul-fires go as cold as the dark skies."

_Hmm, that's interesting. If they fade away and cease to be, then the bad ones do not suffer; they would have to be to feel suffering. Definitely still incentive to not be cruel and vengeful!_

"Speaking of cold and skies," Toothless interjected, "do we know when the storm will fly past?"

"Hunts-In-Deep-Waters flew to us as the watcher. He said that the storm is very bad and cold, but it is flying fast and will be past us soon, maybe by the end of the day," Flame-In-The-Night answered.

"End of the day... is there anything else to do down here?" Toothless wondered.

The other Furies hummed in thought until Flame-In-The-Night barked with an idea.

"I could show you the deeper cave: the one that has the fire in it!"

"A cave with a fire? Is it safe for Hiccup?" Toothless wondered.

"If he stays away from the sleeping fire, yes. We will not wake it up. We will fly quietly when we see the light."

Hiccup frowned, confused what he meant.

_Wake up a fire? Huh? I guess we'll find out. Anything is better than just sitting here in the dark all... day._

"Sounds good."

Flame-In-The-Night stepped over to his side and nudged his shoulder.

"Hiccup, you should leave your outer furs here. This place where we will fly to is very warm."

_How warm can it be? Oh well, haven't had a chance to take these off in a while._

He took off his coat and outer layers until he only wore his simple undershirt and shorts. Then he hopped on Toothless's back.

"One more good thing about this flight," Toothless hummed, "is that you can have a bath when we get back!"

"I will twist your ears!"

"Either you clean yourself, or I will lick you clean!"

Toothless smugly purred to himself that the threat effectively silenced Hiccup. He was of course not going to lick Hiccup clean in a bath; doing that would be something that a sire or dam would do to a cub. But Hiccup did not need to know that if his not knowing got him to clean himself.

* * *

Toothless hummed in reassurance to Hiccup as they continued on. It was a long flight through the darkness. There were no other packmates flying with him except for Flame-In-The-Night. The Alpha was leading their flight through the long cave.

The temperature alternately warmed and then fell slightly. The air felt stuffier and heavier the deeper they went.

They dropped down off a large ledge that opened into a wide open chamber. He could see all that with his sound-sight. It was totally dark otherwise. Even his pendant gave off so little light that nothing of the ground was visible.

Flame-In-The-Night winged closer to him and started gliding.

"Be quiet when you see the light!"

_We must be getting close..._

He grunted in agreement and followed the Alpha down another large passageway. This passageway looked different from the ones they had flown down before. It had a flat ground that looked too consistent to be natural; it was almost like this was a road or a path.

Then there was a very faint red glare up ahead.

"Do you see that?"

"Yes, there's a little light. Let's go check it out."

"Quietly now."

"Agreed."

They flew on silently, following Flame-In-The-Night as the Alpha led them down the pass. The light grew brighter until they could see the ground and the walls of the cave. The ground was definitely not just the ground of a cave. Something had been building here or had flattened a path long ago.

"Oh my gods, who could build something like this?" Hiccup whispered.

"I do not know," Toothless grumbled while staring ahead at the light.

They turned around a corner which was brightly-lit, and they were immediately hit by a wall of very hot air.

Hiccup winced at the rush of hot, dry air they glided into. He started sweating almost immediately as they glided out into a very bright red chamber. It was hard for him to breathe well because of how hot it was.

Toothless glared around the chamber, not liking the look of it at all. Everything he could see, the red glare and the shapes of the rocks, almost reminded him of the Monster's nest, even though this place was very empty with no other dragons there. But the heat alone did not explain why he suddenly felt like... like prey.

_Something is not good..._

Flame-In-The-Night silently glided down onto a ledge by the entrance and landed there, so they did the same. Toothless settled down and caught his breath while Hiccup wiped his brow of sweat in the baking air.

"Look!" Flame-In-The-Night nodded down at the bottom of the very red chamber.

They both looked.

Hiccup stared, speechless and numbed.

A small pool of lava bubbled in the middle of the chamber and seemed to twist the air itself. But that was not the only strange thing in the chamber.

Beside the pool of lava there was a very large shape reclining on the glowing ground. The shape was much larger than Toothless and was that of a great shadow with an uncertain form. All he could see was that darkness flowed from it like two vast wings, and the shadowy figure appeared to have a mane of flame. Several flickering tongues of fire rose from out of the shadows, though there was no great, roaring inferno.

The shadows hid something that was definitely alive, and Hiccup almost fainted when he realized what this might be.

_Oh... my... gods... we just flew deep underground... into a hidden fire world, probably into Muspelheim itself,... and I'm looking at a fire-demon... is that Surtr?_

He had not believed all the old Viking myths, but there was no denying what he saw before him.

_If we wake him up and cause Ragnarok... We should get out of here now!_

Toothless snarled softly as he glared down at the shadowed thing. A creeping fear had been stalking closer to his thoughts and soul-fire the closer he got to the red light and the warmth. Deep memories that were not his sparked to life in his soul-fire as he stared at the living fire down below.

_'A wave of flame that flowed over dozens of enemies, and a massive sword of fire tore through dozens more enemies with every strike.'_

This thing of shadow and flame felt extremely dangerous, even though it was asleep and not reacting at all to their being there.

_'A commanding presence issuing the Master's orders and leading battles with thought itself.'_

Just like their meeting with Vorunturth, this creature was far more powerful and dangerous than him.

Then he noticed that the light from his pendant was slightly brighter. In that calming light, his thoughts were clearer as he knew the terrible truth.

He had no idea what that creature of shadow and flame was; all he knew was that it was not a dragon. But if it were to wake up, it would wrap its will around his soul-fire and tear his thoughts apart in the same way the Monster could. This thing could enthrall him if it only noticed him.

"We should leave now..." he hissed and stepped back several paces.

"Yes... please..." Hiccup whispered.

Toothless waited not a wingbeat more and took to the air, putting his tail to that chamber of fire. Flame-In-The-Night similarly followed his flight out from the lighted chamber. Hiccup immediately found it easier to breathe in the cooler air.

Toothless glanced back over his tail and thankfully heard and saw nothing to suggest that they were being followed. The more distance that he put between himself and that... living fire... the better.

They flew in silence until the skies became dark enough that he had to see with sound. Then he let Flame-In-The-Night take the lead of the flight since the Alpha knew the way back to the pack. They flew long without saying anything, partially out of practicality and also because of the remaining dread from that encounter.

Then, when they had flown perhaps half the way back to the pack, he flew ahead and cried out to Flame-In-The-Night.

"We should talk!"

The Alpha dove for the ground, and he touched down alongside him. They could see each other in the faint light from his pendant.

"What was that... thing?"

"The living fire?" Flame-In-The-Night asked.

"Yes, that is a very bad thing!"

"Why is it a very bad thing? It has never hurt any of us."

"Has it met any of you?"

"Yes, I met it long ago when we first found it."

Toothless gasped in shock.

"And it did not do anything to you?"

"No. It saw me and then went back to sleeping as it is now."

_Hmm, very twisted... why did it not control him? Maybe it had no reason to control him... he was not an enemy to it?_

"I still do not trust it. It could... twist my thinking if it tried... it is like the Monster in my old nest."

Flame-In-The-Night hummed and considered his words.

"Yes, it is dangerous; I know that. But it has always been sleeping there and never comes out of the caves. Let it stay there and sleep."

"I won't argue with that," Hiccup agreed.

They took to the sky after that and continued on toward the pack. Toothless frequently glanced over his tail to make sure that they were not being followed. They were not.

"Bud, what was that?" Hiccup whispered.

"I do not know, and I do not want to know," he purred in sympathy.

"Maybe we'll find out someday. I'll be happy if it stays there and sleeps forever..."

Toothless growled in ready agreement.

* * *

The entire pack was gathered except for the watchers high up near the entrance. The cubs frolicked and played together while several adults watched over them in the darkness.

Toothless even heard Snowflame and Windripper purring to each other as they rested together; they had returned from wherever they had flown off to so they could be together.

He had Hiccup pack up everything so that they could fly very quickly if there was a need. His thoughts had been disturbed ever since his return from seeing that living fire and shadow.

But everything was peaceful and quiet. No deeply rumbling growl appeared in the darkness. No whispering stalked closer to him in the shadows.

The pack gathered together after the playing, and Snowfall told another story to everyone. Hers was a story about a wild cub that tried to break the rules in a game and got its tail trapped in a tree, which then made it lose the game and need to be rescued.

It was just after that story was finished that a joyful roar echoed in the darkness.

"The storm has flown away! We can fly now!" Hunts-In-Deep-Waters roared again.

The dark sky was then filled with a rush of wings and sound-sight cries as the entire pack began flying.

Toothless waited with his parents and little brother as Hiccup strapped the last of the supplies to the saddle and put on his thick furs. Then they took to the sky and followed the pack's flight through the dark cavern. It was easy to lose awareness of how much time was passing.

Finally, with no disturbances at all beyond Breath-Of-Sky playfully nipping at his tail, he arrived at the massive cave-mouth. There was a lot more snow on the ground inside now.

Out they flew into the open air that smelled so clean and good!

And cold, but he did not care about that! He was out of the ground and away from things that should be hidden and forgotten forever.

The ground was covered in snow as far as he could see in all directions. Then they flew out above the mountains, which then let them see the clouds out in the distance. The sky was calm, very clear, and filled with wispy clouds in the storm's passing.

The entire pack eventually arrived back at the range where they lived. He knew that place well because it had the hot springs and the warm ground that even now was bare of snow after melting everything that had fallen.

A tail-nibbling idea then bothered him. What if this place where the pack rested was warm because it was over or close to that chamber of fire?

What if that creature of living fire was directly below them even now?

Then he snorted and put such thoughts out of mind. That thing, whatever it was, was sleeping, hidden in a deep place of the world and far out in the wilderness where no one else would ever find it.

Though, now that he thought about it that way, the pack was not very different; it was also lost to the rest of the world.

Those thoughts reminded him of the first reason they had flown to search for other dragons. He and Hiccup had flown this good flight in the hope that other good dragons might want to join the fight against the Enemy and then be welcomed to live in peace among the humans and others of Middle-earth.

_We should talk about that soon. I forgot that purpose after I found my kin and started being with Jumps-At-Fire._

"Brother, we should play in the snow!" Breath-Of-Sky bellowed and dove for the ground.

"Bud, did I hear a challenge?" Hiccup shouted.

_Okay, we will talk about bringing the pack back later!_

"Yes, we did!" he dashed forward into a dive while planning his attack.

The perfect idea came to him as he remembered a fight he and Hiccup had in the Misty Mountains.

_I will teach Breath-Of-Sky how to have a snowball fight!_

* * *

_**Author's Note – Don't be too disappointed that there was no epic clash of lightning and death vs. shadow and flame. For various reasons, that is a battle which could only end very poorly for the Furies. The Furies are creatures of flesh and blood, whereas the Balrog is an incarnate Maiar/demon. I doubt that any amount of plasma or fire could harm a creature of fire itself. It took an incarnate Maiar/angel (a wizard named Gandalf) to kill Durin's Bane (the Balrog in Moria), and that only happened after a battle that lasted several days and which killed both participants. To put it bluntly, these dragons, even a number of them together, are no match for a Balrog. A dragon such as Ancalagon the Black or Smaug would probably have been great enough to put up a real fight through a combination of magical powers and physical strength, except that they would certainly have been on the same side of the battle.**_


	35. Deliberation

Deliberation

* * *

Hiccup had been thinking over this inevitable issue for the last couple days since that snowstorm that had forced the pack to take shelter underground where he might have seen the underworld itself. Not to mention Surtr also.

While he had a history of screwing up, causing Ragnarok was not one of his mistakes.

"Alright bud, we should talk about it," Hiccup sighed, leaning against Toothless's side.

"Talk about what?" Toothless blinked after yawning.

"About what we came up here to do: finding the Night Furies and bringing them back to the rest of the world. I feel like we've been avoiding this for a while..."

They had been with the pack for probably over a full month, and they had not yet truly spoken to each other or to anyone else in the pack about the real mission in all that time. Too much time had gone to getting to know people, especially the family they had not known was out there.

But this issue was going to come up eventually. He also thought he had made all the progress he possibly could make with getting to know the families in the pack and helping them trust him.

Toothless nodded and got to his paws.

"Yes, we need to fly through this cloud and decide what to do," Toothless agreed.

They walked through the forest and settled down on the warm rocks by the hot springs. It was isolated enough that they could talk freely without the concern of possibly being overheard.

Hiccup frowned, staring off across the steaming hot springs where someone else was curled up. That Fury was too far away to be distinguished from a distance.

"Okay, where to start? I don't know. The pack is so happy, safe, and at peace right now."

"Yes, they are. There could be more food, but it could be worse. We are safe... now..."

"But?"

Toothless growled and bared his teeth while faintly snarling.

"We know that a Nazgul flew up here before. It will again. The pack cannot hide here forever."

Hiccup nodded.

"Yeah. Sauron already knows where we are. But if we bring the pack down into the war, there is a chance someone could get hurt."

"There is always a chance of that."

Hiccup frowned, "Yeah, but we don't know what will happen if the pack doesn't join the war. They... we could just stay up here and wait until the war is over. Maybe it would be better for them to stay out of it."

"Do you truly think that?" Toothless grumbled.

"I... I don't know. I'm just considering all possibilities."

Toothless grumbled and looked around at Hiccup.

"Would you say that humans are afraid of what they do not know?"

"Yep. We both know they are."

"Fly this thought-flight with me. The pack stays here in hiding, alone and away from humans, Elves, and Dwarves. What if the Enemy is destroyed? Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and others win the war against Sauron and then will spread into more ranges. They will eventually find the pack, or the pack will find them. What happens then?"

Hiccup wanted to say that the meeting would be good and peaceful. Hopefully many years of isolation, the encounter would be peaceful because the old pains would be forgotten. No one would remember dragons as being gold-hoarding, dangerous monsters.

But now, having seen and heard from both sides, dragons and humans, he knew that optimism was hopelessly naive. Peace was not the natural way, especially when both sides were capable predators who hunted the same food and even each other when forced to. Dragons having fire-breath, teeth, and claws naturally made them creatures to be feared.

Fear made people act... on instinct. Humans were no different.

"There would be fighting. Hunting. Killing. Self-defense. You guys are big predators, after all. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight..." he whispered.

Toothless sighed and nodded.

"I agree. Peace needs to be worked for by both sides and made stronger together. What about the other possibility if we do not fight? What if the Enemy wins the war and gets the Ring? The pack might become his thrall-slaves always. He would use us as weapons and monsters. Maybe we would have power over humans, but... that would be very wrong to be his thrall-slaves."

"Yeah, that sounds about right. He would do that to us," Hiccup agreed.

Toothless continued.

"What if we do fight and help the humans and others win the war? That will help the pack be free of Sauron and also be more trusted. If we fight Sauron and he still wins... we would be his slave-thralls anyway... so that is not truly worse," Toothless reasoned.

Hiccup entirely agreed, but he saw one point Toothless had not brought up.

"Bud, I hate to ask this... but why would the pack not want to freely join with Sauron? Why not be his willing servants?"

A long silence followed that question until Toothless answered.

"I want to be free of him, and I... felt what is truly in his soul-fire. Cruelty. Malice. A will to dominate all life. Even if the pack was never around the Ring, they still know that the Nazgul is twisted not-life. Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall turned the Nazgul away last time. The pack will not want to serve Sauron. I am sure of that," he huffed.

Hiccup winced and rubbed Toothless's neck.

"I'm afraid of what will happen. What if the pack agrees to fight and someone gets... hurt or worse?"

"Then the rest of us will flame all enemies who hurt one of the pack."

"Maybe. I just wish it did not need to be this way."

Toothless huffed softly and gently slapped Hiccup's head with a wing.

"Bud, what was that for?" Hiccup grumbled.

"Maybe the fighting will be good! Think about it. The humans will see us fighting for them when we did not need to. That will help them trust us, yes?"

Hiccup thought about it and reluctantly agreed with Toothless's point.

"Yes, you're right. If anything can, that will. My old tribe had a saying that anyone who fights in battle on the same side... is family."

He neglected to add that part of the saying involved shedding blood together.

Hiccup frowned and thought back to the Council in Rivendell. Something said back then struck him.

"What was it Elrond said at the Council? If something is a danger, we cannot sit around and hope it gets taken care of by someone else later on. Nothing will change that way. We have to do something about this now. You and I could try to change the world on our own, but the world might be too big for both of us."

Toothless nodded, agreeing entirely.

"Yes, the pack will be involved sooner or later. We cannot hide forever. Humans want to explore and find hidden places like this one. We should talk to the pack tonight," Toothless proposed.

"Sounds good."

A long silence followed as they stared out at the forest and occasionally saw a moving shadow or a Fury going for a swim in the hot water.

Hiccup then closed his eyes as the course became clear. They would wait until the pack returned from the day's hunting, and then they would talk to the pack. They would try to convince the entire pack that it was necessary to join the war against Sauron for their own sake or do something else to involve themselves.

While the risk of joining the war was disturbing to think about, Toothless had rightly pointed out that there was another possibility for a good outcome. Having proven themselves to be good creatures, the Furies could hopefully be welcome to live in peace among the free peoples of Middle-earth.

Eyes lit with starlight flashed in his memory.

_'Whoever saves one life saves an entire world. You have not yet found your purpose in this world, though I think you know what it is.'_

"Maybe that's it..." he whispered.

"What?" Toothless rumbled.

"I know what I'm supposed to do with my life."

"Good. What is it?"

He waved a hand toward the forest.

"Think about the pack living in peace with everyone else; almost like what we did in the Shire only much bigger. Think about adults working together and kids playing together or flying together."

"That peace would be very good," Toothless purred.

Hiccup got to his feet, feeling more confident the longer he thought about the budding plan. It felt good to do what he could to bring these two different peoples together.

"And to think it all came from one forbidden friendship, ours. It won't be easy, but I'm not going to give up."

"When have you ever given up? Do you not have rock-head stubbornness problems?"

"Yep, I sure do, and you do also, bud."

Toothless stuck out his tongue at him.

* * *

Toothless wandered the woods on his own, wanting some time on his own in the range he and Hiccup had lived in for... he was not sure how long, but it had definitely been for several weeks.

It was long enough that he remembered so much of the range even with his eyes closed. The piles of rocks, the gullies that might have had water in them once, the pine trees, the mountains at the base of which the pack lived, and, best of all, the hot pools of water that bubbled and steamed.

He still was not sure what to make of why that place was at all. It was possible that the pools of water were above the melted-rock pools underground... or maybe even above that living shadow and fire, whatever that bad thing was.

_I will miss this place once we leave..._

He stopped walking and stared aimlessly into the distance.

There was a possibility he and Hiccup had not talked about. What if the pack refuses to fly south to join the fighting? What if they want to stay up here in hiding always?

Would his own family want to come with him and Hiccup when they both fly south, as he and Hiccup must eventually?

There was no chance of him and Hiccup hiding themselves away from all the fighting when others they cared about were fighting the enemy.

_No, the pack will listen to us. They must..._

He grumbled and then continued on through the woods, no destination in his mind. But if he ended up at the hot pools, he would not object to it. Those were always enjoyable to go relax in for warmth.

_Are there hot ponds in the south too? Hopefully._

Then the hot pools of water were just ahead of him. He could also tell that he was getting close because he heard the cries of several of the cubs at play in the water.

"Now me!" "Higher!" "Again!"

He walked out from the trees, walked around a boulder, and froze in place when he saw what was happening.

Moonbeam was standing in the shallows by the deeper water while the cubs swam around her. She bent down, ducked her head under little Nightfall, picked her up, and then wildly tossed her head, throwing Nightfall head over tail out into the deeper water.

Splash.

Nightfall then broke the surface and cried out with joy.

"Yay!"

"Me!" "Me!" Storm-Chaser and Free-Flight bellowed, leaping out of the water.

"You cubs are too big! Just fly into the water!" Moonbeam chuckled.

"Jumping!" "Let us jump!"

"Fine..." she huffed.

She held herself still while the cubs hopped onto her back and perched there. Then they both jumped off her out into the deep water while Nightfall swam back to her side.

"Again!" the little cub yelled.

"Get up!" Moonbeam bellowed.

She let Nightfall climb onto her head again.

His soul-fire was very warmed to see the play and bonding she was giving the cubs. This was so different from another who... had no interest in that part of life.

Maybe he should go out there also and join in the playing. Maybe showing her that he was warm to cubs might help with...

He blinked and shook his head, realizing where his thoughts were leading him.

_No. I am not chasing after her tail. Not so soon after Jumps and I... I still need to get over that._

He turned away and went back into the forest on his own. But he paused and glanced back once at her as the cubs swam around her or pawed at her side. She was very appealing in shape, even though she was not a Night Fury. And it was also very clear that she was very kind to cubs. Maybe...

He spun away and ran into the woods.

_Grr... stupid thinking. What is wrong with me? Am I that weak to them that just being around females is too much?_

He groaned and fell on his belly.

_I need to... think about anything else... or do something else to not think about females. What could help me fight this..._

Then he had a perfect idea of something wearying and fun that he could do to keep his thoughts away from that. Even better was that this activity was bonding with someone dear to his soul-fire but whom he wanted to come to trust far more.

He began galloping through the woods toward the mountains. It was a pleasant, relaxing run, and then he spotted all his present kin at the end of his run.

_Yes! He is here! Hiccup also!_

"Sire!"

He ran to a stop before Far-Flight. His sire and Hiccup had been talking about something while Breath-Of-Sky listened in. Sky-Dancer was off helping the pack with the day of hunting.

"Burning-Star, we were just talking about you!" Far-Flight hummed.

His ears went back in worry as he stared at Hiccup.

"What were you saying?"

"I was telling them about some of our adventures in the cove, the wild, and the Shire," Hiccup immediately answered.

"That is good."

"And you told us about the time he..." Breath-Of-Sky eagerly began.

"No! Don't tell him..." Hiccup interrupted.

"Oh, okay," Breath-Of-Sky innocently warbled.

His sire and brothers then stared at him in silence while smiling in various degrees of showing teeth.

_I do not want to know..._

So he turned to Far-Flight and purred at him.

"Sire, can we do a bonding-fight?"

Far-Flight's ears flew up.

"Yes, my cub! I would like that very much. What rules for the fight?"

There were several fights that he could choose from. Some were fights to push the other off their balance, different fights ended with the other's neck between his jaws, and other fights were to push the other past a line. The middle option was most tiring, so that made it the best option for his needs.

"Jaws to neck is the win. No teeth, no claws, no flying, no bleeding. First to two wins takes the fighting win."

Far-Flight growled and lowered himself to the ground with his tail swaying. Breath-Of-Sky and Hiccup dashed aside to be out of the way.

"My cub, you have not beaten me yet..." Far-Flight grinned while flicking his teeth in and out.

He dropped down low and rolled his shoulders.

"One of these days I will!"

They began circling each other while Hiccup and Breath-Of-Sky watched. His sire was a nosetip bigger than him, but he himself was stronger and better-fed. Having lived on the ground for so long helped make him stronger than most other Night Furies were. It was probably an even fight.

There was also some pride to be won from the fight. The few times when Hiccup had offended his status as a Night Fury had resulted in Hiccup losing fights. With his sire, there was natural cub against sire fighting in a good and bonding way. Breath-Of-Sky wrestled with Far-Flight even though there was no chance of winning such a fight.

But he wanted to win this fight.

"Take him down, bud!" "Go brother!"

Encouraged by his brothers, he pounced with a twisting jump. Far-Flight dashed to the side and snapped at his neck. Both strikes barely missed, though their noses did touch necks. Then they spun away from each other and glared while purring.

"Fast, my cub..." Far-Flight smirked.

"I try."

"But not fast enough."

Far-Flight went on the attack this time. Another pair of snaps and quick dodges followed.

_This will be fun._

His sire won the fight on the third set of fighting. That was fine. He was getting better himself, and every loss or play-fight helped him learn more of his sire's moves. He would win eventually.

During the contest and in the exhaustion that followed, he never once felt distracted by his thoughts going to what didn't matter for him anymore.

* * *

Evening arrived at the end of a long day filled with anticipation and play.

All the hunters returned with their catches for the pack, some of which went to Lightning first.

The pack was now settling down to rest as the sky filled with an orange glow.

Hiccup took a very deep breath to steady himself. Toothless did the same next to him, also apparently feeling nervous.

_It's not every day I get to ask an entire tribe to abandon their home and go somewhere else. Hopefully they won't have stubbornness issues._

"Ready?" Toothless whispered.

"Yes, it's go time!"

They got to their feet and approached the Alpha pair roughly in the middle of the other pairs. Hiccup walked with a hand on Toothless's neck, feeling his purring in reassurance.

Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall were peacefully resting together with Free-Flight asleep under her wing. Snowflame was off whispering with Windripper a short flight down the range.

"Alphas, we would speak with you," Toothless hummed, sitting down before them.

They both purred back to him and Hiccup.

"You know that we flew from the south to search for other Night Furies, for other dark wings like you," Hiccup began.

"Yes, you told us before," Flame-In-The-Night answered.

"We wanted to talk more about that," Hiccup added.

The Alphas glanced at each other and gave curious warbles, their ears lifting with their curiosity.

"Please listen to us. We want to help the pack," Toothless implored.

"Speak," Snowfall said.

"You know that the humans are fighting an Enemy... the same Alpha of the Nazgul that flew to you long ago?"

"You told us," Flame-In-The-Night huffed.

"We think that the pack should fly to the humans and help them in the fighting. Doing that would be good for the pack."

The Alphas blinked and froze.

"Why? Why would we help those creatures that hunted us?" Flame-In-The-Night softly growled.

"They did not. Those humans have not hunted you. Do you think all humans are bad? Because if they are then I must be also," Hiccup objected.

"You are different, but you were different even from your old pack. Humans are too dangerous, and we are happy here on our own," Flame-In-The-Night answered.

Hiccup solemnly grinned, appreciating that he was different from other humans. While humans had plenty of problems, he knew they could also learn a better way. He was the proof of that. Further, he knew more than the Alphas did.

"But you cannot be on your own forever. You were already found by that... living shadow Nazgul. That shadow's Alpha knows where you are, and it will try to make you his thralls. They will come back for you..."

"If it tries that, we will flame it and drive it away!" Snowfall barked.

Toothless warbled sadly.

"Not if the Enemy gets his Ring. Not if the humans and others who are fighting him die."

"What?" "What?"

"The Enemy can make us all into thought-thralls. I know. I felt... it. Have you ever been thralled to a Monster?" Toothless growled freely.

"No, but some of us were in nests with dragons that can... twist thinking," Snowfall warily answered.

A few other of the Fury pairs padded closer to listen in.

"Even if that is all true, how could the enemy control us?" she added.

"It is twisted to think about, but he has a thing like this," Toothless held up his pendant with a paw, "but his one, his precious, is filled with... bad life, a twisted soul-fire, that would make him a very powerful Alpha. It would give him much power over us dragons, if he gets it. We would never be free then..."

All the other Furies in the pack had been amazed at the pendant and how it could make light that felt warming. Several of them even remarked that it reminded them of a good place in the past, though they didn't speak much about that place.

It was his idea to wear the pendant now.

"You want the pack to be safe, and we do also. The best way to do that is help the humans win the fighting," Hiccup added.

"Why would humans trust us? Why does it help us to fight for them?" Snowfall objected.

"Humans would just turn against us. They would hunt us!" Flame-In-The-Night added.

Hiccup frowned and leaned against Toothless's side.

"Humans... protect their own. They are loyal to each other, usually. They need to understand that you dragons are not very different from them. The best way you can change their mind is to fight for them. I know what will happen if you stay here in this hidden world of your own forever."

"What?" Flame-In-The-Night warily warbled.

"As long as you live away from humans and fear them, you will be a different group to them. They will never know you like I know Burning-Star. But, humans are explorers. They will eventually find this place, and what do you think they will see when they see you?"

The silence was deafening as Hiccup paused and looked around at all the differently colored eyes. He had not known that he had attracted an audience of over a dozen of the Furies.

"Monsters. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight. Nothing will change! I don't want that!"

Flame-In-The-Night looked away, staring into the trees.

"You can't stay here forever," Hiccup implored him.

"It is not our fight!" Snowfall hissed.

"Yes, it is your fight. Do you want the humans of this world to be your enemies just like before or your friends like me?"

Free-Flight, having woken up at some point, slithered out from under his mother's wing and dashed over to him.

"I like you! Humans are good!" Free-Flight nuzzled his leg.

Flame-In-The-Night got to his paws and strode over to Hiccup, eventually sitting down and softly growling. Hiccup almost shivered at the curled lips so close to him. But he did not.

"Why would humans trust us? Why would anything be different now!" Flame-In-The-Night snarled.

Hiccup hid his frustration at how stubborn he was being. Flame-In-The-Night was simply a concerned leader who had the well-being of his pack at heart.

"My old... pack had a saying. The enemy of an enemy is a friend. The humans have been hurt by fighting with the true Enemy. The same Enemy sent the shadow-Nazgul to your pack. The same Enemy will try to make you his slaves and mounts. Burning-Star has felt that. You have not hurt the humans of this world. If you help them, you show them that you are on their side."

Surprisingly, Moonbeam approached and stared intensely at him. Her tail swished as she grumbled.

"And then what happens? If we fight for the humans and help them, then what? Would you have us give away our backs and become mounts for them to use?"

"No! No. You are not mounts or things for them to use. I hope that you could live in peace with the humans."

"So? Why do we need that?" she objected.

Hiccup crossed his arms and considered her, trying to understand her point. Why would they not want to live in peace? Her past with humans was not good, for sure, but the idea that peace was not even worth considering was too terrible to consider.

"What are you afraid of, Moonbeam?"

"What?" she growled.

"The way I see it, humans and dragons could either live in peace or be enemies. I don't think there is another option. Hiding up here won't work forever. Do you really want more fighting and killing?"

"No..." she warbled.

"Neither do I."

Hiccup turned back to the two Alphas.

"Why should you want the peace? Think about all the cubs. Do they always get enough food? The wild out here does not look good. Is there always enough hunting for everyone in the pack?"

He knew the answer without needing to ask, so he asked to make a point. Most of the Furies in the pack looked thinner than they probably should be. They were thinner than Toothless, anyway. No one was apparently close to starvation, but neither was there truly enough food to go around.

Lightning got to her paws and stepped forward. Naturally, she was one of the few Furies who was not underfed. She sat down and put a paw to her belly.

"I know how much food you have all given me and my cub. I wish there was more for us all. Hiccup, would the other humans let us have prey animals to hunt and eat?"

"Yes," he eagerly nodded, "humans know how to grow more food than you can find out there..." he waved vaguely toward the wild.

He was also very pleased that Jumps-At-Fire stepped forward from where she had been resting. She purred softly in his and Toothless's direction before she turned for the pack. She looked rather uncomfortable in front of the entire pack, but that was understandable for someone who preferred being on their own.

"You know that I fly farther from the pack than the rest of you. I see fewer prey-herds and less hunting every year. We should listen to this idea."

She then walked back to the shadow of the trees and lay down there.

Toothless blinked and looked away from Jumps-At-Fire. Then he stood tall and looked around to the nearest listening Furies. He hummed in surprise when he saw that almost all the pack was gathered close around them. Adults, fledglings, and cubs, all of them were listening attentively.

He swept his tail around for them all to see, and he wiggled his tailfin.

"I am not grounded because of what Hiccup made for me. I would be dead if not for him and what his clever paws can make. The wild would have let me die. I know humans because I fought against them for a pawful of years. The humans in this world do not know us as monsters. Hiccup and I lived in peace with small humans and others before we flew here. We should help them."

"I must question the hunt. What would you have us do... if we do help them?" Flame-In-The-Night objected.

That was a point Hiccup was not so sure about. He knew well how destructive Night Furies could be. But he did not know anything about what any enemies would be like, aside from the Nazgul. Neither did he know anything about what the armies looked like on both sides. Or where any of the battles would likely happen.

He knew basically nothing about Middle-earth from the perspective of one needing to plan for war.

"How many of you are fighters?" Hiccup asked.

"Me!" "I am!" "Grr!"

The cubs flashed their teeth and pawed at the ground.

Hiccup chuckled at their eagerness, and then he turned to Flame-In-The-Night. The Alpha male flashed his teeth. His were far more impressive than those of the cubs.

"We have not forgotten," he growled.

"I don't know what the fighting would be like or how it would happen. You could watch from the skies to help protect the humans against unseen enemies or surprise attacks. You could use your fire to flame enemies from the sky."

"Risk our lives for those we have never met and who probably will hate us for what we are?" Flame-In-The-Night sighed.

Hiccup approached him and stared evenly into his deep blue eyes.

"I don't think they will hate you. They cannot hate anyone who helps them. Staying apart from them will not help. I know that, and you know that too."

Without saying anything, Flame-In-The-Night turned away from him and lay down at Snowfall's side. The Alpha pair whispered to each other while Hiccup returned to Toothless's side. Other pairs were doing the same as the Alphas, whispering to each other all throughout the pack.

Meanwhile, Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer had silently crept closer.

"Burning-Star, is that what you were almost telling us about before?" Sky-Dancer asked.

"Yes, we want to help the pack, and that means life of peace with humans and helping them win their fighting. What do you think of that, dam?" he warily asked.

"It is... twisted and different, but the only human I know now is a good one," she grinned toothlessly.

"Sire?"

Far-Flight huffed and nuzzled his shoulder.

"You, my firstborn, changed much about the world. We must be careful if we do fly to the human ranges. I... lost a cub once, but I found him again. I will not lose another."

His sire's concern for him and Breath-Of-Sky was very soul-fire warming.

"Sire, I will be fine as long as I have Hiccup with me!"

"Love that confidence, bud..." Hiccup chuckled.

Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall then roared aloud a call to the whole pack. Heads lifted from where the pairs had been in quiet whispering.

"Pack! Two of our own have proposed that we fly to aid the flights of... humans. Do any of you wish to speak?" Snowfall cried.

Dreamcatcher stepped forward and then stood tall.

"I say that we stay here. We should not fly a flight to those who would hunt us. It will only hurt us to fly there. We are few even now."

She faced Hiccup.

"Hiccup is not a monster, true. We all know that. But he is not all humans. What he and Toothless are is not normal, not natural. It would not be if Toothless had not lost the tailfin in fighting. We should stay here and be on our own in peace."

Hiccup winced when Dreamcatcher dropped down to the ground and ambled back to her mate and daughter. Nothing that she said was spoken with any anger, and it was not unreasonable of her either.

But it hurt deeply to hear. Especially the part about how he and Toothless met.

_She's not totally wrong... I only got to know him because I grounded him first..._

Then this meeting looked like it was about to get much worse.

Moonbeam stepped forward before the entire pack, and she silently stared at him. Her piercing purple eyes never blinked, and her ears remained flattened to her head the entire time.

He remembered talking to her about trust and about how he truly wanted the best for the pack. She had been suspicious of him then, and that was before he even proposed the pack join the war.

_Yep, we're doomed. No way she trusts us..._

Then she looked away to the rest of the pack.

"I know monster humans. Better than any others in the pack. Hiccup is not a monster. I do not think he is a bad human or means us any hurts. But it is also true that he is not all humans. Burning-Star, would you agree that Hiccup has never hurt a dark wing?"

Toothless blinked.

"True, he has never... tried to hurt any of us."

Her eyes narrowed very slightly as she tilted her head.

"What are you not saying?" she quickly asked.

Toothless hesitated and then grinned.

"He might have fouled our shared flight when we were learning to fly. We crashed into many rocks..."

"And I said that was my fault! I'm sorry about that!" Hiccup answered.

Moonbeam's eyes relaxed after a moment, and she turned back to the rest of the pack.

"Hiccup should have the pack's trust. If he says that flying to the humans might help the pack, there must be some lift to the flight. Burning-Star would also not lead us into a bad flight."

She then stared at him again.

"But we will always be free dragons if any of us do choose to help humans or even... range with them."

"You will be. I promise," Hiccup swore.

Moonbeam grumbled, walked back to Mystery's side, and lay down with her.

"Do others wish to speak?" Flame-In-The-Night roared.

The rest of the pack looked around at each other while purring softly. No one else stepped forward or shouted anything.

"My mate and I agree that we are safe here now. Humans can be dangerous, and we know that. But we are dangerous also! We are dark wings and light wings!" Flame-In-The-Night cried.

Several echoing roars went up.

Snowfall flared her wings and stood up.

"We did not become your Alphas by telling you what to do! You choose to listen to us, and we listen to you. If we do this, we fly as a full pack. How many of you would have us fly to the humans?"

Not sure what to expect, Hiccup looked around at everyone in the pack. It all depended on how convincing he and Toothless had been, now and in the past weeks, and whether the pack was willing to trust. Would they take a risk and try to change the world?

He had to stifle his initial amusement when the tips of tails lifted into the air all throughout the pack. The lifted tailfins far outnumbered those on the ground, of which there were only a few.

Then he realized what this meant.

Everyone else did also.

The Alphas blinked in surprise, their wings falling to the ground at their sides. To their credit, they quickly recovered themselves and shakily approached him and Toothless. Then they took deep breaths to steady themselves.

"The pack will fly as you said we should. You should know how... twisting this is for us," Flame-In-The-Night warbled.

"Some of us have lived here for almost two tens of years. This is our home-range," Snowfall moaned.

Hiccup stepped over to her and offered her his hands. She looked at them and gently leaned her nose against them while purring softly.

"I know how hard it is to leave somewhere you know and feel safe in. Burning-Star and I left our old islands because we had to. Because it would not have been safe for him there. You all might miss this place, but home is wherever family is."

She stepped back from him and let Free-Flight snuggle with her.

"True, and the pack will be together for this."

"Do you know where you would have us fly?" Flame-In-The-Night asked.

"Yes, it is not to the human lands first. There are others called Elves. They are much like humans but also very different. They have a... range called Rivendell. That is where we should fly first."

"Why there?"

"It is the closest place that I know you would be very safe. Their... Alpha is the one who said we should look for you. They know Burning-Star and trust him."

"Then we will fly. How long is the flight?"

He frowned, trying to guess at how long the flight was going to be. Between the flight from Lothlorien, days exploring the Withered Heath and the Grey Mountains, and an unknown number of days searching the Northern Waste, he had completely lost count. The journey home would be for at least a week and maybe even two.

So he shrugged.

"Not sure. It is a long flight, that is all I can say."

Snowfall grumbled.

"It will be a slow flight with the cubs and Lightning flying slower. Nightfall is only three winters, and she will need to be carried by her sire and dam."

"When does that happen: a cub learning to fly?" Hiccup asked.

"Their wings are strong enough to hold air when they have three winters, but those flights are very short ones as the wings grow stronger," she answered.

"When will we fly?" Toothless asked.

Flame-In-The-Night hummed in thought.

"Not now or the following sun. We will send out all the hunters to catch as much prey as they can. We will all eat much more than we need. Then we fly in a pawful of suns."

Flame-In-The-Night then stepped closer to Hiccup.

"I still think it might be safer to stay here. If anything happens to us or any of the pack..."

He did not growl or snarl or narrow his eyes. There was no need to.

"I... I won't fail you, any of you..." Hiccup whispered.

Oddly, Flame-In-The-Night sighed and looked away. He spoke softly so that no others could hear.

"Hiccup, your soul-fire is burning bright with no shadows in it. But have you ever lost anyone you were responsible for as the flight-leader?"

"No..."

"I have. If we do this and fight for humans, you will see things that you will never forget. You say that you will not fail us, but you cannot promise that. You could do everything well and still lose those who are important."

"We will be careful..."

"I hope that will be enough. If anything happens to us or any of the pack, the fault is on our wings, mine and my mate's, not yours," Flame-In-The-Night whispered.

Then he and Snowfall turned aside and returned to where they had been resting. All the other Furies gradually did the same, forming their family sleeping piles. No one looked interested in resting though.

Hiccup and Toothless returned to Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, and Breath-Of-Sky. Toothless lay down among them all, and Hiccup rested at his side under a wing.

Hiccup closed his eyes and listened to the purring around him.

There should have been relief. He and Toothless had succeeded at convincing the Furies to join the battle, if there was to be one, and to make an effort to live in peace with everyone else.

But there was also a faint worry deep in his heart since he knew all the Furies in the pack by name now.

_Hopefully there won't actually be any fighting. It would be best to bring them back to live in peace without the need for war, but that's probably not going to happen..._

There was another whispering voice in the back of his heart. The voice spoke with a cold hiss the more he thought about how bringing the pack into the world would change the course of the future.

_'He can burrn, tearr, rrend, and sslay, ssuch iss the hearrt of everry drragon.'_

_Have they felt what Toothless has felt? Had to resist gold? Do they even know about that? It doesn't look like they would. None of them have said anything about hoards._

Then he felt a nose gently nudge his side. He stared into wide green eyes.

"Hiccup?" Breath-Of-Sky whispered.

"Breath-Of-Sky?"

"We are flying to see more humans, yes?"

"Yes, and others like them."

The young Fury purred.

"Good! I like that."

"Me too," he scratched behind the Fury's ears until Breath-Of-Sky fell into a purring sleep.

He just started to feel drowsy when he was nudged again on his other side.

"Do you think this will work?" Toothless whispered.

Hiccup lay down on his back and stared up into the clear sky. The stars slowly wheeled about overhead, and the sky was painted with a faint green aurora.

"Remember that we were not supposed to be here in Middle-earth at all, but we are. That must be for a reason. This pack is the reason."

"That we can bring them back to live in peace with everyone else."

"Yeah, why not? Why not change the world forever?"

Toothless nuzzled his shoulder while purring softly.

"You have always been different. The world will not change itself."

Hiccup reached over and gently twisted one of the Fury's ears.

"Nope. Change doesn't happen if people sit around and wait for it. All we can do is... try... and never give up."

* * *

"Burning-Star, I want to talk," Jumps-At-Fire said as she bounded up to him.

_Great skies..._

He glanced around and confirmed that they were alone under the trees for the moment.

"Yes, what about?"

"About this flight we will fly."

_Oh, good. Not something else..._

"What about it?"

"Do you know how long the flight will be?"

"How many days will the flight take? No, I do not know. Ten, two tens, I cannot say."

She hummed.

"This flight will be to new ranges I do not know. That is... exciting."

He found it slightly surprising that she was not afraid.

"Yes, it is that. To speak truth, I was wondering if you would fly the flight with the pack."

She huffed.

"Yes, being in new, warmer ranges I could fly in would be good. There is also more protection in a pack than completely outside. I never forgot that."

"That is good to hear."

She purred.

"I also wanted you to know that we must wait more, another pawful of days."

Then she spun around and dashed off into trees before he could say anything.

_Wait more for... oh... yes... that. Not a problem._

He was not sure how to gently go about saying what had to be said. There might not be such a way.

_Hopefully she does not truly trust me or feel anything in her soul-fire for me. Her not feeling for me would make this easier when I tell her the truth._

* * *

Hiccup rolled awake in the dead of night. He shifted under Toothless's wings and looked out from the warm protection.

The cold bit at his nose while the moon shone in the heavens on this clear night. The faint wind almost echoed with a shrill cry above the mountains.

His thoughts were very confused, but he had a vague feeling that he was being watched. Was there a dark shape circling high in the sky and blotting out the stars as it flew, or was that only his imagination?

It probably was a Fury out on a nighttime flight.

He groaned wearily and hid himself in the living tent. Back in that warmth, his thoughts drifted to the far South and to people he had not seen in a long time. Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Aragorn, Bilbo, and Elrond mostly. He had no idea where they were or what had happened to them.

But the thought of seeing them again and of them seeing the pack of Furies coming to join the war was a very good one.

Then he quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.


	36. Departures

Departures

* * *

"Snowfall, I have a question," Hiccup said.

She padded over to him and then sat down with a soft purr and lifted ears.

"Ask."

"Have you or any other dark wings in the pack been around... gold?"

She blinked and tilted her head slightly.

"Gold? What is that?"

"Shiny rocks that are very precious to some dragons. The rocks can... twist the dragon's thinking into bad thinking."

She warbled softly and looked only more confused.

"No. I do not think any of us know anything about... shiny rocks that twist thinking. My mate knows about the light-making rocks in a different world, but I never saw that hidden place. Why do you ask?"

He wasn't sure how to describe wealth and money, the Furies having no apparent equivalent concepts. They understood the importance of doing their duty for the good of the pack and ensuring that all their needs were met, but they didn't use anything physical as a stand-in for value.

"Because humans use the gold for different purposes, and they think that dragons want to claim gold and other precious things. Toothless and I saw a dragon that was doing that in this world. It was... keeping a lot of gold to itself."

"You saw another dragon near here? One not in our pack?" she barked in surprise.

He warily grinned. He hadn't specifically told her or Flame-In-The-Night about the encounter in the Grey Mountains.

"Yeah, we saw one. His name was Vorunturth. He was a really big dragon, not a dark wing or a light wing, with ice-breath instead of fire. And he was not nice at all..."

"What was he doing?"

"Nothing at first. He was just sleeping on a pile of gold in his cave, protecting his... hoard. Then he realized that we were there, and he... tried to do bad things to both of us..."

She growled softly.

"That male was sitting on a pile of shiny rocks in a cave? Why?"

He shrugged.

"He thought that gold was precious and that he needed to sit on it and try to kill anyone else around him..."

Then he frowned, wondering about that ice-dragon and about what he knew of Smaug. Both seemingly slept much of their life on their hoards, so it was possible that Vorunturth did not even leave his cave much. But that dragon had apparently seen at least one of the Furies from a distance.

"Have you Furies seen any other dragons?"

"No. None with ice-breath. We found some old bones in far away, warmer ranges, but there were no other living dragons. We like that we are alone."

It sounded odd that they had never seen any others and that they liked being alone as a pack. But it was also true that he had not seen any other types of dragons in all his time with the pack. There was no sign of any of the other, normal dragons he knew of back on Berk.

"Why not?"

"Our cubs are very small and weak until they get their fire as older fledglings. Other dragons might try to hunt them or us."

He winced, not wanting to imagine such a thing happening.

"Is that... something that dragons do... to other dragons?"

She snarled and slid her teeth into place.

"Some do. There are dragons with spinning teeth. They can dig through the ground under nests to eat other dragons' eggs. Worst are the big, red, tusked dragons with stinger-tails."

That description sounded familiar.

"The ones that hurt Moonbeam and Mystery?"

"Yes, those ones are hunters and killers of other dragons. The largest dragons, the Alphas and Monsters, can also be eaters of dragons."

Hiccup stared off into the distance as he thought about it. That reality, that dragons were capable of hunting each other, was something none of the Vikings seemed to appreciate, probably because they never saw dragons attacking each other. It was always a very clear 'us or them' conflict where they were a united enemy.

_We already knew that dragons are extremely dangerous. I guess they are not perfectly innocent themselves, not even back in Berk's world. There would be some of them that are best at hunting other dragons._

* * *

"Do not twist your tail, Burning-Star. We will hunt for you," Far-Flight growled softly.

"Yes, you stay with Hiccup and Breath-Of-Sky and bond with them," Sky-Dancer purred and nudged his neck.

Toothless grunted in reluctant agreement, and then he watched as his sire and dam flew off toward the horizon along with several other packmates.

Then he collapsed on his belly and let out a weak sigh.

The pack was going on one more hunt to catch as much as they could for all to feed on before the flight. Almost all those of hunting age except for the younger fledglings had flown off in all different directions to hunt and provide for the pack.

He did not. He... could not.

It so twisted his tail to be eating catches that others brought back to him. To just be sitting on his rear while others provide for him was bad! It was like being a mere cub again!

_At least I can watch the cubs for them._

He reluctantly got to his paws and bounded through the trees toward where the cubs and smaller fledglings lay in a pile. They were resting after having played much.

Eyes-That-Shimmer and Lightning were resting nearby the cubs. Those dams had the youngest cubs, one with only three winters and the other one unborn. All the other adults of the pack had flown to the hunts.

His thoughts drifted to one of them.

_How does Moonbeam hunt? Fire, claws, or teeth?_

He had no idea, having never gone on a true hunt with her alone. The one to catch the seals and walrus did not really help him get to know her at all. Everyone had a preferred style.

Maybe he could go hunting with her on the long flight to the south. They could fly long through the sky, spinning down mountains and around trees, up beyond the clouds, and then...

Then he wilted, remembering how impossible it would be and how twisted his own thoughts were.

_What am I thinking? I told myself that I would not chase her!_

"What is my problem?"

He covered his head with his tailfins and took a short nap.

"Toothless!" Hiccup called to him later.

"Yes?"

"Everyone else flew off?"

He nodded as Hiccup came to stand beside him.

"Yes, they did."

"Alright, I'm all packed and ready to go too."

"So am I."

"Bud, you don't have to pack anything."

"Exactly."

Hiccup snorted at that.

"Maybe you are becoming a dragon," Toothless grinned at Hiccup's reaction.

Hiccup twisted one of his ears, so he pounced on Hiccup and pinned him underpaw.

"Not fair!"

"Very fair. I will not lick you, because you would get cold."

"Very considerate, bud. Thanks a lot, useless dragon..."

* * *

Hiccup shuffled on his feet as he considered her. She was resting as she frequently did on the warm rocks.

"Um, excuse me, Lightning..."

Lightning stirred and opened her bright orange eyes. She blinked away her sleepiness and lifted her head.

"Hiccup?"

"I wanted to ask you about flying and... how easy it will be... for you," he awkwardly asked.

"Because of my cub?"

"Yes, you are... carrying more weight than everyone else..."

She chuffed and curled her tail to her side.

"I can fly well enough. Getting up into the sky is harder than gliding on the wind once I am up there."

Then she warbled softly to him.

"Tell me about where we are flying."

He sat down crosslegged before her.

"What to say about that world? It really depends on where we go. It is much warmer than here. The land is green instead of brown and grey. The mountains are very tall, the plains are filled with grass, and the forests are thick with trees. The humans have a lot of livestock, uh, those are prey animals. They would be willing to share with all of you, I'm sure."

She closed her eyes and hummed softly.

"That sounds good. I want my cub to know a good, warm world of much life."

"So do I..."

Then she looked thoughtful and also wary of something.

"Hiccup, you said before that humans have ones who know how to birth cubs safely, true?"

"Yes, midwives."

She nodded, apparently having picked up that gesture from him.

"Will you do that for me?"

He blinked and barely kept his jaw from falling open at the thought of helping her with that.

"I know you and would trust you to help with it," she added.

"Well, I, uh, don't know how to help... with that, but I guess I could... learn with some help..."

She wrinkled her nose and chuffed at him.

"Why are you being tail-twisted?"

"I don't have a tail, but," he sighed, "it's just that helping with that, I will help if you want me to, is awkward..."

"Awkward? What?"

"Because I would have to be... back there where the cub... comes out..."

"So?"

He shrugged and sighed very deeply, not knowing how to explain it to her. How could he explain the ideas of modesty, propriety, shame, and...

"Touch my belly," she huffed at him.

"What?"

She rolled onto her side and exposed her belly while softly purring. He did not want to refuse her deliberate request, so he reluctantly stepped over to her side and very gently put a hand on her belly as she watched. Her hide there was much softer and more like actual skin than was the thick back that was so like scales.

"Listen with your ears..."

Amazed at what she was asking him to do, he put an ear to her belly and tried to listen, easily ignoring all other sounds around him because there were few distractions.

Then he froze when he heard a very faint thumping within.

"Do you hear the life?" she whispered.

He stared back at her wide orange eyes.

"Yes," he gasped in awe.

She purred and then yawned.

"Do not be twisted by what is good."

Then she curled her tail around to her side and lay her head down to return to rest.

It was such a strange, beautiful, and awe-inspiring experience that his head was still in the clouds as he wandered through the trees later.

To hear the heartbeat of her unborn cub...

To know that any number of Fury cubs and moms might die of complications...

That was unacceptable.

_I will not let that happen. We will find women who know that stuff, and I will learn if I must!_

He still rolled his eyes at one realization.

_Farmers and people who tend livestock might be best to ask for help in learning about... that. Gods, what a thought..._

Men did not help with childbirth in Viking culture. But he was not a Viking, and this was not a Viking culture.

* * *

The rest of the pack gradually returned throughout the day, bringing in their catches as they flew home. Moonbeam was one of the first who returned.

Hiccup approached her as soon as she touched down and dropped a mouthful of fish in the communal pile. He wanted to know why she had spoken in his favor in the pack's meeting. Her having done so was very odd. She was the last person in the pack whom he thought would have spoken on his behalf.

However, she saw him coming, left behind her catch, and dashed away into the sky to circle above the pack.

_Hey... I just want to talk..._

Toothless saw him staring up at the sky, and bounded over next to him. They watched the white speck rolling through the sky high above.

"She is a strong flier," Toothless hummed.

"Yeah, she is. She is still suspicious of me even after what she said. I don't get it. What do you think?"

Toothless opened his mouth to answer, but he froze, not knowing what he was feeling.

"Nothing..." he grumbled.

"So, the usual, eh bud?"

"You!"

Hiccup was tackled to the ground.

"Not again..."

"You deserve it!"

"Come on, let me up."

Toothless stepped back and let him get up.

"We should go find Breath-Of-Sky. I was playing hide and hunt with him."

Hiccup nodded and brushed off all the snow from his coat.

"Alright, seeing more of this place one more time would be good. Believe it or not, I will miss this place once we're gone."

"Why? This is too cold for you," Toothless pointed out.

Hiccup looked up the bare slope of the mountain north of the forest.

"Yeah, but it reminds me of Berk... or the good parts of Berk. There was just something about the sea stacks, the crashing waters, the mountain and forests..."

"When we were not almost crashing into them. Thank you for that..." Toothless huffed and slapped his shoulder with a wingtip.

"You're never going to forget that, are you?"

"It is hard to forget the time you almost killed us."

Hiccup facepalmed.

* * *

The entire pack had returned by mid-afternoon. The catches were eaten, and last-minute naps were had.

Flame-In-The-Night then gave a piercing roar that echoed off the mountains and woke all the sleepers from their rest. A chorus of roars and calls answered as wings rose into the sky to answer the summons. They all touched down in the clearing where the pack slept together by the base of the mountain. All the pairs, the children, Moonbeam, Mystery, and Jumps-At-Fire were all present.

Once again, Hiccup was stuck with awe at the sight of the full pack. All these Furies were going to fly in a pack from this, their home far in Northern Waste, down into the lands of humans, Elves, Dwarves, and everyone else. All because he and Toothless argued for them to do so for their own protection and for the good of the war against Sauron.

What they were going to do would surely change the world forever.

"Look at that, bud..."

Toothless purred softly as Hiccup strapped himself into the saddle after quickly checking on the tailfin and other gear.

"Pack!" Flame-In-The-Night flared his wings and stood on his hind legs, "We are flying from this range as one flight! We will try to live... in peace with the humans and help their fights because we must! Burning-Star, will you lead the flight?"

Toothless blinked in surprise and then stepped forward. The entire pack turned their eyes on him. It was slightly twisting having them all look to him to lead the flight.

Then he felt his soul-fire flare with warmth. He was here among his kin, about to lead them back into safety and hopefully peace with humans, and his kin trusted him to lead them well.

"I will!" he roared.

He jumped with a spin, ascending out of the shadow of the mountains the pack had until now lived in. The usual cold in the wind did not matter now, and he barely felt it.

Many different sets of wings took to the sky behind him as roars and calls echoed on the wind. He especially noticed how Wings-Of-Ice carried little Nightfall on his back because the cub could not fly well for any great length of time. The other cubs were quickly flying beside their sires and dams, probably trying to show off how big and strong they were.

Lightning also understandably labored to get up as quickly as the rest of the pack, but the flight became much easier for her once she got sufficient height and could start gliding more. Far off on the other side of the flight he could see Jumps-At-Fire also.

Everyone was aloft.

Then he turned for the south, frequently glancing back over his tail to ensure that the flight was keeping up. The cubs were very eager to show off their endurance to their sires and dams, and were flying circles around their kin.

_They will sleep much later when we stop._

His sire, dam, and younger brother flew up around him with happy roars and wing-touches.

He never stopped purring as he flew. But he glanced back over his tail one last time at the now-distant mountains far away over the expanse of ice and snow.

That range was the place where so much had happened to him. He found his own kind, found his parents, and made a big relationship mistake in which he let his... simplest desires control him. Never again in that way.

The place where the pack settled down was a mix of good and bad, cold everywhere and hot near the water, and protected by the mountains but still unwelcoming everywhere beyond. And that was all not even thinking about the living-fire-thing sleeping deep in the cave.

There was no reason to go back to that range ever again.

So he looked ahead toward the horizon, let his thoughts fall away, and just flew, never once looking back except to check on the flight.

It was a strange feeling, being the flight-leader. He was almost acting like an Alpha for the pack, though he had no interest in being a leader for the pack.

* * *

The sun vanished over the empty horizon, letting the stars appear in the heavens. The land in all directions was nothing but short grass, dirt, snow, and the smallest of bushes. No trees, lakes, or mountains were visible. A frigid wind swept down from the flat northern plain.

All the Furies returned from relieving themselves before settling down to rest. Then the cubs bounded into a massive, tangled pile. The adults and fledglings crowded closely around them and covered them in wings.

It was a pile of warm, purring, and snoring Furies.

Hiccup crept back under Toothless's wing while Sky-Dancer, Far-Flight, and Breath-Of-Sky rested around them.

Everything was peaceful.

He was also pleased to see that Jumps-At-Fire was resting among the pack. Toothless told him before that she had trust problems that kept her unnecessarily outside the pack. Being here in strange ranges probably helped push her closer to her kin, more so even than she had been the last few weeks. She also volunteered to stay awake as the guard dragon, watching for any signs of motion. That was good for her and for everyone.

Not that there was any other life to find anywhere on this desolate plain.

Well, there were those massive wolves with the glowing eyes, but they would probably live closer to forests or somewhere they could find shelter. The empty wild here could not support much life, if any.

* * *

The flight was slow and boring as the lengths passed underwing. Then it stopped being boring.

"Play!" Breath-Of-Sky bellowed with a nip at Toothless's tail.

"What was that for!" Toothless roared.

"Playing!" Breath-Of-Sky stuck out his tongue.

"Bud, let's show them what you've got!" Hiccup cried.

Toothless roared aloud in eagerness and turned on his brother. They chased each other through the other sets of wings in the flock, spinning and diving freely, much to the amusement of the other Furies. There had not yet been much playing on this long flight.

Mystery darted in from the side and slapped Breath-Of-Sky with her tailfins. That strike let Toothless catch up to him and close his jaws on his brother's tail, sending them both plummeting with joy while Hiccup laughed aloud.

Then he let his little brother go, and they turned back for the flight above. Mystery, grinning widely, flew close to both of them. She had learned the toothless smile which so many in the pack now knew.

But Toothless felt like he was being watched.

So he looked around and noticed that Moonbeam was gliding close above them and carefully watching the play. She saw him staring up at her, and she looked away before flying on ahead.

On the one paw, she had been closely watching his flying and showing her little sister warmth. On the other paw, Moonbeam did not join in the play or do anything that might suggest bonding.

He thought he knew why. She did not approve of him or Hiccup. That was her problem.

Sky-Dancer flew over and brushed his wing, breaking his annoyance.

"Burning-Star, why do you not split your backfins?"

He blinked and warbled while Hiccup also looked confused.

"What?" "What?"

She tilted her head and flicked an ear in surprise of her own.

"You do not know that? No! No one ever showed you!"

"No? Show me what?"

"Follow!" she cried and dove for the ground.

He followed her, and they landed on the grassy and snowy plain in the middle of desolation. There was nothing but brown grass, cold mud, snow, and rock in all directions.

"Watch this," she cried.

She hopped up next to him and then wiggled her shoulders and back. Then her backfins split in half from her neck all the way down her tail.

"What! How did you do that?" Hiccup exclaimed.

Toothless bounded closer to her and stared with his jaws hanging open in shock.

Sky-Dancer toothlessly grinned and flicked her split fins several times.

"You never had one of your kin to show you, but you can split your backfins! Doing that helps you to fly better, turn faster, and do more!"

"How do I do that?" he eagerly barked and danced around her.

She hopped over to him, put a paw at the base of his neck by his shoulders, and pressed hard. It felt like a terrible sore spot melted at the touch of her paw. A warmth burned inside as muscles he had never known he had suddenly existed all along his back and tail.

"Burning-Star, look at that!" Hiccup shouted and hopped off his back.

All his fins had split in two, though the ones under the saddle were trapped and not very useful.

He stared at the split fins and wiggled them, still trying to accept what he saw.

_I had no idea... but this will help me fly better!_

Then the warmth flared within his soul-fire, and he pranced around Hiccup while laughing.

"Look at this!"

He clapped his backfins as well as he could.

Hiccup chuckled with a paw over his mouth.

"What!"

"That just looks so... strange," Hiccup laughed.

"Strange? I have to look at you!"

"Fair enough. One fish to you."

Sky-Dancer stifled her laughter.

"You are both twisted..." she said.

"I get it from him," Hiccup objected.

"Me? No, it is his fault..." Toothless objected.

She rolled her eyes and took to the sky.

"Toothless, you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Get on!" Toothless crouched.

And they jumped into the sky to catch up with the rest of the pack. Sky-Dancer had hung back, hovering in place to wait for them.

He immediately noticed that the flight felt different. The wind flowing over him was tighter and the drag was lesser. He tucked his wings and spun tightly around his dam, far faster and closer than he had been able to before. Split fins definitely helped him fly better!

He roared aloud his joy, and Hiccup joined in, much to Sky-Dancer's amusement.

* * *

Hiccup wrapped his cloak around himself, squared his shoulders, and stepped away from the other dozing Furies. Everyone except the Fury on guard for the pack had settled down to rest near the end of another day.

The one on guard duty just so happened to be Moonbeam. She was standing on a barren hill a short flight from the massive pile of Furies out in the open.

_Perfect!_

There were things he wanted to talk to her about but had not been able to yet. She had definitely been avoiding him on the flight so far.

"Moonbeam!"

She watched as he approached. Thankfully, she did not fly off or otherwise flee from him this time.

"Moonbeam, I want to talk."

She curled up, sitting down with her tailfins under her chin.

"What about?"

He sat down on a small boulder and faced her.

"Why did you speak up for me before the pack?"

"Why does it matter?" she mumbled.

"Because with how bad a human was to you before... I didn't think you would give me a chance or believe me."

She grumbled.

"I thought that humans only live to hurt and kill dragons. The first human I saw up close is the one that killed my sire and dam. You are the second one. Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall are good Alphas, and they know how to smell rot in soul-fires. They told me to watch you in secret."

"They did?" he blinked, stunned that he had not known that.

She growled softly, though seemingly without malice.

"And I did. I watched you when you played with the cubs and the fledglings; I listened to the words you spoke to others; and I smelled your scent when you were talking to the pack. You did not smell of a lie or a trick. But..."

"But what?"

The chill wind swept across the plain.

"I do wonder if you are wrong about the other humans. What if they do not trust us? What if we stay with them and become trapped?"

"Trapped? How could they trap you?" he nervously laughed.

"Did you see anything twisted about the cubs?"

"Twisted? I don't think so."

She snorted.

"They trust others. We dark wings and light wings are pack dragons. We bond closely in the pack, and we trust much even between pairs of mates. The cubs do not truly know that humans are bad, because we have not told them all the terrible stories yet. They have not seen fighting and death as we have. They only know you, and you are not all humans. Even if the humans do not want to hurt us, I fear they will want to use us as things to ride and fly on. The cubs will trust and will not know what is happening to them as their soul-fires dim into being thralls."

"Why do you think humans would do that?"

"The Monster human did that to the hunters that attacked me. Those hunter dragons were thralls that lived only to obey the human and do its... hunting for it."

She went silent and stared off toward the pack.

"And Burning-Star, your Toothless as you call him, is trapped to you."

"I don't keep him trapped," he objected.

"Maybe not intentionally. Yes, you help him fly now with your together-flying not-tailfin. That is still a trap. He cannot hunt well, fly beyond the clouds, or... do other things he might want on his own."

He knew that it was the first time she had even hinted at possibly having any interest in Toothless as something more than just a fellow member of the pack. Under the circumstances, there being no other unattached males of her age, it was obvious why.

But there was another aspect of her possible interest that was worrying to him. It was the same feeling he had worried about when Toothless and Jumps-At-Fire had been talking.

"I wish things had been different also. Sometimes I regret what happened to him, but I would not have known him if..."

"You regret what happened? Why? What?" she interrupted.

He winced, realizing that he had just screwed up and was basically caught. She was clever and naturally suspicious anyway, and she had to know that something was being hidden from her. Keeping this knowledge from her now felt like a bad idea.

"Can you keep a secret?" he whispered.

"Yes," she huffed.

"He was shot down in fighting on the island I was from. His fall into a tree is what made him lose the tailfin. You all know that. What you don't know is that... I... I'm the one who shot him down."

Her eyes narrowed as she got to her paws and glared at him.

"You grounded him?"

"I didn't mean for that to happen. It was in fighting, and I wanted to prove myself like everyone else in my old... pack. But I couldn't... wouldn't kill him."

"Do any others in the pack know?" she hissed.

"Other than him, no. He said it isn't important now."

She closed her eyes and turned away toward the wild. Her calm silence was worrying. Even her tail was stilled.

He did not dare speak.

"Him knowing nothing of the pack's ceremonies, I understand. He did not have his sire and dam with him when he was a cub and fledgling. You are why he is not free now and why he cannot... live all of life."

He wilted slightly at her accusatory words. She couldn't or wouldn't understand or appreciate what had really happened.

"He is my family. I couldn't hurt him now. What do you want me to say? I'm sorry for what happened to him. I've told him so many times already..."

She spun as fast as lightning, too fast for him to even rear back in alarm. Her heavy breaths fell on his nose from only inches away, and her eyes were mere slits.

"There is nothing you can say! Words change nothing. If he did not need you for flight and if you were not important to him..."

He gulped.

"What? What would you do? Hurt a packmate?"

Her only answer was to flash her teeth, step back from him, and turn her back on him. He recovered himself and looked away from her, feeling the guilt inside very sharply in that moment.

A long silence followed between them as he struggled to figure out what to say.

"My wrong was to him, and he... has forgiven me even if I... have not," he weakly whispered.

"Did he ever have a choice but to forgive you?" she hissed.

"He did not need to trust me, but he did even before I tried to help him fly. I would have protected him always even if he could never fly again."

"A dragon should not need a human for anything," she countered.

"How is that different from trusting a packmate? Those in a pack need each other to help the whole pack."

She faced him and looked thoughtful as she considered his words. Her ears were up instead of swept back in anger.

"I want you dragons and the humans to be like one pack. That doesn't make either weaker or less," he explained.

"Our kinds being together might only hurt us," she grumbled.

He wanted to pull his hair out.

"And I will do everything I can to not let that happen. My loyalty is to this pack. How do you not see that?" he seethed.

She said nothing, instead just looking away from him. Frustrated with her, he spun away to return to the rest of the pack. He could almost feel her gaze following him as he left.

She was being so resistant to any change. Their conversation felt almost like many others he had with his father. She was not really listening to him. She thought she knew best and simply didn't want to hear any other perspective. Was she so stubborn that...

Then there was a rush of wings as she jumped through the air and touched down before him, spinning in place to face him.

"What now?" he shrugged.

Her purple eyes were cast down as she stared at her paws and folded away her wings.

"Hiccup, I... I am... sorry for being so cold to you. Twisted though this is, you are my packmate now. I know that you are not bad, and you do want good for us..."

_Wait, is she really apologizing?_

"Well, I, uh, thanks for saying that."

She eventually looked back at him; her eyes were wider and softer than they had been before.

"You did a good thing by giving Burning-Star some flight again when you made his false-tail you help him with. I see his broken tail and I... wish it were not. But he has Jumps-At-Fire to be... with him. She would not care about his being grounded."

What she meant by that was very unclear. He also apparently knew more than she did.

"No, they aren't a pair."

She stared at him without blinking.

"No?"

"Nope. He told me he doesn't want her."

She sat down on her rear and looked very surprised.

"Why not?

"He said he wanted her as a life-mate, but she didn't want that."

She looked away from him and stared at the pack. He joined her in staring toward them as he felt the exhaustion from the day and heated conversation that had settled down in the end. Evening was nearing, and that meant most of the pack would be staying together for warmth.

"Does he know what he wants?" she warbled.

"Yes, not her. It's a real shame they didn't work out."

Oddly, she snorted at that.

"Good for him," she whispered.

He wasn't sure what she meant by that. She said nothing else about that.

"So, still think I am a foul captor and a bad human?"

She blinked.

"No, you are not."

He considered trying to touch her, since she was the last Fury he had not touched. Something simple like resting a hand on her neck would show that there was truly a new level of trust between them. Further, she was sitting right beside him, close enough to touch if he reached out.

But something held him back. The other reluctant Furies had taken the initiative and nudged him first or showed that they wanted such bonding. Allowing her to do the same and take the first step felt appropriate.

"What about other humans?"

She snorted.

"They are not you. I care nothing for them. Wherever the pack flies, I will find a place away from human dens and nests."

"Even if that means being away from the pack also?"

She warbled and looked away from him.

"I hope not. I hope the pack does not fly into snap of the humans' traps and teeth."

_You are being so ridiculous..._

"We won't. I will let the pack know if I see any danger. Like it or not, I know humans better than anyone else in the pack," he explained.

"Maybe you do, but you must understand that we are trusting you by doing this. Let me lay a question at your paws. What if you find out that living in peace is not possible? The humans cannot be trusted to be good to us. The only safe place for us is somewhere far away from the human ranges. What would you do? Would you accept that and leave with the pack to go somewhere safer?"

She calmly posed the question, but her eyes narrowed slightly, as if this was a test... which it definitely was.

_Not going to happen. No one should think that way. But since you asked..._

"I am very sure that will not need to happen, but if it did... yes, I would leave with the pack. I swore an oath, and I would not leave Burning-Star grounded. I already left my old human pack because I wanted him to be safe."  
She purred in open approval, her eyes widening.

"I should probably go back to sleep," he then yawned.

"Yes, go sleep. I will watch us all."

He turned back for the pack, but he paused and glanced at her once more before departing.

"Thanks for the talk, Moonbeam."

"You are welcome, Hiccup."

* * *

They volunteered for the night watch while the rest of the pack piled together on the plain. The pack had been flying for five days. Progress had been slow because of a bad storm that forced everyone out of the sky, the cubs' lesser endurance, and the need to hunt away from reliable catches of fish or other food from the ocean.

Their being alone on the night watch was also a good opportunity to talk about things that it was better that no one else overhear. Talking was not so easy up in the sky and in the chill wind.

"How much longer do you think this flight will be?" Toothless asked while hiding Hiccup from the wind.

"Hard to say. We were so lost when we were up here before. I have no idea how many days it is to the Grey or Misty Mountains."

"Those skies will be warming to see instead of this empty and cold range."

Together, they looked to the cloudy sky which was hiding the moon and shrouding the entire world.

"Yeah, it will be. I've been thinking about where to go first. We should probably meet Elrond in Rivendell and show him the pack there. We can bring the pack down along the Misty Mountains. That will keep us away from the Dwarves and humans who might be afraid at first."

Toothless grunted in agreement.

"Good thinking. We should bring Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall with us as the Alphas to meet Elrond. What is next after that?"

Hiccup shrugged.

"Haven't figured that out yet."

Toothless chuffed, so Hiccup stared defiantly at him. They glared at each other in silence.

"Great plan," Toothless muttered and rolled his eyes.

"Alright, mister sassy, do you have a better plan?"

"No, I said yours was a great plan..."

"Yeah, right..."

They both chuckled.

"So anyway, what we do after that... well, it depends what has happened while we've been away. There are those two big human kingdoms, Gondor and Rohan. We'll probably have to go to them to introduce you Furies and let everyone know that you are good and here to join the war."

"I agree. We get to make peace be."

"Yep, hopefully we don't need to do any actual fighting, but we'll... fly those skies when we get to them," Hiccup explained.

Toothless snorted and started to answer when he heard wings in the sky. He glanced over into the night as someone touched down and bounded up to them.

Jumps-At-Fire calmly strode up to them.

"Hello Hiccup, Burning-Star."

"Hi there Jumps-At-Fire. How are you?" Hiccup cheerfully answered her.

"I am well. This flight has been long so far, but I have flown further than this before," she warmly hummed as she sat down before them.

"Really? Did you ever fly to the mountains across this plain?"

"Once. I saw bones of dragons, so I never flew back there."

"Understandable."

"What are you both talking about?" she purred.

"What we are going to do as a pack and the new ranges we will fly to," Toothless answered.

"I understand. Flying to warmer ranges with more prey will be good. Do you truly think the humans and others will trust us?"

"They will. I wouldn't have suggested this otherwise," Hiccup pointed out.

"That is fair. I believe you."

Then she turned to Toothless.

"Burning-Star, can we talk now, you and me?"

Toothless glanced at Hiccup.

"Hiccup, can you watch the pack for me?" Toothless asked after a moment.

Hiccup got to his feet.

"Sure. I'll head back to the pack. Don't be gone too long though."

"Okay, I will not be gone long."

He glanced back over his shoulder at the two Furies. They were naturally hard to see in the dark.

Part of him was curious what they were going to talk about, but it was not truly his business. They had been talking about being mates, so maybe this was related to that... somehow.

Only time would tell. Toothless would surely tell him if there was anything important he needed to know.

* * *

Toothless hopped to his paws and followed Jumps-At-Fire out into the darkness further from the pack. His soul-fire was twisted, both warm and cool at the same time, as he walked with her. They had shared many warming talks that let him see into her life-flight. They had also given each other much... pleasure in ways that felt good at the time but which he would not do again if he knew then what he knew now. He was sure that this was the time to tell her the truth, since she was likely to offer herself again.

Not that being sure made this any easier to do.

"How are your wings, Jumps? Do they hurt from the long flight?"

"No. Remember that I fly long flights on my own. This is not bad."

He stopped and sat down on his rear.

"True. What did you want to talk about?"

She walked in front of him and similarly sat down with her tail curled around her front paws.

"You know what I want to tell you. I am past my cub-making time."

He looked down at his paws while wondering how to do this. It might not be possible to say what was needed without hurting her some. Then he took a deep breath and looked back up at her grey and silver eyes.

"Jumps, we need to truly talk about that."  
"What is there to say?"

"I... see a problem with us."  
"A problem?"

He stepped up to her and rested his nose against hers while purring softly. Then he stepped back from her.

"Being with you has changed my life in a good way. You gave me a warmth I did not have before, and even though I am grounded you did not turn your tail on me."

She purred at that.

"We need to stop mating," he added.

She blinked and tilted her head in obvious shock and surprise. She struggled to say anything for many wingbeats.

"What? Why?"

"Because I learned that we want different warmths in life. I think you know that in your soul-fire."

"You... do not want me?" she whined and leaned back from him.

"Jumps, it is not truly that. I... you are a very beautiful female, and I want you to be happy and warm in life."

"So let us stay as we are! Is it not warming and good? I want that with you!"

So she might have some small desire to remain with him as they had been before, but that did not change his decision. Doing more of the same would not be good for him or her.

"Jumps, I want a life-mate who will be mine only, and I will be hers only. I want cubs of my own. And I would not let having a cub be a trap for my life-mate any more than it would be for me. Do you not see the problem for us?"

"I..." she closed her eyes and looked away from him.

He waited patiently for something to happen: whether it be her trying to flame him, roar at him, strike him, plead with him, or accept his words. He could not control her reaction.

"Yes, I do..." she eventually whispered.

That was a good admission by her.

"Jumps, you have been hurt much by the past, and your thinking is twisted by that."

"You said you would not judge me..." she hissed.

He sighed. She was missing the point entirely.

"I am not judging you as bad or rotted. I want to tell you what I see because it might help you be warmer. Will you hear my words?"

She glanced back at him with narrowed eyes, but she did not do anything aggressive.

"Talk."

He nodded with a soft hum.

"My sire told me this about freedom. It is a choice not made yet. Having freedom is like being in flight to fly somewhere but the wind is so fast that you cannot fly into it. You are hovering in place, but you never go anywhere. But it also means that you have not made a wrong choice yet. I think you want the warmth of having a life-mate, but you are afraid to trust because you lost one before. Did you and he do much bonding?"

Her faint gasp was all he needed to hear.

"You did. That is why you feared bonding with me. You also regret the cub that... was not let live."

She spun away and stared into the darkness. He remained silent, preferring to let her speak next.

"Is that it? Rejected even by you?" she groaned.

"I cannot be with you because you will not give me what I want. Not now. Do you understand that I do want you to be happy?"

"You would stay with me if you wanted me happy."

"No, you would not be happy with that. Hiding from your problems does not make you happy. Our life-flights touched and then flew apart because we do not want the same warmth out of life. If I knew that we did, then... this would be different now."

He fell silent and waited for her to answer. She eventually looked back over at him with her eyes looking very heavy and tired.

"There are no other males in the pack who will have me. Without you I will always be alone..." she said.

"And you will be free."

"That is..." she snarled and winced, "what if that is not what I always want?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if... I do want a life-mate and... cub later?"

He respected that she was not claiming to have such wants right now. It would have been very hard to believe that she had truly changed so quickly. Her claiming to have changed would only have been a lie.

"If you truly want to join life-flights with me and have cubs with me, then I would have you after I see into your life-flight and know that you truly want that."

"And if you are already mated to another?"

"I would be hers only."

She deeply exhaled and hung her head without whining.

"Burning-Star, I... should... go," she eventually sighed.

"Jumps, you can hate me if you want."

She looked up at him with a faint shine in her eyes. He could not tell if she had been crying, or if that shine was just the faint moonlight.

"I do not hate you, Burning-Star. You were... honest. I am sorry if I hurt you."

"You did not. I hurt myself by not knowing what I wanted first."

She turned away and walked off, tail dragging behind her, toward the pack. He watched her go until she passed Hiccup, arrived at the outside of the pack, lay down, and hid her head under a wing.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

_That could have gone worse._

He looked away from her and beheld the bright moon, now having flown out from behind the dark clouds.

There was no great feeling of lift and liberation now that he had broken their... false-pairing apart. No, he had broken nothing because there was nothing to break. There was nothing between them except a lie and a shadow of what should have been.

Doing this had been necessary and the best choice for himself and also for her, but that did not mean it hurt less to do. She was also right that he was her only option for attention or for a mate even if she ever wanted that. That was assuming that none of the other paired, committed males would be false to their mate by being with her also.

He started for the pack when he saw that Hiccup was still awake, standing alert on guard duty and certainly aware that she had just returned alone and unhappy. He had been keeping the truth from Hiccup, and it was likely that Hiccup would have questions which were difficult to answer.

_He deserves to know the truth. Hopefully he does not hate me._

Resigned to whatever followed, he got to his paws and started for Hiccup.


	37. There And Back Again

There And Back Again

* * *

Hiccup stood a hundred paces or so from the rest of the dozing pack. He considered going to rest under one of Sky-Dancer's wings, but he was on guard duty right now which meant he had to stay alert. Resting with her would inevitably end in him falling asleep, so that possibility was out.

_Just gotta wait for him to get back. Hope he doesn't take too long._

Why Toothless liked spending time on his own at night was a little strange, but the Fury had always been independent and able to take care of himself or at least keep himself occupied while on his own, such as in the cove and in the Shire. This time was different, since Toothless obviously had to talk to Jumps-At-Fire about something.

He shivered and rearranged his heavy coat. The cold here was not the same frostbite-on-the-spleen level it was further up north, but it was still very intense. Here it was more like frostbite-on-the-nose level.

Maybe Toothless and Jumps-At-Fire were reconsidering their decision to not be a pair. Toothless had seemed very sure that they were not meant to be together.

It was also frustrating to have no input or influence over such an important detail of Toothless's life, since that choice would impact his own life.

So he just stood there, silently staring out into the dark while waiting for whatever was going to happen. The two Furies wanted to be left to talk on their own, so he probably shouldn't invade their privacy... but still...

Jumps-At-Fire eventually returned alone from talking with Toothless. That she returned alone, looking very glum, and immediately went to sleep without even glancing at him was revealing. She had probably wanted to talk to Toothless about their decision to not be mates, and Toothless had turned her down because of... whatever his objections were. Was it something about her not being ready for that?

What else could they have been talking about that left her upset?

_What am I missing?_

A pair of green eyes appeared in the darkness shortly afterwards as Toothless strode to him.

"Hey bud, everything okay?"

"Can we talk?" Toothless whispered.

"Yeah, it's possible. We've been able to talk for a long time now."

Toothless snorted and gestured away from the pack, so he followed him. They walked in the darkness on the plain until they could not distinguish the individual Furies in the pack. Then Toothless stopped and lay down on his belly.

"What's up?"

"The stars, moon, and sky," Toothless grumbled.

"Excellent powers of observation there, bud. Good one!"

Toothless rolled his glowing eyes and then groaned.

"I am sorry, Hiccup."

"Uh, okay, apology accepted. What for?"

"I need to tell you something that I should have told you already. Far-Flight is the only other who knows this."

"Alright, I'm listening."

Toothless took a deep breath, got to his paws, and looked to him.

"Do you remember that Jumps-At-Fire wanted to talk to me after she first flew back to the pack?"

"Vaguely. That was... a couple months ago."

"I went with her into the woods, and she and I mated."

Hiccup nodded, blinked, and only then realized what Toothless said. Then he stood still and stared, thinking about that simple news that was so awkward to think about! His best friend had done that!

"Wwwwwhat?" he gasped.

Toothless nodded.

"Yes, I climbed on her and..."

"I understand that!" Hiccup quickly interrupted him.

"You sounded like you did not."

"Well, I... I... was just surprised and..."

Hiccup closed his eyes, held a palm to his forehead, and took a deep breath to steady himself.

"Well, okay, yeah, alright, that... happened. It was just that one time though."

"We did it many times."

"Did you really have to tell me that!"

Toothless snorted.

"I want you to know the truth."

"Great... which is? I'm not sure I want to know anymore..."

"She has a trust problem because of bad things that happened in her past. Her sire left her dam, and her first mate, whom she cared for, was killed by humans. There is more that happened to her, but that is the important bad."

"Alright, that is really sad..." Hiccup admitted.

"She wanted me to be with her because it is... warming and makes her feel wanted, but she could not trust me to be a true life-mate. She also does not want any cubs."

"But you two... did... you know."

"Yes, but she could not get a cub then. She made sure that we were never together when she could get a cub from it."

"How would she know... actually don't tell me."

"I do not know either."

Toothless then sighed.

"Her not being able to trust me is part of why I am not with her now and will not be. Not unless she truly changes."

Toothless looked back toward the pack and hung his head.

"I want her to be happy, but she must learn what it means to be happy. I thought I could give her mating, bond some with her, and that she might want more as I did... do. That was... twisted of me. I made... a mistake."

Toothless seemed so melancholy, his ears fallen and a quiver in his voice, that Hiccup couldn't feel upset at him. This was also completely different from how he had seen his friend before.

"Bud, it's not like I know anything about making mistakes. Somebody was the village screw-up. Never like... doing that... but still," Hiccup chuckled.

Toothless groaned and stared at his paws.

"I understand if you think less of me."

_What! Why would I..._

Hiccup stood by Toothless's head and gave his neck a scratching. Toothless leaned into the scratching and gave a pleased sigh and purr.

"I don't. You made a mistake and then you learned. That's all anyone can do. Do you think she will... change?"

"She probably needs someone in her life to get to her to think less about herself and her own wants."

"Who else could do that?"

"I do not know. Not me. Not in that way. I told her my objections, and it is up to her to want to change."

Hiccup nodded, though he wondered about this whole situation. His own experience with Astrid, or more the lack of any experiences to count as a relationship with her, had been defined by her hitting him or belittling him. Not that such treatment was exclusive to him; she was like that to anyone who wasn't good enough. With others who might make true Vikings, that mocking could be encouragement to do better, but with him... not so much.

"Did she ever... do anything bad to you?"

"Bad?" Toothless warbled.

"Like... hit you or bite you or... that."

"Well, she bit some when we were being together."

Hiccup groaned.

"Not what I meant!"

Toothless huffed.

"Oh, I understand. She is not stupid or cruel, just not seeing her problems on her own. She never tried to hurt me if that is what you are asking."

"Okay, that's good; I suppose. What are you, uh, going to do next?"

"Next?"

"With her or... anyone else."

Toothless snorted and closed his eyes.

"Nothing. I will not chase after her or Moonbeam anytime soon. It would be better for me to think about what I have learned and focus on the pack and peace with Middle-earth."

Hiccup entirely agreed with that plan. Relationships were not really that important when compared to the great mission of getting the pack into Middle-earth in peace. Toothless being distracted by females would not end well for anyone.

"Sounds good, bud."

Toothless purred softly and opened his eyes.

"Hiccup, thank you for being understanding."

"What are friends for?"

"Other than teasing and playing with?"

"Yep, that too."

* * *

Hiccup finally beheld the Grey Mountains off in the distance in the south. Finally, something familiar and not the endless expanse of empty plains of ice, snow, and mud.

The flight had been slow between the cubs' slower pace and Lightning's need for more rest. The minimal hunting available on the plains was not a problem because of how well the pack had eaten before the flight.

_Seven days. The storm did hold us back one full day. Gods, Toothless and I must have been very lost when we flew up there._

During a brief break while resting on a high ledge, he pulled out Bilbo's map and tried to guess at where he and the pack might be along the mountain range. All he was sure of was that they were far west of Vorunturth's territory. He and Toothless had no desire to ever see that place again.

Seeing nothing once they were among the highest peaks again, they continued along the mountains into the west throughout the day. Finally, they saw another, far more massive set of mountains on the far horizon late in the afternoon. There was no mistaking what that meant.

_Got it! The Grey Mountains here and another mountain range heading further south up ahead. Those must be the Misty Mountains. Perfect. No getting lost now._

He glanced back over Toothless's tail and saw the entire pack still aloft behind them.

_Probably only another three or four days at this pace._

"Know where to go, bud?"

"Those are the mountains of mist, yes?"

"Yep! Follow them south!"

* * *

Toothless knew that Night Furies could easily endure the cold. His own life around Berk and all the time with the pack far into the cold of the Northern Waste were proof of that.

The skies over the Misty Mountains were very, very cold because of how high they were. The pack was staying in the lower skies whenever possible, but that did not help much. It was just as cold at this height as it was on the ground in the pack's old territory.

They flew around snowcapped peaks that grew up above the clouds, along bare rock empty of any green, and through air that felt very thin.

Then the pack reached the western side of the Misty Mountains. All flew down the great slope and left the mountains behind as they descended over valleys most appropriately filled with mist.

The air gradually became warm again.

_This is much better!_

Flame-In-The-Night darted up to them and beckoned them to the ground, so they and the whole pack followed him down near a small stream flowing down the slopes. Everyone landed in the clearing amid the pines and started either resting or drinking. Everyone was very tired and thirsty after only having snow to munch on for water the last couple days. There had been some hunting, a few deer and elk, on the lower slopes along the way through the mountains.

Hiccup hopped down from Toothless, took off his heavy coat, and started stretching his legs after another half-day of flying.

"Gods, it's good to have that off."

Toothless just collapsed in place and started snoring.

"Sleepy?"

Toothless didn't respond.

"You don't mind if I tickle your ears, do you?"

Toothless didn't respond, which meant he was truly asleep. There was no way he would respond at all to such a tease.

_Not a bad idea really..._

Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, and Breath-Of-Sky trotted over and lay down with him after yawning.

"You all too?"

"We are tired," Sky-Dancer said.

"That was a long flight," Far-Flight added.

"I am not tired!" Breath-Of-Sky yawned.

Far-Flight just flopped a wing over his son's back.

"Yes, you are, my son."

"Maybe a little..." Breath-Of-Sky relented.

Sky-Dancer nudged Hiccup's shoulder.

"Hiccup, the Alphas were looking for you," she said.

So Hiccup went looking for the Alphas and found them resting with Free-Flight and Snowflame on the other side of the stream.

"Alphas, you were looking for me."

"Yes, we wanted to talk now that we are in these ranges," Flame-In-The-Night said.

"Fair enough. What do you think of these lands so far?"

"There are no humans yet, and we see no other dangers. It is very green. We do not know where good hunting is in these ranges."

"That shouldn't be a problem. The humans will help with that once we meet them."

Flame-In-The-Night got up and began walking after gesturing for him to follow. They walked through the forest and stopped on a rocky overhang which revealed the distant southwest and more mountains directly to the west. The land beyond still looked rather barren and harsh.

_Is that ancient Angmar?_

The sun felt slightly darker and the day cooler as he imagined a shriek echoing on the wind. Then the moment passed.

"How far is the flight now?"

"To Rivendell, no more than a day or two," Hiccup answered.

"And what will happen there?"

"I don't know. It depends on what the pack wants to do and what has happened while we've been gone. There might not even be any fighting at all, and we could find the whole pack a new home somewhere."

Flame-In-The-Night huffed.

"That would be good. I hope there is enough hunting for us all."

"I'm pretty sure there will be."

"We will wait here for a while. The pack needs rest."

"Yep, Burning-Star is already sleep."

Together, they turned back to return to their families. His mention of hunting reminded Hiccup that food was going to be, if not a problem, at least a consideration when planning where the pack could live.

_We will either need to settle down by the ocean, by a large river, or somewhere that there are large herds of livestock. Gods, I really don't know what's going to happen next._

He was so completely lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the Fury who stepped into his path. Deep blue eyes narrowed on him.

"Oh, Growls, you spooked me..."

Growls-At-His-Shadow huffed in his face and then stepped back. Dreamcatcher and Tail-Hunter also stepped up next to Growls-At-His-Shadow. Then the cub hopped on his back and curled up there even though she was perhaps a little big to be doing so.

Despite the anger that Growls-At-His-Shadow had shown to him and the... terrible... things that this Fury had done to humans in the past, he could not be angry with him right now. Growls-At-His-Shadow was being a loving father for his daughter.

Even with that though, he needed to be sure that this Fury wouldn't do something that might hurt the whole pack. Growls had said that he enjoyed hunting and even eating humans before out of revenge.

"Growls, we need to talk."  
"What about?" the Fury growled.

"About... the past and where the pack is going. It might be best to talk on our own..."

Growls-At-His-Shadow huffed, turned around, and nuzzled his daughter's muzzle while purring to her.

"My brave hunter, can you go to your dam?"

"Must I?" she warbled.

"Yes, I must talk with Hiccup."

Tail-Hunter stood up on his back and hop-flew over to Dreamcatcher's back where she curled up.

Growls-At-His-Shadow then followed him a few paces away from the rest of the pack.

"What?"

"I... know that you and Dreamcatcher do not really trust humans and that... bad things have happened between them and you. You two didn't want the pack to do this."

Growls-At-His-Shadow flicked an ear and flashed his teeth while yawning widely. It was one of his usual, halfhearted displays.

"But," Hiccup continued, "the humans and others where we are going do not have reason to hate or fear the pack."

"Why should I care?"

"You are not stupid. If anything happens that makes the humans and others hate us, it might get the cubs hurt also. Do you want that? Do you want Tail-Hunter to get hurt?"

"No!"

"Same with me. Do not do anything to provoke the humans or others like them. We both know how dangerous they can be."

"You would know..."

"Yeah, I do. Right now, we are possible allies to them. Don't make them our enemies."  
"Why are you doing this?" the Fury then asked.

"Doing what?"

"Bringing the pack into the teeth of dangerous humans."

Hiccup groaned.

"Because humans are not only dangerous. They just need to peacefully get to know you dragons. And this is also for your own good. There are enemies that would hurt and use you."

Growls-At-His-Shadow huffed and stared toward the rest of the pack gathered by the stream. The Fury's backswept ears fell slightly.

"I have been talking with the Alpha pair. They shared many words with me and Dreamcatcher. We will not do anything to hurt the peace, if the peace is growing. As... as much as I want to hurt humans for the wrong of being humans... I want Tail-Hunter to be safe even more."

"She is more important than revenge?" Hiccup clarified.

"Yes, she is."

Growls-At-His-Shadow then stepped over to him and gently nudged his side once before trotting away to return to his mate and daughter. This was the first time that the male had displayed any kind of affection or acceptance toward him. It was not much, but it was something.

_I won't complain about it. That's one more pair that won't be a real problem. So that leaves only... one more dragon who has issues with humans?_

He looked toward the two Light Furies resting among the pack.

_Leave it to a Light Fury to be the most suspicious of everyone. Why is that not surprising?_

While he was frustrated with how obstinate Moonbeam was, there were still signs of progress with her. She admitted that he was not a terrible human, so there was hope for her to come around eventually.

* * *

The very familiar set of foothills west of the Misty Mountains came into view up ahead. Toothless knew where to lead the pack. Then, at mid-morning, they arrived at the place where the river spilled out over a gorge in a set of waterfalls into the hidden valley of Imladris.

Hiccup beheld the sight with a fond warmth in his heart. There were so many good memories of weeks in Rivendell, bonding with the Hobbits and Elves, and learning about the history of Middle-earth.

_Just follow the river and look for the gorge. Very safe and hidden from anywhere on the ground._

He sighed, amazed that they were back.

_We did it. We went there and back again._

"Let's land up here outside the valley. We don't want to scare the Elves with the whole pack flying down on them at once," Hiccup explained.

Toothless purred in agreement.

One by one, the pairs and young followed their lead and dove for land on the shore of the river. Everyone stayed close together down on the ground.

Hiccup and Toothless approached the Alpha pair first.

"Alphas, the... nest I wanted us to fly to is down in the valley. That is where we can meet the Elf... Alpha who told me and Burning-Star to look for you," Hiccup said.

"And going down there will help the pack find a new range to live in?" Snowfall asked.

"Yes, it will. I want you both to fly with us as the Alphas. The rest of the pack should stay here and wait for us."

Flame-In-The-Night hummed.

"That is good thinking. We will tell the pack."

* * *

Rivendell looked almost the same as it had before. The waterfalls sparkled with rainbows from the ever-present misty spray. The walls of the valley were a mix of rock and green, untouched by the passing of seasons. The buildings were covered in green and unchanged. There was only one difference.

The city looked far more empty. There was barely any movement at all inside, and they could not see any Elves out and about.

"Where is everyone?" Hiccup asked while he and Toothless glided, the Alpha pair following closely behind him.

"I do not know. Maybe they are hunting," Toothless offered.

"Maybe. Only one way to find out."

Toothless then dove for the clearing inside the main gates. It was the same place the Fellowship had set out from and where he had parted with the dear Hobbits, Strider, and Gandalf.

Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall circled overhead for several moments while observing the place for any signs of danger. Seeing none, they dove as well and touched down behind him. Then they came forward and stood at his shoulder. They stared ahead warily and also in amazement.

"I did not know that human-Elf nests looked like this..." Snowfall breathed.

"Most human... nests do not look like this. Elves and humans are different," Hiccup explained.

"They both make their own dens like those homes over there," Toothless added.

Motion caught their attention as a small group of Elves approached from further within Rivendell. At the head of the group was the familiar Lord Elrond himself, clad in his flowing robes as he always was. Elrond approached without hesitation, though he visibly noticed the two other Night Furies now present.

"Masters Haddock and Toothless, welcome back to Rivendell."

They bowed to him.

"It is good to be back here, Elf-lord," Toothless purred.

Elrond similarly bent his head and then gazed at the Alphas.

"I take it from the presence of our guests here that you were successful?"

"Yes," Toothless answered, "we found them living far in the Northern Waste. A full pack of my kin and others that are like me."

"A pack? How many of you are there?"

"Twenty-three now and one more soon. Everyone else is waiting outside the valley just to be safe," Hiccup explained.

Elrond looked momentarily concerned or amused by something.

"Twenty-three of you now? And who are these two who are with us?" Elrond wondered.

Hiccup pointedly nodded to them and beckoned them forward. Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall stepped closer after fully folding away their wings. They held their heads proudly and confidently.

"I am Flame-In-The-Night."

"I am Snowfall. We are the pack Alphas."

"Basically they are the leaders for the pack," Hiccup explained.

"I understand. Flame-In-The-Night, Snowfall. I am Elrond... the Alpha of these lands. First, let me assure you that no harm will come to you or any of your pack while you are in my lands. All Elves here already know of Toothless and know that he is a free, good creature."

"We are afraid of humans because of bad pasts with them. We were hunted and killed much before we... were brought here," Flame-In-The-Night said.

Elrond looked expectantly at Hiccup and Toothless for explanation.

"The same as what happened to us. They heard a... voice and then flew into strange skies. They made a pack for safety and have been living together in hiding for... decades... probably," Hiccup said.

Elrond nodded and then considered the two Alphas after folding his arms behind his back.

"May I ask you why you and your pack flew to us?"

"We want what is best for the pack. Humans hunted us in the past, and we hope that this world can be... different," Flame-In-The-Night answered.

"Hiccup and Burning-Star told us that there is an Enemy that would try to control and use us. The same Enemy sent the living shadow to us winters ago," Snowfall added.

"Burning-Star?" Elrond wondered.

"That's Toothless's other name. And the living shadow was probably a Nazgul," Hiccup explained.

His mention of a Nazgul visibly surprised Elrond.

"And you rejected it?"

The Alphas snarled.

"The bad shadow-thing threatened us with bad words and things we do not want. We want to be free, always," Flame-In-The-Night growled, though with a distant look of sorrow in his eyes.

Snowfall nuzzled his neck in comfort.

"And you will be. You are all welcome here. Would you bring the rest of your pack? I can have some fish and meat brought to you all," Elrond then proclaimed.

The Alphas blinked in surprise and purred with approval.

"We will," Snowfall hummed.

They both flew off toward the waterfalls, and Elrond watched them fly. Despite his having been alive for thousands of years, Elrond's ancient face was alive with wonder.

"Lord Elrond, I thought that you Elves didn't eat meat," Hiccup observed.

"True, we do not, but Night Furies do. I anticipated that I would have at least one guest at some point, even after over two months, so I made some provisions. Even if I have woefully underestimated how many provisions I would need."

"Wait, two months?"

"Yes, it has been two months since the Fellowship departed."

Elrond looked very weary or worried for a moment. Then he hid whatever that worry was.

"How was your journey? I see that you found others of your kind."

"Yes, I found my sire and dam and a little brother also! They live!" Toothless struggled to hold his tail still.

Elrond had a sad but also pleased smile after hearing that.

"I am happy for you. There is little more painful than a family separated. The wounds of such do not fade in one generation. Did anything... interesting happen on your journey? Galadriel spoke to me of your meeting with her and the gift she gave you."

"Yes, something did," Hiccup frowned, "We met another dragon: an ice dragon on the northern side of the Grey Mountains."

He and Toothless shivered and snarled as one.

"I didn't think that a dragon could be that... cruel," Hiccup frowned.

Elrond looked amused.

"You met a Middle-earth dragon and lived to tell the tale. That is impressive. I must ask, do either of you know if these dragons you found are the same as you, Toothless? Do they feel temptation?"

"I asked if they know anything about gold, and they didn't know about it," Hiccup answered for him.

Elrond looked genuinely surprised and very thoughtful.

"No? Curious. Maybe they have not had a chance to be exposed to it yet, or maybe there is something that we have missed."

A chorus of roars echoed from above, and all looked up as a swarm of dark shapes dove in a storm of wings. Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, and Breath-Of-Sky landed first and walked behind Toothless. The various families landed together, cubs and fledglings staying close to their parents.

Elrond beheld them all in open awe and amazement.

"By the Valar, how are we going to feed them all..."

Toothless chuckled.

"They can hunt for fish and other prey," he explained.

"There are only so many fish in the river," Elrond grumbled.

Then his eyes went very wide as he must have noticed something about the pack.

"Are those white Night Furies or another kind of dragon?"

"Those two sisters are Light Furies; they are like me but a little different," Toothless answered.

"They are very beautiful," Elrond softly said.

"Yes, they are," Toothless agreed.

Elrond then turned to his attendants and gave them some commands in Elvish. The other Elves began to depart to attend to their duties.

"Hiccup, Toothless, would you please walk with me?"

They followed him up a single flight of stairs where Hiccup and Elrond then leaned against the railing and looked out over the courtyard filled with the resting Furies. The cubs and fledglings were curled up on the ground to rest more after the long flight. However, some of them were eagerly looking around at what they could see of the city.

"You probably want to know what has happened since you departed," Elrond began.

"Yes, we do," Hiccup answered.

"The Fellowship was forced to take a different path than they intended. They went through the Mines of Moria, inside which they met a fell being."

A shadow passed across Elrond's face for an instant.

"They met Durin's Bane: a Balrog of Morgoth," he whispered.

Hiccup couldn't recall any mention of such creatures in the stories he had heard. But there was a lot of history he had missed or not learned about.

"What is that?" Hiccup warily asked.

"Imagine a living tempest of fire and shadow as large as a dragon."

Hiccup and Toothless glanced at each other; both of them knowing what the other was thinking.

They had seen something that vaguely reminded them of that description. Further, the one they saw was also deep underground... just like the one that was apparently in Moria.

"What happened?" Toothless then asked.

"It killed Gandalf."

Both of their jaws fell open in shock and disbelief at that impossible and terrible news.

"What?" "No!"

Elrond grimly nodded.

"He fell..."

Hiccup hugged Toothless's neck and almost sobbed while the Fury also mourned softly. He remembered how kind Gandalf had been to him and to Toothless and everything that he had done to help get Toothless accepted in the Elven lands. This was terrible and completely unexpected, not to mention problematic.

"How could... that happen? He was... a Wizard..."

"Gandalf is not like you or me. It is not my place to explain how and why only he among the Fellowship could slay such a being, but it is enough to know that he and the Balrog killed each other."

"And he is gone now..." Toothless whispered.

Painful, heartrending silence followed as the significance of this news sank in. Perhaps the most powerful person opposing Sauron had fallen. They couldn't go find him and get guidance or...

"Not truly..." Elrond added.

They both blinked in confusion.

"What?" "What?"

"He truly died when he killed the Balrog, yes, but he was also returned to life because his work was not finished yet. A Great Eagle bore him from the mountain where he fell and took him into Galadriel's care in Lothlorien."

"Wait, so... he... is... alive?" Hiccup asked in confusion.

There was a lot about what he heard which was strange. Why was Gandalf on a mountain... underground? Why was he dead and then not dead?

"In a way, he is alive as Gandalf, but he is a different Gandalf, if you can understand it," Elrond frowned.

"I don't," Hiccup answered.

"That is twisted," Toothless agreed.

Elrond closed his eyes.

"He could not return himself to life. It is enough for us to know that he lives again."

"Okay, what about the Fellowship?" Hiccup asked.

"I do not know what else has befallen the Fellowship since they left Lorien. Their path led them to Rohan and that Saruman has moved to strike Edoras and the people of Rohan. Beyond that, I know nothing more."

"Saruman, the bad Wizard?" Toothless asked.

"Yes, he was secretly in league with the Enemy and was creating a hidden army. An Eagle told me that army of Uruk-hai is marching against the people of Rohan now hiding in Helm's Deep."

Hiccup decided to not question whether he had heard correctly that an Eagle had spoken to Elrond.

_As long as this world doesn't have walking and talking trees..._

"Wait!" Toothless barked in alarm, "If the Fellowship went to that place in Rohan, then they are in danger!"

Elrond looked up to the sky.

"Yes. The time of the Elves is fading, but we would not abandon our friends to their fates. Elves and Men fought together against the Enemy before, and we have not forgotten. Galadriel and I sent a company of our finest warriors to aid in the coming defense."

"What is this enemy?" Toothless asked.

"Uruk-hai. They are larger than men, are clad in steel armor, and bear pikes, cruel swords, and crossbows. They have quite a taste for Man flesh. My last report has their number at over ten thousand marching on Helm's Deep."

"Ten thousand?" Hiccup gasped at the thought of so large an army.

"Tell me about that Helm's Deep place," Toothless added.

Hiccup spun on him and stared.

"Toothless, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yes, if you are thinking about helping defend that place. Elrond, what is that place like?"

"It is a fortress set deep in a valley. A very high wall blocks the main courtyard that hides the Glittering Caves, and there is only one high causeway at the main gate. It is very defensible, but Saruman's army is numerous and more advanced than any army of common Orcs. Saruman's craft will surely have given them weapons that we know not of."

Toothless stood tall and looked down on the courtyard where the Elves had returned with buckets of water and several fish as well as some dried meat. Everything was peaceful between them and the pack, many of whom were already resting or cautiously approaching the Elves.

"It has been too long since I flamed something that needs flaming!"

He looked down on the pack and snarled.

"Maybe the pack should fly this flight!"

"That would be very dangerous," Hiccup pointed out.

Toothless snorted and turned on him while grinning with his teeth showing.

"Think about it. We fight to protect the humans, and we will save many lives and show the humans that we are good."

"But it is an army we'd be going against. We would need to be very careful."

"And we will be. No dragon is as fast as we are. You know that our fires are hot, and we fight from the shadows."

"You would do that? Fly to the aid of a different people?" Elrond asked.

"I would, yes. The pack... I hope they will. There is nothing better they could do to help the humans trust them."

Elrond leaned against the balcony while considering the pack.

"I cannot ask that you and your kin do such a thing. You know your own strength and abilities."

Toothless nodded.

"We will talk to them. Not all will fly there. The cubs and fledglings will not fight, and one female is heavy with a cub."

"Of course. Those should not be in combat. They are welcome to stay here."

"How long do we have until the battle?" Hiccup asked.

"The army should arrive at Helm's Deep three nights from this evening," Elrond answered.

Hiccup paced while thinking about the distance.

"Alright, we rest here today and have three days to fly with any of the Furies willing to fight. We arrive at night, which is perfect for us," Hiccup mused.

Elrond stepped away with a slight bow.

"I will have provisions brought for you. Though, I do fear what twenty-some dragons will do to my store of supplies. It might be as damaging as was a specific company of Dwarves many years ago..." Elrond muttered as he left.

Hiccup and Toothless returned to the pack after Elrond's departure. They immediately sought out the Alpha pair first.

"Flame-In-The-Night, Snowfall, we need to speak with you," Toothless beckoned the Alphas away to speak.

"What did the Elf Alpha say?" Snowfall asked after the four of them sat down together a short distance from the pack.

"We are all welcome to stay here as long as we need. But he told us that a human pack is in danger now from the Enemy," Hiccup explained.

"The Enemy sent a very big flight of ground-hunters to attack the humans hiding in their mountain-nest. We should fly to help the humans," Toothless added with a growl.

"It would be a flight of three more days after we rest here today," Hiccup added.

Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall silently thought about it.

"I do not think all can fly much more now," Snowfall worried.

"They do not need to. The whole pack should not fly to fight. Lightning and Hunts-In-Deep-Waters can stay here because she needs rest. The Elves will provide for them. The cubs and fledglings could stay also," Hiccup offered.

Both Alphas hissed softly.

"No. Mated pairs and young should not part over much distance. Not in these strange ranges," Snowfall explained.

"Okay, so everyone flies there, but the cubs and fledglings stay with one of their sire or dam up in the mountains? That could work to keep them out of the fighting. I don't really know what the place looks like, but we could plan the attack when we get there, if we are going to do this," Hiccup added.

The Alphas looked at each other, silently coming to some agreement.

"We will talk to the pack," Flame-In-The-Night declared.

They both bounded away and glided over to the resting members of the pack.

Hiccup stood at Toothless's shoulder and watched as the Alpha pair spoke to the pack. Ears lifted and flattened. Tails went still and swayed.

A creeping fear was growing within his heart, especially as he saw the cubs and fledglings under their parents' wings. The reality of what he and Toothless were suggesting was more apparent in that moment.

"Toothless, what are we doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if something happens to them? We are leading them into battle where they have to kill and might be killed..."

Toothless purred softly.

"We are Night Furies. We know how to fight from afar and stay away from danger."

"Yeah, it's not like a Night Fury has ever been downed by bad luck before..." Hiccup muttered.

"Good luck," Toothless snorted.

"Whatever... and you know what I meant..."

"We will lead the flight with care. Our fire and wings and your planning."

"I just hope nothing bad happens..."

Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall eventually hopped back over to them.

"What does the pack say?" Toothless asked.

"Helping the human pack might make peace between us and them, yes?" Snowfall asked.

"It would," Hiccup answered.

Flame-In-The-Night then flashed his teeth.

"Then we fight!"

* * *

Bilbo leaned on his crutch as he shuffled along, being helped by Hiccup giving him a hand. Bilbo stepped up on the balcony, leaned against the railing, and gasped in amazement.

"Well, here's a sight I've never seen before. And that is them, Toothless's family?"

"Yes. His father, Far-Flight, on the left; his mother, Sky-Dancer, on his right; and his little brother, Breath-Of-Sky," Hiccup smiled.

The Fury brothers decided that was a good time to start playing tail-tag, and they were hopping and leaping around in play with their tongues hanging out.

"Yeah, they're a little silly together."

"Amazing. How many of them are there in the pack?" Bilbo breathed.

"Twenty-three with a baby on the way."

"A baby Night Fury? Now that is something I have to see."

"You might see it. That pair, Hunts-In-Deep-Waters and Lightning," he pointed out the Furies in question, "will be staying here in Rivendell for a while. It's not easy for her to fly, as you can imagine."

"No, of course not. And where are the rest of them flying to, dear lad?"

Hiccup frowned.

"Helm's Deep. We are going there to fight a battle."

"A battle? Good heavens. I was in a battle once, you know. Five armies, that one had," Bilbo sighed.

"Was that up at Erebor?"

"Yes, it was. War is terrible and those who survive come back changed. I sure did. As terrible as it was, it did help to mend the bonds between the Elves and the Dwarves."

"Really?"

"Yes, fighting together against a common foe builds a deep trust between people. I saw it happen, long ago."

Hiccup still grimaced.

"I hope the people of Rohan will trust the Furies. I feel responsible for them since Toothless and I led them down here."

"Is it the right thing to do?" Bilbo asked.

"Yes. I just wish that it had not come to this, to needing to fight and being in danger."

Bilbo put a wrinkled hand on his shoulder.

"I imagine that anyone who lives in such times wishes that. But that is not something you should worry about. All you can do is fight for what is right and try to make the world a little better with the time you do have. I take it you do not want your journal back right now?"

Hiccup blinked in surprise, only then remembering that he had given Bilbo his old journal for safekeeping.

"Actually, you better hold onto it. We'll be back here eventually, I'm sure of that."

"Very well, then. Now, how about you introduce me to some friendly dragons?"

While Bilbo greeted Toothless's family, Hiccup settled for silently reflecting on what was going to happen soon. He knew that bringing the pack down into the world was for the best. It would hopefully not be tragic for anyone he had come to care about.

* * *

Toothless was resting with his family as all the pack began gathering on the clearing inside Rivendell. The small meals had been eaten, and everyone was settling down for a night of sleep. Everything was peaceful.

But he noticed something that chilled his soul-fire. Jumps-At-Fire was keeping herself further away from the rest of the pack. That was almost normal for her, but this was more extreme. She had been bonding more with everyone on the flight here, at least she had until he and she had their talk about not being together anymore. She had since then been staying on her own and not talking with anyone. That isolating herself could not be good for her.

Worse was the subtle detail he had noticed on the flight and even this evening as everyone settled down. The pack shied away from her also. No one actively went over to welcome her to their side in simple warmth-sharing as packmates. No one sought her out for talking or bonding.

Maybe that reluctance was fair of them, given her past, but it was also the opposite of what she needed. She needed to feel accepted and wanted by the pack, even in small ways, for who she was, not just for giving someone... pleasure.

_The Alphas could probably help with this. They could nudge the pack to accept her more. But... they would need to know the truth._

The only others who knew were his sire and Hiccup. Could he trust Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall on this? Another way to think about this was that Jumps-At-Fire might cause problems for the pack, and the Alpha pair deserved to know, since they were responsible for the pack.

_I should tell them._

He hopped to his paws and strode to the Alpha pair, both resting with Snowflame and Free-Flight.

"Alphas, I would speak with you."

"Speak," Snowfall purred.

"On our own would be best."

They got to their paws and followed him away from the pack. They sat down together above a ledge overlooking the river below.

"What do you want to speak of?" Flame-In-The-Night asked.

"First, I want to keep this between us, me and you two as the Alpha pair for the pack."

That got them very interested.

"We will keep this to ourselves," Flame-In-The-Night agreed.

Toothless took a breath and began.

"I and Jumps-At-Fire were... mating some when the pack was in the cold range. She... tricked me, and I let myself be tricked by being blind."

Oddly, both Alphas growled softly, though they did not look like they were growling at him.

"Continue," Snowfall hissed.

"I and she are not doing that more. She needs to trust the pack and understand why she has problems with trusting others. But I see that the pack pushes her away in small ways."

"Yes, they do. That is fair of them. They remember what she did in the past," Snowfall answered.

"Which was?"

"Trying to tempt males who were in pairs. Not hunting with the pack. Not helping sit with the young. Those things..." Flame-In-The-Night grumbled.

"Yes, she made a... scene a pair of winters ago. She almost made a fight happen with teeth and claws," Snowfall added.

He grumbled also, knowing that she was entirely capable of all that and had freely admitted such to him on her own. But that last details about the fight was news to him. In all that she had done with him, she had never raised claws or tried to bite in anger.

"What happened? Did she... hit or bite anyone?"

"No, another almost did to her, but we stopped her before..." Snowfall answered and paused.

She had not said a name, but he had a guess who.

"Was it Lightning?" he whispered.

The Alphas said nothing for a moment until they softly hummed.

"It should not be hard to guess. Yes. She and Hunts-In-Deep-Waters were learning about the other as possible mates, and then he told her that Jumps-At-Fire wanted him to... be with her some in secret so there would be no hurting," Flame-In-The-Night grumbled.

"Lightning wanted to kill her, but we did not allow that. They did make a... scene though. It was after that, after he told Lightning that truth and showed that his soul-fire was hers that he and she named themselves as mates," Snowfall purred.

_So some good came from it._

"I can believe Jumps-At-Fire would do that. Or she would in the past," he sighed.

Flame-In-The-Night then glanced at Snowfall, both Alphas appeared deep in thought.

"We know what we must do now," Flame-In-The-Night calmly said.

"Yes, we warned her what would happen next time," Snowfall answered.

Something about how calmly they spoke struck him.

_Wait, what are they saying?_

"Alphas, what do you mean?"

Flame-In-The-Night purred to him.

"We thank you for telling us this. We told Jumps-At-Fire that we would act if she caused more problems for the pack. Now we will have a pack-ceremony, we can tell everyone that she broke a pack-rule again after she said she would not, and we will name her... Packless."

He froze, horrified at that proposal. That was not what she deserved at all! She had problems and needed help getting over those through greater trust, not through being rejected by everyone. Not to mention that her being named Packless and being thrown out of the pack could only end in tragedy for her, lost in this strange and dangerous world on her own.

"You do not need to do that to her. She was not making problems for the pack, only for me."

Flame-In-The-Night snorted.

"She and I made an agreement that she would not do what she had been doing before. I thought she had changed some for the better."

"Alphas, do you know why she has problems?"

"Her sire was a bad example of what a sire should do and be," Snowfall answered.

"What else?" he prodded.

"There is nothing else," she said after a brief pause.

_They do not know... her real problems._

"No, there is more. You did not hear this from me, but she lost her first mate, whom she did care for as a mate. He died to bad humans. I do not think she is only rotted in her soul-fire."

"How do you know that about her past?" Snowfall prodded.

"She told me. We were doing bonding after our... being together. I was trying to get her to want me truly by knowing my soul-fire, but... she did not want that. She did not want me as a life-mate or want cubs. I understand why she has her problems, and I do not think she will be a problem to the pack now."

"You think she has truly changed. Why?" Snowfall growled.

He took a deep breath to avoid getting angry with them. It was fair of them both to be suspicious of what he was saying.

"No, I do not think she has changed to want a life-mate or cubs. I do not know how many males in the pack she has been with, probably not many, but I said things to her that no other probably said. I want to help her truly, and that means not throwing her out of the pack. We know that she does not understand the dangers of this world."

He paused and growled softly.

"Naming her Packless will kill her. She does not deserve that."

Flame-In-The-Night clawed at the ground, his ears swept back.

"So you want us to forget our words to her as the pack Alphas? You want us to let her stay here in the pack after everything she has done. Are you serious?"

"Yes."

He stared them down, refusing to look away. It somehow felt important to not back down while standing up for her.

"Fine, but we will talk to her and remind her one more time," Flame-In-The-Night grumbled.

"Without letting her know that you told us anything," Snowfall added.

"My thanks, Alphas. If you could, maybe mention to some of the pairs that they could help Jumps-At-Fire feel more wanted in the pack. They could... talk to her or ask her to join them on hunts."

"But she is not wanted by them," Flame-In-The-Night answered.

He huffed.

"Maybe if she is treated as if she is wanted, she might be warmer and then be someone the pack does truly want to have. She told me that she feels like the pack tries to push her away."

"Does she? We always thought she wanted to be away from us," Snowfall said after a moment of thought.

"She is more on her own by choice, but also by feeling unwanted. Help her with that. Please."

The Alphas glanced at each other and then him.

"We will think about it," Flame-In-The-Night said.

The Alphas then spun away and trotted to the pack while he remained sitting there, staring down at the river.

With that matter taken care of, his thoughts started turning to the future fight against an enemy he did not know. There would be danger for certain, but he was sure that he and the rest of the pack could fight well and stay safe. He had flown attack-flights for several years after he became an adult and got his fire.

Only once had he made a mistake.

His idle thoughts were interrupted by the sound of approaching paws.

_One of you forget something?_

Surprisingly, Moonbeam sat down next to him. It was as if she had appeared from nowhere.

"Moonbeam! What are you doing here?"

"Sitting," she huffed.

"True, but I mean... what do you think about us flying this flight to defend humans?"

She paused before answering.

"I still think as I did before. Humans are dangerous. Nothing more, even if not all of them are... bad."

That was fair of her. He could not expect her to quickly overcome years of thinking about humans in the worst ways.

"You agree that this is necessary?"

She groaned.

"The safe place in the ice-range was... yes, it was safe from humans. On the other paw, the hunting was not good. That was part of why some... why I agreed with you and Hiccup. Leaving that range for places with more prey was needed."

He entirely agreed with her. There was hunting available in the cold range, but that hunting was not reliable. Not like how food was reliable in life with humans, anyway.

The pack made sure that any females with cub and any born cubs always had enough food, but that meant everyone else was thinner than they should be. Life in the wild was harsh and not good in many ways.

"I am glad you agree."

She gave a curious hum.

"Let us say that we do the fighting, win, and there is... peace with humans then. What will you do after that?" she asked.

"Do?"

"Do you know what you... want from life?"

That was a strange question coming from her. Why would she care if he knew what he wanted from life?

"Yes, I do. I learned much about myself up in the cold range."

_In more ways than you know..._

"Good."

With that, she hummed and spun around, trotting back to the pack and Mystery's side. He followed her to the large flat with the pack. Then he lay down with his family, less Hiccup, to get needed rest. Hiccup was somewhere else right now after being summoned away by Elrond.

There were several more days of flying ahead before they arrived at the fight, whatever that was going to look like.

He was going to be rested and ready to fight.


	38. The Deep Breath

The Deep Breath

* * *

"Brother, I know this one!" Breath-Of-Sky bellowed, his tail thrashing.

Toothless just growled at his little brother and then glared back at Bilbo. The old Hobbit was calmly sitting on a stone bench and was grinning back at him with barely hidden triumph in his eyes.

_If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you do not have me anymore. What am I? Grr..._

He did not have many things which he cared for. The only things, people not included, which mattered to him were the flying equipment Hiccup made and his starlight pendant which Galadriel gave him.

Maybe he was thinking about this riddle the wrong way. The answer was, for now, a secret which he...

"A secret," he hummed.

"No, brother, it is a fish!" Breath-Of-Sky eagerly shouted.

Bilbo looked between them in surprise, pointing at each of them.

"You know what? Those both work, as far as I'm concerned. Now your turn, Master Toothless."

He had an easy one which he was very sure that Bilbo would get.

"I have no feet, no paws, no wings, but I climb to the sky. What am I?"

"Mountains is what you are. Now for yours... a cloud is my mother, the wind is my father, my son is the cool stream, and my daughter is the fruit of the land. A rainbow is my bed, the earth my final resting place, and I am the torment of man."

Breath-Of-Sky barked and started bouncing on his paws.

"Me! Me! I know this one!"

"Do you? What is it then?" Bilbo grinned.

"Rain!"

"It is indeed rain! Very good!"

He nudged his brother's shoulder.

"Well done, brother. Now you must give us a riddle, a word-twisting."

Breath-Of-Sky hummed in thought until his ears flew up.

"What is easy to get into but hard to get out of?"

Bilbo's eyebrows went up as he grinned at Breath-Of-Sky.

"Dear young dragon, do you get into this much?" Bilbo asked.

"No..." Breath-Of-Sky chuckled.

"Trouble!" Toothless answered.

"Yes! That is it!"

He rolled his eyes and huffed.

"I do not know about that. Sire and dam have told me some stories about you..."

Breath-Of-Sky pounced at him, abruptly ending the riddling games. That was fine. Watching Bilbo chuckling with warmth in his soul-fire was very good. Further, this might be the last time he got to see Bilbo for a long time, so he wanted the good Hobbit to enjoy this time. The entire pack was flying later this morning.

He considered offering to take Bilbo on a flight, but Bilbo was probably too old and frail for that. The best he could do for him was just be with him this morning and have some more riddling contests... after finishing this play-fight.

* * *

Hiccup straightened his attire, and then he rolled his eyes while looking in the mirror.

The Elves had given him more of their fair garments. These robes flowed around him and felt as soft as the gentle wind. Despite being so soft, the fabric was strong, would probably protect against windburn, and was warm. It was also green, as he had requested.

He messed up his hair so that it completely covered his ears, even though he had gotten a needed haircut. A couple months in the wild had left his hair getting wildly out of control.

"There, now I could be an Elven prince. Gods, how silly does that sound?"

Then he took the black cloth woven like a mask and put it over his head. There were only small holes cut for his nose and his eyes. He knew from long experience in the North that some covering was necessary for any extended flight involving the cold or great heights.

Standing there looking in the mirror, he wondered what might have been if events had been different. Maybe he could have forged a full set of riding attire from Toothless's shed scales and other dark leather.

_Maybe I still will someday. Feels like something I should do. Dragon scale is so strong that nothing can hurt them unless..._

Then he started with a solemn realization.

_Wait a minute. They don't have any thick scales on their bellies or their throats. Those are weak points, not even counting the wings and tails of course. Maybe I could make some chain-mail or armor for them to help keep them safer._

"Making armor for dragons, now that is a project I never thought I'd work on..."

There would be a lot of planning needed before he took that idea seriously. There certainly wasn't time to consider anything right now.

Then he retrieved his bow after taking off his mask. He had not yet used the bow for anything beyond a little hunting in the wild.

_I still haven't named you. Probably should have done that by now, since we might be about to fly into an inferno._

A smirk started growing alongside an idea as he held up the bow and drew it, aiming at some imaginary enemy. He didn't loose it though, since doing so without a nocked arrow was terrible for the bow.

_It wouldn't be too hard. Get my arrows, modify the tips, soak their tips in oil, get something that smolders attached to the saddle, and I can shoot fire too!_

Firing flaming arrows was not the same as having fire-breath, but this was the best he could do.

"You will be Inferno."

Satisfied, he squared his shoulders and strapped the bow, now Inferno, to his back. Practically, he was almost certain that he would not need it for anything. Plasma blasts raining down from the sky were definitely going to be more useful than an occasional arrow he might shoot. Even the flaming shots he would eventually have were likely going to be more symbolic than practical.

Still, the idea of being a proper soldier wielding a powerful weapon and clad in an intimidating armor of his own definitely had a certain appeal. He would not end up looking anything like a Viking, which was most appropriate.

* * *

Hiccup made a last minute check of the supplies and Toothless's rig. It had been a very restful night of sleep for all, the Furies laying piled together in the courtyard. Toothless and Breath-Of-Sky had gone off to spend some time with Bilbo while he himself was attending to clothing and supply-gathering.

Early morning talks with both Alphas had devised the beginnings of a plan. Of those adults who were going on the flight, which was everyone except Lightning and Hunts-In-Deep-Waters, one of each pair would do the fighting at a time. The other would stay up in the mountains with the cubs and smaller fledglings beyond any possible reach of an enemy. The one doing the fighting could switch out when they reached their shot limit. The only exceptions were that both Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer wished to fight, and Mystery would be staying up in the mountains so that Moonbeam could join the battle. Mystery and Breath-Of-Sky were to stay with the other children in safety.

There was little more that he, Toothless, or the Alphas could do to plan without seeing the place first for themselves. Descriptions related to him by another were only so useful.

"Everything ready?" Toothless asked.

In answer, he swung up into the saddle and clicked the tailfin.

"Ready, bud!"

Flame-In-The-Night got his attention with a cry a minute later, and he nodded back to him.

It was time.

A resounding cry then pierced the morning calm and echoed off the sheer walls in the valley. It was a roar of challenge and battle. Everyone took to the sky in a storm of wings.

Hiccup took one last glance back at the only pair still remaining on the ground, their wings spread wide as the rest of the pack departed. Bilbo and Arwen were barely visible standing at Lightning's shoulder.

Lightning and Hunts-In-Deep-Waters were entirely willing to stay behind. Further, neither of them expressed any worry about being there among the Elves, which was further proof that the two Furies were good judges of character.

_They will be safe there._

The plan was for someone to fly to them after this battle to let them know what to do next.

Toothless took his place at the head of the flight as the pack turned to the south to fly along the Misty Mountains. Hiccup had the map and knew from speaking with Elrond where the pack should fly.

Toothless rolled his neck and stretched while in flight. His flight muscles felt very sore.

_Great skies, we have been doing too much flying._

Not that he would admit that to anyone. The idea of a dragon flying too much was completely wrong and twisted.

Then he glanced back over his tail at the flight. The cloud of wings sparked old memories of raids long ago. Him flying at the head of the flight and looking for the most dangerous targets, the rock- and net-throwing things, to destroy.

_But this time we are going to fly an attack flight to save humans. And ourselves too in a way. Twisted._

"How do you feel, bud?" Hiccup shouted over the wind.

"Good," he warbled back, "this feels twisted to be flying into fighting, but we must do this."

"Yes, but we know part of this flight already!"

He chuckled in surprise when he remembered that they had already flown this way before. Their flight would take them past Lothlorien, though there would not likely be a chance to stop there.

* * *

The Misty Mountains were very lengthy and very tall, exactly as both of them remembered the mountains from the last time they had flown this way. The pack stuck to the western side of the mountains throughout the entire flight. They stopped several times when someone spotted a deer or other hunting.

Finally, after a full two days of flight, the pack turned to the east and ascended the rocky slopes. Up into the thinner air and around the peaks of white in the colder air.

The sun was setting on the horizon behind their tails when they finally crossed over the last peak and began gliding down into the warmer air again. In the last of the light of dusk, Hiccup could barely see a very large and thick forest further to the south.

_That looks like Fangorn._

"We should stop here!" Hiccup shouted.

"I agree."

The entire pack then dove to the ground and began to form several close piles on the eastern slope of the Misty Mountains. It looked like empty land all around with no lights from cities or torches.

Hiccup and Toothless volunteered for the first watch. Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall padded over to them before going to sleep.

"What next?" they asked.

Hiccup stood up and stretched, looking at the clear sky.

"Tomorrow we fly over the forest, across the plains, and then we will find another range of mountains. Helm's Deep is near the north of those mountains. We should get there tomorrow evening. Then we land in the mountains and figure it out from there."

The Alphas left, leaving them both alone next to Toothless's parents and brother before heading out on watch. Toothless nudged Hiccup's shoulder.

"Have I told you how great your plans are?" Toothless asked.

"I don't think so."

Toothless nodded and smirked.

"There is a reason for that."

"Thank you for nothing."

"I try."

* * *

Theirs was a quiet watch with absolutely nothing unexpected happening. Hiccup rested against Toothless's side while listening to the song of crickets and watching the twinkle of the stars. Peaceful, calm, and...

"Burning-Star?" Moonbeam announced herself as she hopped over to them.

"Moonbeam?" Toothless hummed back.

"I will be the watcher now. You can both go sleep."

"Sounds like a good plan," Hiccup yawned and got to his feet.

Toothless got up to follow after Hiccup, feeling a little tired himself after the long flying.

"Burning-Star, can you wait and talk with me first?" she asked.

He looked between her and Hiccup. Then Hiccup yawned again.

"I'll go rest with your family. See you there, bud."

Hiccup wandered off toward the piles of Furies, leaving the two of them alone in the night a long glide from the pack. Moonbeam watched Hiccup as he walked away and rejoined the pack.

Silence fell between them.

He did not know what to say.

Apparently, neither did she.

"You... wanted to talk?" he warbled.

She turned toward him, her wide, purple eyes faintly shining in the dim light.

"Yes, do you... do you truly think that this will help the pack? Us flying this flight to help humans?"

"I do. We would not have wanted this unless we thought it was needed. The Enemy is very bad, and we cannot hide from it. Our flights are stronger as one and weaker as two."

"Our flights?" she blinked.

He blinked.

"Dragons and humans."

Her ears slightly fell, and then she gave a wary hum.

"Hiccup told me that he grounded you and that he is why you lost the tailfin and flight on your own."

_He told her that? Why?_

He rolled his eyes and huffed.

"And I told him that he only shot me from the sky. The tree that I fell into took the tailfin. It was not truly him who did that."

She hissed and clawed at the ground.

"But it was his paws that hurt you. I... I am trying to understand why you are making the hurt he gave you as nothing to you."

He turned away from her and stared up into the night sky. Something, a yearning, was wiggling in his soul-fire.

"Why do you think it is nothing to me?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I do wish that I could fly on my own. I wish that I could hunt prey like any of my kin, that he did not need to fly with me so that I can go relieve myself, and that I could fly fast beyond the clouds and chase... as it should be... and..."

He growled and shook his head.

"But that is like flaming an already-flamed pile of waste. I can only live with what I can do. I can help the pack and those I care for as I am."

She padded over to him and sat down at his shoulder.

"What if this fight goes well? What happens after?"

He hummed in thought.

"After? We would probably talk to the human Alphas of the pack and see if they would let us live in their ranges in peace with them. Us saving many of their pack would be very good to help them trust us."

"What about you? What will you do after?" she asked.

There was a subtle difference about the question. She was asking him about something very specific, that much he was sure of. That something was also definitely her.

_Great skies, what is happening to me?_

He was confused in his soul-fire. Just over a week had passed since he spoke with Jumps-At-Fire, and it had been four weeks since he had last been with her. He had planned to not chase after either her or Moonbeam while he thought about life and focused on the mission with the pack.

Then he started being around Moonbeam more, just talking to her, flying around her, and doing small acts of bonding to learn who she is. Though, he had been unknowingly doing that even back when he was still with Jumps-At-Fire.

And now Moonbeam was slowly grabbing his soul-fire more every day she was around him.

It was true that she was his only option for a mate unless he wanted to wait around for probably five years when Mystery was grown or unless Jumps-At-Fire were to drastically change her priorities in life. But that Moonbeam was his only option was not good enough on its own. That was a lesson he had painfully learned already.

Did he truly care about her, or was he just yearning for the only available female?

She was very loyal to those she cared about. All in the pack knew her to be kind and playful to the young, and she was a good hunter who always brought back catches for the pack. His and her brief recent talks had been warm ones.

And he did feel a warmth inside his soul-fire only from looking at her. She was one of the larger females, strong and well-fed. Her scar down her chest marked her as a fighter and survivor. Her eyes were warming to stare into, her wings were barely larger than his, her tail was long, and her tailfins were wider than his. That she was a slightly different type of dragon definitely was not a problem.

Part of him did want to leap at her in play, dance with her in the long grass under the moonlight, and do far more with her.

But she did not trust humans as he did. She knew nothing from them except pain and loss, at least not until she met Hiccup. He did not know if she could share her life-flight as he wanted.

"That... depends. What is important to you?" he asked.

"Do you not know?" she whispered.

"There are many things about dark wings that I never learned. I know even less about light wings. You know that."

She huffed.

"Yes, I know that you are... flying cloudy skies now. What is important to me? That I can respect another, and that I do not need to fear for them... or for the cubs I would have. I had to raise my sister as if she was my own cub. I had to fly on my own to do that! I kept her safe and hunted for myself and her, all alone until we flew to this pack!"

She went silent for many wingbeats.

"I was not ready to fly on my own, but I did."

The hidden accusation was very clear. It also bit deep even if not intended to.

"Is that so important now? I cannot fly on my own, true. But... life might be different if we live in peace with humans. I can fly with him helping me..."

She spun on him with her eyes narrowed and a slight snarl. He bounded back from her in alarm at how suddenly she reacted.

"Let me tell you something you never learned about us, Burning-Star! You could never catch a female with him on your back or even without. We females are faster in the sky than you males are, and that is without you needing to carry his weight. The sky dance and chasing is only to see if the male truly wants the female. If he will give up in the chase for her then he would give up on the hunt for prey or in a fight to protect her or cubs. But if he flies after her even when he is weak and weary and when his wings would fail him, and if he is the one she wants as her mate, she will let him catch her only then!"

Then she grimaced, sat down, and curled her twitching tail around to her front paws.

"Would you want him on your back when you fly a sky dance? When you spin around her, catch her tail, put your wings around her, and become one? Would you want him to... hear that?"

"No..."

"When you fall from the sky with her in joy together?"

"No.."

"Do you think that any female who thinks well of herself would want a mate who needs help doing that with her?"

"No."

He softly growled and turned his back on her, as much as doing so hurt. He was not sure how to put his thoughts into words that she would understand or accept.

"Not all ceremonies are good ones. They were good ones when we lived life differently out in the wild. I wish that you could see that."

"Is it wrong and twisted for me to want a mate whom I can fly with on our own?" she whispered.

His ears fell.

He knew in his soul-fire that he could not rightly be angry with her for thinking that. Everything she said was true. If he were the one who was whole, it would be hard for him to imagine truly wanting or being happy with a female who could not fly or join him in a dance in the sky. If cub-making was all that mattered, then it would not be such a problem, but he wanted more as she did also.

"No, it is not twisted of you..."

He said nothing else as he walked alone through the night back toward where the pack slept. Hiccup was sound asleep under one of Sky-Dancer's wings.

He did not wake him. Instead, he lay down next to his dam and then curled his single tailfin over his head. Sleep did not fly to him for a long time.

* * *

Hiccup thought that Toothless was troubled on the flight. The Fury would usually tease him, talk about the winds, or otherwise make some idle comments to pass the time. But Toothless was silent this time.

He knew why his friend had to be disturbed. It was definitely because of the upcoming battle.

_That is completely fair of him. I'm worried too._

They all passed over the forest of Fangorn without stopping. The forest reminded him of Mirkwood: being very thick, dark, and mysterious under the trees. The twisted trees and darkness below was not welcoming at all, so no one wanted to stop there anyway.

The plains that they came to after Fangorn were what he had expected to see: grassy plains of long, golden grass and grey rocks randomly littering the landscape. The grass rolled along hills and swayed in the wind.

This was Rohan.

* * *

Hiccup watched as the pack fed. He was disturbed by it, and he wondered whether this was going to be a problem.

The pack had been resting by a clear stream and lapping at the cool water when several wild horses strode over the hill toward the water. The horses had seen the drinking dragons, whinnied in fear, and turned to flee. But they could not outrun the hunt. Three dead horses had been brought back for the pack to feed on.

On the one hand, it was not truly different from hunting deer or other wild game. Further, these were wild horses, being ungroomed and with no sign of having ever worn a saddle.

On the other hand, horses could be domesticated and were capable of some level of understanding and even affection toward their riders.

_I'll need to talk to the pack about this later. It's probably okay as long as there is no hunting of any tamed horses._

Then he stepped away from the pack and stared toward the west. The distant mountains faded away on the horizon. He knew from inspecting his map that he was looking toward the Gap of Rohan, one of the few passes on the ground through the Misty Mountains.

That was also the direction of Isengard, the fortress where the fallen Wizard, Saruman, apparently lived. Elrond had told him to keep the pack clear of that place, and he was definitely going to do so. It was hard to imagine how bad a fallen Wizard could be since he had never seen Gandalf truly in combat. The misunderstanding between him and Toothless at their first meeting in the Shire had never truly become a combat. Not after the first fireball, anyway.

But he felt a chill as he stared off into the southwest. The sun was going down behind a thick layer of dark clouds high in the sky. The clouds rolled and flowed, as though they were being driven onward by some strange force or powerful winds.

_Great, we'll be flying through a storm. Love it..._

* * *

Toothless sneezed the rain out of his nose.

"You okay, bud?" Hiccup shouted.

"Yes, you?"

"Lovely. Never been better! There is no ice!" Hiccup shivered.

His garb was completely soaked through, but he was not very cold.

The flight had turned very miserable very quickly because of the pouring rain that had begun falling late in the day. The storm also hindered the pack's flight, delaying them a lot.

Toothless grumbled.

_At least there is no great wind in our faces..._

The tall, white-tipped and black-streaked mountains ahead, though not as large as the Misty Mountains, finally came into view through the pouring rain.

"Which way now?" he asked.

Hiccup looked around, trying to figure it out from what he could see. It was not much between the roiling storm clouds above and the natural nighttime darkness. He had also completely lost track of when it was. The excitement of possibly flying into a battle gave him a nervous energy such that he didn't feel exhausted at all.

There was a thick forest below them, and he couldn't remember that being on the map before. However, he could barely make out a faint glow far off in the distance.

"Do you see that over there?"

Toothless looked where he directed him and saw it also.

"Yes, many small lights."

"That is either a city or a lot of torches... and probably an army."

"That way then?"

"Yes, up into the mountains!"

Toothless roared aloud in command, and the pack answered him through the pouring rain.

They continued on, gradually ascending higher up the mountainous slope while drawing closer to the strange lights in the distance.

A din began echoing in the air. The noise was a clamoring of cheers and calls audible even over the downpour.

The mountains then fell away into a large gorge or ravine many, many lengths wide. The far side of the ravine was a steep slope from a higher ledge while the other side was a sheer, vertical fall from the rocky heights.

Then they flew out over the ravine and beheld what was inside it.

Countless dark shapes were standing in formation while roaring and waving long pikes or torches. The deepest part of the ravine ended in a massive wall and a fortress with only one narrow path leading up to the main gate.

Attackers were assaulting the main gate while under fire from above. A line of defenders, likely the Elven archers and swordsmen, stood upon the massive wall and engaged the enemies climbing the ladders.

The battle at Helm's Deep was already long since underway.

_Okay, stick to the plan._

Toothless gave a soft roar and turned his flight fully over the valley, eventually diving and settling down on the rocky ledge above. The whole pack, adults, fledglings, and cubs, followed him down and landed together.

Flame-In-The-Night bounded forward with a menacing growl.

"This is it? The fight?"

Toothless snarled.

"Yes. The humans are the ones protected by the rocks. Hiccup, do you need to say anything?"

Hiccup stood up on Toothless's back, and he saw all the different eyes fixed on him in that moment. Blue, purple, red, orange, green, grey, and teal. They all looked to him. They trusted him.

One essential point was that the Furies' contribution to the defense had to be from the sky only. Melee combat against against armored pike men... pike Uruks would be disastrous.

"All who will fight should stay in the sky! Do not fight on the ground! Be fast! Target groups of enemies as they attack the humans! Do not let the enemy see you! All who are not fighting will stay here!"

A chorus of purrs and snarls echoed from the ledge.

He watched as most of the pairs then took a few moments to nuzzle noses and whisper words to each other and to their children.

Then Flame-In-The-Night, Snowflame, Starlight, Wings-Of-Ice, Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, Growls-At-His-Shadow, and Moonbeam stepped forward toward the edge. Snowfall, Wind-Biter, Eyes-That-Shimmer, Jumps-At-Fire, and Dreamcatcher stepped further back on the ledge while Free-Flight, Storm-Chaser, Nightfall, Windripper, Breath-Of-Sky, Tail-Hunter, and Mystery huddled together under sheltering wings dripping with rain. Fortunately, the rear of the ledge was out of the direct view of the valley, so no one would be able to see the fighting from afar as long as they stayed back.

Oddly, the rain then suddenly ceased. It was still dark enough that it would be hard to see any of the Furies in flight, except for possibly one of them.

"Toothless, mind if I take that starlight pendant off you? Don't want to give away where we are."

"Yes, I was going to ask that you do that."

Toothless waited patiently as Hiccup untied the pendant. It was not very bright, but it still glowed faintly and could possibly give away their flight. Hiccup carefully stowed the pendant in their various supplies.

Then they both stepped up through the other Furies and stood on the edge of the ledge. It was difficult to see the enemy army through the darkness and from such a height, but the armored creatures down below did not look right. They looked very big and angry.

_Are those the Uruk-Orc things? I still don't even know what they look like._

"How do we fly this flight?" "What should we do?" "What is the attack?" "Give me something to flame at!"

Hiccup blinked and chuckled before turning his attention back to the battlefield from the saddle. Rushing directly into combat, while very brave and definitely the Berk way, was definitely not the way of Night Furies. Tactical combat and careful picking of fights was the only option against so many opponents.

_Nine Night Furies. Alright, let's see what we can do! The only weakness to this defense looks like the main gate. Even that is a major chokepoint. The long wall looks very strong with those Elves defending it. But there are ladders..._

"We should stop the enemy from climbing up the wall! Flame the ladders, the things the attackers are climbing!"

"How do we know which ones are the enemy?" Moonbeam shouted.

He shook his head free of the terrible thought of shots going awry and accidentally killing humans. Friendly fire would not help promote trust at all.

"If it has a long... stick and looks like those things down there, it is an enemy! If it looks like a human, it is not an enemy!"

"How will the humans know not to attack us?" she added.

Hiccup frowned. Hers was a fair question. A flight of dragons appearing unannounced in the middle of an attack could look suspicious at first. But the Fellowship was likely with the defense, and they would know the truth. Elrond and Galadriel had also sent their warriors to help defend. Those Elves would surely know of Toothless and would probably have spread the word.

"They have people who know us already! Don't try to threaten them, and we will be fine! Four of us should defend the front gate, that place over there! Four should destroy the ladders on the wall! The other should watch the fight and warn about any new danger!" he pointed out each place in turn.

"Sky-Dancer will be the watcher! She is fastest!" Flame-In-The-Night directed.

"I will!" she answered.

Hiccup was very relieved that she would be out of the direct fighting. Neither he nor Toothless would likely ever forgive themselves if anything bad happened to Toothless's mother. Not that anything bad was going to happen to any of these Night Furies. Staying out of range of pikes was going to be easy, and it was dark enough that the fast Furies would present no easy target for arrows.

_This doesn't look so bad for a massive battle. We just have to help hold the line at the main gate, take out a few ladders and everything should be..._

Then he stared down at the army in surprise and confusion.

A white light like a very intense torch was being carried toward the wall by one of the many attacking Uruk soldiers.

_What is that?_

The soldier reached the wall and then disappeared to the blare of trumpets.

"Did any of you see..."

A flash of light lit up the night. It was so bright that he closed his eyes and looked away, leaving an imprint of light in his vision.

Pure dread filled him and struck him dumb when he opened his eyes and, able to see well enough, looked back at the wall.

The blast and cloud of flame and smoke had rent a gaping hole in the wall. Chunks of rock larger than men and even several of the defenders themselves were hurled through the air.

The crashing boom struck moments later alongside a trembling felt through the ground even up outside the valley. The rock and debris rained down from the sky in a chorus of crashes.

Everything then went silent and still until the attacking army roared in unison a wild and deep cry.

_Oh gods..._

Creeping doubt. What else could the army have planned? Had the bad Wizard given the army more unnatural powers or weapons?

Many snarls and growls started building from behind him, from below him, and from within. That terrifying sound that had haunted his dreams many years ago now filled him with courage and defiance. They were ready to fight, and so was he.

Saruman's army was not the only power that could use fire and explosions.

_We can do this! Alright, time to change the world!_

Hiccup clicked the tailfin into place and then bent down to Toothless's ear.

"Let's fly!"


	39. Lightning And Death

_**Author's Note – May this do justice to the battle of Helm's Deep and the way that these dragons would impact the outcome of the battle.  
**_

* * *

Lightning And Death

* * *

"Let's fly!" Hiccup shouted.

Toothless threw his wings wide and leaped from the ledge into a dive. The beat of many wings followed closely behind him as about half the pack's adults also took flight, following his lead. None of them made a sound so as to keep the surprise as long as possible.

"Like old times, bud?"

"Old times?"

"The raids..."

Toothless snorted.

"This time is very different!"

They were still very high above the swarming army, beyond the reach of any normal weapon the Uruks may have.

A roar went up from the army beneath them, and the Uruks began advancing toward the shattered wall while the main gate was already under siege. The defiant roar of the army below grew louder, shattering the silence and echoing off the mountains. The lightning crashed in the clouds high above, as though the sky had forgotten that the storm was over.

Toothless took a very deep breath. The time for hiding was over.

His roar was even louder than that of the army, especially when his defiant roar was answered by his packmates.

The battle seemed to pause. The bows stopped firing, and the Uruks stopped waving their spears. Everyone now knew that they were here.

Flame-In-The-Night, Snowflame, Starlight, and Wings-Of-Ice spun toward the main gate and higher ramparts. The enemy was ramming into the main door while very tall ladders were being hoisted up to the top level.

Far-Flight, Growls-At-His-Shadow, and Moonbeam followed him toward the broken wall. The original plan had been to flame at and destroy the ladders. That plan had been blown to pieces just like the wall. Very few of the attackers were even trying to climb up the wall; rather, they were gathering to march in through the gaping hole in the wall.

"Bud, new plan, take advantage of the chokepoint!" Hiccup shouted.

"I know how to attack!" Toothless roared back.

Hiccup rolled his eyes, knowing that Toothless definitely understood strategy, given his previous attacks on Berk. But he stared in confusion when he saw the Elven archers in the courtyard behind the wall. The archers were also drawing their swords, as if they were getting ready for melee combat in the courtyard.

_They don't plan on fighting there, do they? Gods, they could be Vikings! Very brave, stubborn, and probably dead soon..._

Hiccup tried very hard to not think about all the still bodies on the ramparts. There were far more of the armored Uruks that lay dead though, so that was encouraging.

Toothless roared again in command. The other three Furies swarmed around him directly over the breach into which the Uruks were flooding.

Then the night started raining fire. Glowing shot after glowing shot flew down into the breach in the wall. The blasts knocked down and burned dozens of the packed Uruks at a time. While very effective protection against arrows, the Uruk's metal armor was terrible against fire.

With dozens of Uruk corpses filling the entrance, the attackers were having difficulty advancing over the growing pile of dead.

Hiccup kept watch on the Uruk formations beyond the wall. Even a few seconds of early warning could be the difference between life and death. Fortunately, there were no large weapons he could see. There were definitely crossbow bolts being fired, but none of the Furies presented good targets. They were nothing but shadows dashing along the wall. Moonbeam was slightly more visible, but she was very quick and kept changing her flight so that no archers could reliably aim.

After another successful dive, Hiccup saw into the inner courtyard and, now that he was much closer, noticed someone very familiar and welcome.

Aragorn was leading the hundred or so Elven archers. Behind them was a series of caves set in the base of the mountain, but that was unimportant. The Elves had put away their swords and were aiming their bows.

A volley of arrows flew into the breach, felling dozens more Uruks in the gap. None of the arrows came close to any of the Furies.

_Alright, they got the message: don't shoot the dragons!_

He glanced up to the main gate. The Uruks, forced to march up the narrow bridge to the main gate, were easy targets for diving blasts, of which there were many. Dozens of Uruks fell many lengths to their deaths, blasted off the narrow walkway.

Toothless snarled down at the broken wall where the attackers were struggling. There were so many of their bodies piled in that small place that it was very hard for the attackers to move around or advance.

He saw that several of the ladders were again being used by the Uruks trying to climb the wall.

"See the ladders!" Toothless roared.

"Yep! Let's take them down!" Hiccup shouted.

Toothless roared commands to the other three Furies, who then roared back in agreement. He flew higher and joined them as they dashed as fast as the wind, their precise shots crumpling the ladders leaning against the wall. Ladders blasted to pieces could not be put back up.

A pair of bright flashes lit up the night high up near the tallest ramparts. Sky-Dancer roared aloud her triumph as two of the tallest ladders leading up to the highest level broke at her fire and crumbled, sending all the Uruks on the ladders falling hundreds of feet to their deaths.

Hiccup wasn't sure whether to be pleased that she was getting in on the action too, or worried about her. There was something about having her in harm's way that was completely wrong.

Between being routed at the gate, having their ladders felled, and being unable to advance into the courtyard, the attacking Uruks hesitated and pulled back slightly, filling the air with defiant roars and cries as they did so. They were waving their spears and crying out in wordless voices, perhaps because they couldn't speak.

A slight lull in the battle ensued as the lightning crashed closer up above.

"This is our chance! We should talk to Strider!" Hiccup shouted.

They swooped into the courtyard and touched down with a splash in the mud and red water that was pooling within.

Aragorn was the first to run over to them. The Ranger was covered in sweat and his clothing was torn, clearly since he had been in close battle already.

"No time for pleasantries! What is this?" the Ranger gestured toward the sky.

"We found other Night Furies and more! They're here to fight with us! What are you doing down here?" Hiccup shouted back from the saddle.

Aragorn breathed heavily and glanced over his shoulder to the many Elven soldiers at his back.

"We sought to hold the wall, but that was before they lit the fire of Orthanc under us! Saruman's foul craft!" Aragorn answered.

"We cannot hold that place much longer!" Hiccup added while pointing toward the breach.

"You will all die if you stay down here! Go fight from up there!" Toothless tossed his head toward the upper level.

"The Furies don't have unlimited fire! Go now!" Hiccup added.

Aragorn stepped back and surveyed the scene. The Uruks were already rallying beyond the wall, slowly carrying away their fallen to clear a path. Several visible Uruks were now carrying large, thick shields that could make arrows useless and might help against plasma blasts.

Aragorn then shouted in Elvish up to the wall.

Hiccup could only make out one familiar word: the name Haldir. The rest was incomprehensible.

_Where have I heard that name? Probably Lothlorien..._

The Elf, probably the leader, apparently agreed with whatever was said because he gave a command and beckoned to all his forces. All the Elves turned as one to flee up the slope toward the upper, far more defensible level. Several wounded were being carried. Hiccup even noticed a Dwarf and another familiar Elf running at Aragorn's side, though the Dwarf was being unwillingly dragged away from the combat.

_Good thing the Hobbits are not here in the fighting. They could not fight well at all. I'm missing something here. Wonder where they and the Gondorian are... and Gandalf also..._

"Back to the breach!" Hiccup cried.

They hopped into the sky and summoned the other three Furies. They only needed to win some time for the survivors to flee the courtyard. More plasma blasts flew into the narrow gap which had been partially cleared of fallen Uruks.

Then Hiccup saw several seriously wounded Elves up on the wall or on the ground just inside the wall, unable to walk or flee to safety. There was a chance that something could be done for them, even if doing it was crazy.

"Think you can get them!" he pointed.

Toothless understood and dove, briefly touching down and grabbing a fallen but still living Elf in his arms.

Far-Flight, Growls-At-His-Shadow, and Moonbeam, their maws smoking, landed around him on the ground behind the rock-wall.

"How much fire do you have?" Toothless growled.

"Not much more. What are you doing with that human?" Far-Flight asked.

"Trying to save this Elf! Find living but hurt ones and help me save them!"

Holding his wounded Elf, he hopped and flew up toward the higher level without looking back at his packmates.

The last of the very tall ladders fell to his dam's diving fire from on high. He bared his teeth and snarled happily at his dam's strike. He only briefly imagined her striking at Hiccup's pack many years ago, and then he threw out that thinking. He had done the same as her in striking at Hiccup's old pack, long ago.

Then his warmth at the successful fighting was chilled when he arrived at the higher level that had all the humans defending it. What was so bad was that he could only see three of his kin in the sky instead of four. They were too far away for him to see which one was missing.

He spun up over the ledge to where he could see the inside of the place. It was filled with shouting humans and Elves, almost all of whom had bows in their paws. Arrows were now flying toward the main gate and down the slope toward where the Uruks were pouring through the gap.

Cold poured into his soul-fire when he saw that there was a downed Fury behind these higher walls. His packmate lay on its side while humans swarmed around it.

The instant of fear and alarm passed when he realized what was happening. The humans were grooming it, letting the fallen one drink water from a bucket while they tended to some unknown hurts.

Satisfied that nothing bad was happening there, he hopped down to the rock ground inside and gently dropped the Elf. It was still alive, but it was too pained to speak.

"Think we can get more of them?" Hiccup asked.

They hopped back to the edge of the wall so they could look down on the courtyard. Uruks were now pouring into the courtyard through the hole in the wall.

"Maybe. Do the Uruks have many arrows and bows?"

"Yeah, that would be a problem. They have a few crossbows..."

"They were not shooting at us."

"Probably because they were surprised or scared. They're not now. Going back there is probably too big a risk."

Far-Flight, Growls-At-His-Shadow, and Moonbeam arrived only moments later, each of them with a wounded Elf in their paws. They dropped off their catches and joined Toothless perching on the edge of the wall.

"Burning-Star, are you going to get more of these... Elf-things?" Far-Flight barked.

"I wish I could!"

"The attackers have many spine-throwing things!"

Toothless grumbled. The enemy having many bows would make it very hard to safely fly those skies now. Even if the night was dark and stormy, there was always the change of an arrow hitting him by chance only.

"Then it is too dangerous," he groaned.

"Let us fly this flight!" his sire added.

_What? Sire, what are you doing?_

"You must stay here! You cannot do this with Hiccup flying with you!" Moonbeam added.

"Do what?" Hiccup asked, confused.

She only flashed her teeth.

Moonbeam, Far-Flight, and Growls-At-His-Shadow turned away from him and flew up into the sky away from the fighting.

Hiccup thought that was strange of them. Why would they fly higher when the Elves were down on the ground? Why did they think they could safely rescue anyone else?

"What are they doing?" Hiccup wondered.

"I do not know."

Neither of them could look away out of curiosity. They were carefully watching the three flights when the lightning jumped from the clouds without warning and struck the two soaring Night Furies. Their bodies crackled with the lightning. Meanwhile, Moonbeam shot a blast directly ahead of herself and then dove into the fire-cloud.

All three dragons vanished from sight in the open sky.

Toothless's jaw hung open while Hiccup stared, completely dumbfounded.

Neither of them knew what to think.

It was completely impossible.

And it just happened before their eyes.

"Did they just disappear?" Hiccup gasped.

"I... think they did..."

"Hhhhow?"

"I do not know. I did not know my kind can do that..."

Toothless looked down to the wall. He could see far enough in the dark while Hiccup could not. His suspicions were confirmed wingbeats later when he saw three Elven bodies impossibly lift into the sky from the top of the wall. That happened while a swarm of Uruks rushed through the courtyard, the attempts to scale the walls having been abandoned. The Uruks did not notice anything strange around them.

_I could not try that with Hiccup on me. That would be too dangerous for him. I do not even know how to do that!_

"They grabbed some Elves!"

"Did they? Good! Oh gods... maybe there is something to the saying," Hiccup mumbled.

Toothless swooped back toward the front gate and fired a shot toward the attackers massed outside the gate, sending over a dozen of the Uruks tumbling off the walkway. Then he pulled up and began gliding high above the keep.

"What saying?" he asked.

"Night Furies being the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. I don't know though..."

Toothless grumbled.

"We should talk about that... later."

His musing on the impossibility of what he had just seen over, Hiccup turned his attention to the defenses again. The front gate was easily holding because the battering ram could not be reliably used. Any Uruks trying to attack the gate were struck by blasts from above. There did not appear to be any more of the extremely high ladders that could reach the second level. Finally, the only path that led from the fallen courtyard was up a very steep slope being covered with the bodies of the fallen. There were already so many dead Uruks that their advancing was slow and difficult.

"Let's go see what is going on up there, shall we?"

Toothless grunted his agreement and dove for the clearing inside the upper level. There was not much room to land on, and he had to tuck his wings and fall a little further than he wanted to. His landing also disturbed several of the humans who immediately scrambled back in alarm. While they were surprised, none of them lifted a weapon or threatened him.

Then he bounded over to his downed packmate. It was Starlight. The teal-eyed male was lying on his side while breathing heavily and looking pained.

"Starlight, what happened?"

"A spine hit my side. I fell here..." Starlight groaned in pain.

"Where did it hit you?" Hiccup bent down next to him.

Starlight lifted a wing and showed off the large puncture in his side. The arrow or bolt had already been removed, but the hole was bleeding even if it was not a deep or large wound.

"May I lick it?" Toothless asked.

"Please do..." Starlight winced.

Toothless lost no time and bent down to lick the hurt. While doing so was definitely necessary and would help Starlight heal, it was also the first time he ever tasted his own kind's blood that was not his own. A terrible thing to know.

All the other humans nearby kept their distance.

"What happened with the humans?" Hiccup asked.

"They... ran to me... after I fell. Then they... helped with the spine-thing..." Starlight shakily explained.

Hiccup nodded, pleased that the people of Rohan had been understanding. Though, seeing the dragons fly to their defense made it very clear that they were allies. Of course the people of Rohan would want to help. There was also a good chance that they had already heard about the dragons being good.

Then he started in surprise when three groaning Elves were gently placed on the ground on the ramparts inside the top wall. There was nothing immediately present in the air except for a faint shimmering, though that was very difficult to see in the darkness, and the audible stroke of wings.

There was also a very, very creepy trio of pairs of glowing eyes that did not fade from sight.

"We will look for more!" Moonbeam barked.

Then the three invisible Furies were gone again.

That would take some getting used to. He had no idea that Furies could disappear like that.

The rolling, pained Elves got his attention. They looked like they needed attention as soon as possible. One of them was even missing an arm.

"Be right back, bud!"

"I will stay with them!"

He hopped down from Toothless's back and went looking for doctors or healers. A few men and women in blood-soaked rags were tending to the wounded back near the entrance to the Keep.

"These Elves need help!" Hiccup shouted.

"Great, more of them. Show us!" one of the women shouted.

He led several of the healers up to the ramparts to where the wounded Elves were dropped. They picked up the Elves and carried them to the Keep where they could properly attend to them.

"Good Elf!" a new man shouted over the din of battle.

Hiccup returned to Toothless's side. Now that he got to look more closely at Starlight's wound, he felt a lot less worried. While he was fortunately not an expert in Night Fury internal anatomy, the wound was probably not in any important body parts.

The thick coating of dark red blood on the ground under Starlight looked very ominous though.

"Make way! Make way!" an indistinct voice cried.

Then a heavy hand fell on Hiccup's shoulder. He spun around in surprise.

The tall, middle-age man who had greeted him was dressed very differently from all the fighters around them and on the walls. He had golden pauldrons and a very fine coat of armor with the insignia of a white horse. He bore a bronze or possibly golden helmet which was the same color as his long hair and trimmed beard.

This was evidently someone of status to the people of Rohan given how they gave him space and respect.

The man looked very confused, awed, and speechless at the same time.

"What is this?" he eventually gasped with a nod toward Toothless and Starlight.

"They are dragons, and they are here to fight for Rohan, as you can see! It is a long story. Who are you, sir?" Hiccup asked.

"I am Theoden, son of Thengel... and King of Rohan."

_I'm speaking with a King! Oh gods..._

"I am... Haddock. I speak for these dragons, for these Night Furies and Light Furies."

Theoden then turned toward the ramparts. His gaze followed the dragons circling over the keep.

"How is this possible?" Theoden gasped and gestured.

"It is a very long story, and I will tell you more later. For now just know that these dragons are your allies!"

"Even more unlooked for allies? I... can see that, even if I find it hard to believe. I did not believe what I was told before. Gandalf assured me that this could be, but still... How is that one?" Theoden nodded at Starlight.

"He will live. I don't know who tended to him before, but it helped."

As much as he wanted to ask more about what Theoden thought about the dragons, there were more important matters right now.

"What is the plan now, my King?" a new armored man approached and asked Theoden.

"We hold the Keep, Gamling!" Theoden replied.

"How long?"

"As long as we can!"

Hiccup grinned, liking this display of stubborn optimism.

"Will Eomer and the White Rider come?" Gamling asked.

Strength or determination appeared in Theoden's eyes where before there had been surprise.

"We must believe they will come! Courage is the best defense we have! We hold until dawn!"

Theoden then strode over to the edge of the wall from where he could see the whole valley. Hiccup joined him and stared out at the swarm of thousands of Uruks. They were roaring, waving their pikes, and shouting despite their failure to advance or make any progress.

"What happens at dawn?"

Theoden lifted his chin and shoulders.

"Allies will arrive at the first light of dawn on this fifth day. Enough to rout this foe. I did not believe that we could hold, but now..."

The Uruks were making no progress ascending the slope inside the fallen Deep wall and up the narrow path to the Keep's rear gates. There were too many archers above and already-fallen bodies in the way. A diving blast from a Fury occasionally tore into a thicker group of the Uruks down below. The main gate was not under assault now because the Uruks had pulled back, unable to break through the gate under the occasional blasts from above.

However, it was very worrying how large the army still was.

"How many dragons are there fighting for us?" Theoden asked.

"There are twenty-three in the pack right now," Hiccup answered.

A pair of Furies dove past them and spiraled high above the army, gradually ascending toward the high peaks where the rest of the pack lay in hiding.

"I can scarcely believe it. Dragons flying to our aid. Why?" Theoden wondered in awe.

"They are not monsters. They are people like you and me. They want to be free of Sauron and his servants. We found them living in hiding far up in the North. I and Toothless convinced them to fly down here, and then we heard that your people were in danger."

"Toothless?"

"Oh, he is my dragon. Well, not really mine; he is my best friend. It's a long story."

"I can only imagine. I hope that you do not mind my asking, but are you an Elf, Haddock?"

Hiccup laughed at that, remembering that he was wearing all Elven clothing. Then he parted his hair to show off his perfectly human ears.

"No sir, I'm human just like you."

Theoden put a hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

"My apologies. Your appearance is deceiving. Many Elves are thin as you are. Pray-tell, how many winters have you seen?"

"Seventeen, sir."

"Seventeen winters and already a speaker for and rider of dragons? You are truly special, Master Haddock."

_Master Haddock, I could get used to this..._

He turned and watched the two resting Furies in the inner courtyard. Toothless was still licking at Starlight's wound.

Then he remembered something important, an amazing detail that might help save lives.

"King Theoden, this will sound very strange, no stranger than friendly dragons probably, but you should let the dragons lick any injuries anyone got. That would help the wounds heal a lot. Trust me on that."

Theoden looked a mix of alarmed and amused.

"Far be it from me to reject any aid from an unlooked-for ally. We can speak to the healers after the battle is won. We could even..." he then answered.

"Take cover!" someone shouted.

He and Theoden crouched down as a hail of arrows and bolts rained down on the ramparts. Many of the shots harmlessly struck the rock wall in a clatter like hail.

A howl of pain tore through the sky, and Hiccup's heart skipped a beat at the terrible sound.

It got even worse when he saw a Fury struggling to stay aloft above the Keep. Its wings beat irregularly as it hovered and wailed. Many of the men on the ramparts turned to stare at it.

_No! Gods... no!_

The Fury roughly beat a trembling flight toward him, glided over his head, and crashed down inside the Keep's inner level into the open courtyard.

He was at the fallen Fury's side in seconds.

It was Snowflame.

"Snowflame!"

She opened her pain-wrought eyes and whined softly, her entire length trembling.

"Hic...cup..."

"Where is it? Where are you hurt?" he put a hand on her forehead.

"Wings... and belly..."

She whimpered and rolled onto her side. There was a bolt sticking out of her belly. There were also small holes in her wings, likely where arrows had torn straight through.

"Am I... going to die..." she whined.

"No... no, you will be fine..." he whispered and held her head.

Another Fury dropped in next to her with a fearful cry, having heard her distress. It was Flame-In-The-Night.

He bounded straight up to his daughter, saw the bolt in her belly, and then froze with narrowed eyes.

"Sire..."

"Little... one..."

"Don't move, Snowflame. You will be fine... I promise..." Hiccup whispered and stroked her head.

Then he turned to the distraught Alpha.

"Tell the rest of the pack to stay very high! I'll take care of her!"

Flame-In-The-Night visibly trembled as spun in place and leaped into the air. The roar that followed was one of pain, fear, wrath, and death. It echoed off the mountains on both sides of the valley, and sent combatants on both sides to the ground in fear.

Then the wrathful Fury started glowing blue from his head, his back, and all the way down his tail. The lightning crashed in the sky above and struck him just as he dove out of sight.

Hiccup could not see what caused the following flash of light that turned night into day. Neither could he tell what caused the crashing ring in his ears or the trembling that shook the ground under his feet.

But he knew it probably wasn't good for the Uruk army.

_What the..._

Flame-In-The-Night spun up into the sky and gave another roar of triumph and warning to his pack only seconds after his strike. The Fury was glowing like a blue star.

Having just seen two impossible things from Night Furies, Hiccup gave up trying to understand what Furies were capable of, and instead he turned all his attention to the prone Snowflame before him. She needed help with the bolt in her belly. Worst was that he didn't know if it was in any important body parts. It definitely looked deeper than Starlight's wound.

"Toothless! Can you come here!" Hiccup shouted.

Toothless bounded over to him, his eyes narrowed in concern for her.

"How is Starlight?"

"Well. He is not bleeding now."

"Okay, stay here with Snowflame! Snowflame, stay still. I will be right back!"

She whimpered her response as Toothless gently nuzzled her head and purred comfort to her.

Hiccup flew to his feet and ran up the flights of stairs to where Theoden stood, staring in awe at the blue star blazing above the keep.

"King Theoden! Where is Strider?"

"I know no Strider."

"Aragorn? Where is he?"

"The rear causeway!" Theoden replied.

He ran for the upper level's rear causeway. That area was around a corner where a large number of the Elves were gathered and from where they could pick off the Uruks that tried to ascend the steep inner slope. There were barrels upon barrels of arrows on the highest level.

A familiar Elf was firing arrow after arrow down into the Deep, certainly letting no shot go to waste. A Dwarf was fuming at how few enemies there were for him to hew with his ax. And there was a man who also had a singing bow.

"Aragorn!"

The Ranger, dripping with sweat and looking very weary, extricated himself from the front line and ran over to him.

"Haddock!"

"You have skill at healing, yes?"

"I do. Why?"

"One of the Furies needs help now! She has a shot in her belly!"

Aragorn looked very troubled and uncertain.

"I do not know what I can do for a dragon..."

"Anything is better than nothing! I cannot let her... die..." he desperately pleaded.

Another moment of indecision passed before Aragorn nodded.

"Lead the way. I will do what I can."

They ran along the Keep's wall, protected from the shots from afar, and entered the inner courtyard.

Snowflame was still where he had left her with Toothless standing with her.

Hiccup knelt at her head and let her again rest her head in his lap.

"It hurts..." she whined.

Aragorn knelt at her side and saw the embedded bolt dripping with dark blood. Something changed in Aragorn's appearance as he stared at him gently stroking Snowflame's head. The Ranger got to his feet and knelt beside him.

"What is your name?" he softly asked.

She blinked.

"Snowflame..."

He smiled.

"Snowflame, you have a beautiful name. I am... Estel; it means hope. Will you let me help you?"

"What will you do?" she groaned.

"I will take out that shot from your belly, and I will help it not hurt. My hands are gentle."

"Please do..."

"But it will hurt at first to take it out. Can I trust you to not... claw at me?" Aragorn asked.

"I will not move," she growled.

"Do you mind if I... hold you still... if I must?" Toothless asked.

"That... might help."

Aragorn knelt at her belly, pulled out a small knife, and retrieved a tiny pouch of a leaf which he then started chewing. Hiccup immediately recognized the leaf from its fragrance.

_Athelas..._

He covered her eyes when Aragorn took the small knife to the bolt and got to work. Toothless also stood alert, ready to intervene and hold her down if there was a need.

She whined, whimpered, and growled as tears of pain dripped onto the stones, but she did not move a muscle except for her thrashing tail.

All the while, Hiccup kept whispering encouragement to her. Anything to take her mind off the surgery or distract her would probably help.

Aragorn, after a tense minute, set aside the bloody and wickedly-jagged bolt coated in blood. Then he put the Athelas chew into her open wound.

"Do we have bandages?"

"There is no need. Move aside," Toothless answered.

Aragorn complied and watched as Toothless started licking the wound. The Ranger wiped his bloody hands on his soaked pants.

"Many creatures lick their wounds, but these are very effective from what I remember of Frodo. Did he ever lick any wounds of yours, Haddock?" Aragorn asked.

"Nope, and I hope he never needs to."

Aragorn then gestured all around them toward the walls and the ramparts. There were dozens of wounded visible and definitely many more already being tended to within the Keep.

"There will be many wounded from this battle."

Despite how terrible the battle and war certainly was, Hiccup saw the obvious opportunity here. It was something he had already suggested to Theoden.

_If the Furies help heal people who are hurt in the fighting..._

"I can help with that injury later, but I must return to the front. My skill with a bow is needed."

Aragorn departed without further ceremony or waiting for an answer.

Hiccup remained holding Snowflame's head and whispering encouragement to her.

"Very good, Snowflame. Very brave of you... How does it feel?"

"Like... the worst belly-clawing... and flaming ever..." she groaned.

"Good! Feeling nothing would be worse. You'll be fine. I promise."

Finally, Toothless stepped away from her a few minutes later.

"The bleeding is stopped," Toothless whispered, albeit with a sad glance toward her wings.

Hiccup noticed his gaze and frowned, deep in thought.

_Those are small tears that can be sewn up and heal in no time, hopefully._

"Her wings can be fixed. I'm sure about that. Snowflame, how much does it hurt?"

"Some, but not much now. The hurt feels warm," she sighed.

_Athelas and Fury licks, a potent combination._

An Uruk arrow bounced off the stone wall behind them. It was very concerning that an arrow had reached this far, though he didn't know where it had been shot from. That had been a random shot for certain, but being out in the open, even at the top level, was suddenly riskier.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

"Why... must I?"

"We need to get you out of here. You might get hit again out here."

She blinked and struggled to her paws with a wince and yelp. She followed him while he kept a hand on her neck. It definitely hurt her to walk.

"Starlight, you should come too," Hiccup added when they reached him.

He led both downed Furies up into the entrance of the Keep itself where they would be sheltered from any more unlucky shots. Snowflame and Starlight had just lain down in the shelter when another pair of wings flew in behind him and roughly touched down.

The blue glow that illuminated the night was all Hiccup needed to know.

Flame-In-The-Night bounded over next to him and bent down to nuzzle Snowflame's nose.

The bright glow began to fade until only a very faint shine remained.

"How are you... my little one?" he gasped.

"Better... sire..."

Hiccup stepped away from them.

"Alpha, we helped both of their hurts. They should stay here to be safe."

Flame-In-The-Night's ears went back as he looked around at all the surrounding humans with weapons in their hands.

"I am staying with them!" the Alpha growled and sat down between them, covering both of them with a wing.

Hiccup nodded.

"Fair enough. Just don't hurt any of the humans. They helped Starlight without us asking. Were any others in the pack hurt?"

A snarl followed.

"No. The others are flying very high and unseen now. They can still be hit when hiding from eyes," Flame-In-The-Night answered.

_Note to self, ask about the lightning and going invisible thing. For now though, one more thing to do._

"I'll be right back!"

He ran outside the Keep to the ramparts where Theoden stood.

"King Theoden, would you please follow me?"

"Gamling, you take watch!" Theoden immediately replied.

Theoden and a small company of his men followed him back inside the Keep.

_Gods, I can ask a King to follow me and he does..._

"Master Haddock, what is this about?"

"King Theoden, I wanted you to meet a couple of the dragons yourself. You should meet one of their leaders at the least."

"Indeed, I should. After what they have done for us..."

They arrived at the protected entrance to the Keep.

Toothless stepped before Theoden and calmly regarded him.

"This is my best friend. He also goes by Burning-Star," Hiccup explained.

"You are the human Alpha?" Toothless asked.

Theoden looked confused for only a moment.

"Alpha, yes, I am. I am the King of Rohan, this people. I never imagined that I would meet a friendly dragon."

Toothless purred and nodded.

"I would once have thought the same about humans."

Then Toothless stepped back as Hiccup gestured toward Flame-In-The-Night. The Alpha looked far more uncertain and remained warily staring at Theoden. His reluctance to move was probably also because he was comforting his wounded packmate and his daughter.

"This is Flame-In-The-Night. He is one of the Alphas for the pack along with his mate. That one there is his daughter, Snowflame, who was the last to be hurt. The other one is named Starlight," Hiccup explained with a gesture to each of them.

Theoden remained staring toward the three dragons, two of whom were laying on the ground.

"Are they well?" Theoden eventually asked.

"They will live!" Flame-In-The-Night hissed.

"I am glad to hear it."

"We have not known good humans before!" Flame-In-The-Night growled back, his eyes narrowed.

"No?"

"They hunted us and drove us from our dens and worse..."

Flame-In-The-Night growled again and glanced at Theoden's sword. Theoden noticed and froze for several seconds. The King slowly drew his sword and placed it on the ground, and then he defenselessly strode toward Flame-In-The-Night, eventually stopping only a couple feet from him.

"There are indeed stories of cruel dragons in these lands. Stories of dragons that have burned cities and killed innocent peoples. But not you and your kind. Whatever happens next, I will not forget that you and your kin flew to our aid when you did not need to. Your arrival was as a flame in our night of despair," Theoden whispered with a slight bow.

Flame-In-The-Night looked completely shocked and didn't know what to say to that.

Theoden then spun around, retrieved his sword, and set out for the battlements to resume command.

Hiccup stood at Toothless's shoulder and watched the King's departure. Flame-In-The-Night still stared after Theoden in evident surprise.

_Alright, that is one potentially bad introduction over with!_

"That went well. Shall we fly?" Hiccup then asked.

Toothless hopped forward and crouched in front of the Keep's entrance a second later. They took to the sky and spiraled higher into the night without hesitation.

Curious about what had happened earlier, Hiccup carefully looked out at the Uruk army. There were a pair of smoking craters around a pile of metal and burning wooden wreckage, likely the remains of whatever arrow- and bolt-shooting machines the Uruks had brought with them.

"How many shots do you have?"

"Maybe two or three more!"

"Alright, let's save them!"

"For what?"

"Just in case!"

* * *

A stalemate ensued as the night dragged on. The front gate could not be breached because a Fury was always ready to dive from the heights and send the attacking Uruks flying from the causeway with a single explosive shot. The Furies had, for the most part, switched out from the first round of fighters so that everyone now above the Keep was able to fight well.

There were too many fallen Uruks in the Deep's courtyard, and archers on the ramparts for the attackers to be able to advance. The Uruk army revealed no remaining new strategies, weapons, or tricks. They had nothing except the same stubborn attack which was completely ineffective.

All of this passed through Hiccup's thoughts as he and Toothless perched high up on the Keep's needle-like tower so they could oversee the entire battlefield. The light had been slowly growing brighter despite the thick cloudcover that remained overhead. Dawn was approaching with a warm breeze.

A ray of light struck them from the east above the valley.

"The sun is rising," Toothless purred.

They blinked and recoiled in surprise when they saw a mass of creatures up on the far distant slope.

"Is that what I think it is?" Hiccup exclaimed.

"That is a very big pack!"

"Not only horses, bud! Those are horses and riders! The rest of Rohan arrived!"

"And they will join the fight!"

"Yes! We should tell Theoden!"

Toothless unwound his tail from the structure and then glided down from the spire. He touched down in the courtyard.

"King Theoden! They are here, your other men!" Hiccup cried.

"Where?" the King approached from the edge of the wall.

"The eastern slope!"

Everyone on the wall gazed to the east and beheld a flash of white at the top of the slope. There were many smaller shapes around the white shape.

"The White Rider... he found Eomer..." Theoden whispered.

_White Rider? Eomer? Who are they?_

Hiccup and Toothless, his wings spread wide in display, perched on the battlements and stared out toward the remaining army of Uruks. There had to be easily several thousand still out there in the valley between Helm's Deep and the distant forest. The Uruks were all moving away from the Keep toward the distant slope.

They both hopped back down to the King's side.

Theoden slowly drew his sword. His fingers wrapped around the pommel as he lifted the blade. The light from the torches reflected off the pure steel.

"He was right. I do remember my old strength. Bring the horses and bridle them! Unbar the gate and sound the horn!"

"My Lord?" confused cries went through all at the gate.

Theoden pointed the sword out at the army and raised his voice with a clear cry.

"Our kinsmen ride to us! I will not sit here like an old badger in a trap! Bring the horses!"

A joyous cry went through all the warriors as most of the men departed from the gate to bring forth the horses gathered within the stables inside the mountain. Dozens of war-horses were led forth out of the Keep into the courtyard where they were mounted. The wounded Furies had been moved aside so that they were out of the way and unlikely to frighten the horses.

Legolas, Aragorn, and Haldir emerged as well on horses of their own. That the Hobbits were not with them made perfect sense.

_Where are Gimli and Boromir?_

Hiccup was again certain that he had missed something, but he had neglected to ask for many details during the battle.

Theoden sat on a very white horse at the head of the procession. The horse had no bit or bridle.

"What are they doing?" Toothless asked.

"They are riding to join the rest of their... pack in battle."

The distant flood of horses and riders began flowing and thundering down the slope at the eastern slope of the valley. There were so many that the ground itself trembled from afar.

Theoden's white horse whinnied loudly and kicked wildly, fighting with the sky. The King clutched his sword, and men of Rohan lifted spears and swords.

"Fell deeds awake! Now for wrath, now for ruin, and the red dawn!"

The battered front gate was flung open.

"Forth Eorlingas!"

A deep horn, the drone of which shook the ground just like the distant thunder of hooves, boomed out from the Keep as the charge began. Dozens upon dozens of mounted horses streamed out along the empty path. The banner of Rohan flowed high in the morning breeze.

_Hmm, Vikings would approve. Actually..._

"What do you say we give them some cover?" Hiccup proposed.

Toothless snarled and leaned off the wall, beating his flight ahead and following the charge down below. He roared aloud in challenge and defiance.

His roar was echoed by a chorus of other voices from above.

A couple pawful of his packmates dove from the hidden ledge which was already covered in dawn's light, slowly moving lower down the cliffside. Their dives pained the sky itself, for it shrieked at their passing. The diving Furies' maws were aglow with death.

And the first of the sunlight finally crept over the distant flood of horses charging downhill led by an intense white glow.

The Uruks facing the dawn were blinded and swept into chaos, spears and pikes wavering, as the charge met them.

The Uruks facing the Deep, pikes extended to greet the charging cavalry, were struck with a rain of explosive shots that shattered the lines before the horses met them.

All the host of Rohan was taken by a fey mood, for they sang as they slew, heedless and unworried of the shadows and wings darting over their heads.

The Furies filled the sky with roars louder than the din of battle, and they rained fire into the center of the Uruk horde, far away from any Rohan riders.

The Uruk army, being driven and hounded all along the valley, turned to flee in retreat toward the thick line of trees.

Then a voice carried even above the chaos of battle.

"Keep away from the trees! Stay out of the forest!"

Hiccup and Toothless started in surprise and joy at that voice filled with power and command. It was a voice they both knew dearly.

"Gandalf!" "He is the White Rider!"

They watched as the White Rider, whom they now knew was Gandalf and who was appropriately named for he rode a snow-white horse, rode in front of all others while crying out to prevent them from advancing. The white staff the bearded man carried with him was another sign of who it likely was.

No one was moving near the trees. Everyone, rider and horse, was afraid of the forest.

_What are they afraid of? Gandalf knows what he is doing, but it's not like trees can attack anything..._

Then the trees started swaying wildly and moving on their own. Uruk howls and cries sounded from within the forest.

_Okay, I give up! What do I know?_

"Are even the trees fighting for us?" Hiccup gasped.

Toothless grumbled as he stared ahead in amazement.

"True, Middle-earth is very strange!" he agreed and huffed.

They glanced down and saw four figures on horseback at the head of the massive Rohan army. One was Theoden, another was Gandalf, one was the Elf Haldir, and the other was some unknown Rohan leader who was embracing the King. Then all four of them looked up toward the circling Furies.

Theoden lifted his sword arm high and raised his voice in a cry that was repeated in a chant all down the line.

"Victory!" "Victory!" "We have victory!"

"We don't want them to forget us, do we?" Hiccup chuckled.

"Never!"

Toothless roared with joy, and all the Furies circling above him added their triumphant voices.

The vale rang with echoed songs to welcome the red dawn.


	40. Many Meetings

Many Meetings

* * *

The raids on Berk had always resulted in a lot of work to do afterwards. Supplies had to be recovered, burned homes needed to be rebuilt, the wounded needed to be tended to, and the grieved had to be comforted. He had helped as much as possible, even though not many people trusted him to not make the situation worse.

There was a lot of work to do after the battle of Helm's Deep, and it all started almost as soon as the cheering of victory ended. The united men of Rohan and the Elves of Lorien worked together to clear muddy paths through the slain Uruks and to make encampments in the valley.

Hiccup had shivered the first few times he passed a fallen Uruk, usually in a pool of black blood. They were definitely not humans. Not even the most hideous burn victims back on Berk could compare to how terrible these creatures looked up close with their armor off. However, the initial shock of seeing what Uruks looked like had mostly worn off after the first few encounters.

The armor, shields, weapons, and supplies the Uruk army had brought with it were being removed and stored in a massive pile in the side of the valley. While the Uruks were very foul, their steel was worth keeping and melting down later.

The dead Uruks were being piled in a large mass at the entrance to the valley. He wasn't sure whether the plan was to leave those corpses for the scavengers, burn them, or dig pits for them, but he didn't care about that. Those decisions were for others to take care of.

He had more important matters to oversee.

It had taken a lot of persuading, but the healers of Rohan were convinced, after much reassurance, to include Fury licks in the treatment of the seriously wounded. Toothless, Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, Flame-In-The-Night, and Snowfall volunteered to provide that grisly service. There were not many Rohirrim seriously enough wounded and brave enough that they accepted the treatment, but a couple dozen did allow it.

All of that activity was finished by mid-morning, which let Hiccup and Toothless have a moment to themselves. The other Furies had returned either to the mountains or to the clearing behind the Deeping wall. They were headed in that general direction so Toothless could have a drink of water when they noticed a couple familiar people whom they had not seen in months. Specifically, they saw an Elf and a Dwarf.

"Bud, something is wrong," Hiccup grumbled.

"Where are the Hobbits and the man from Gondor?" Toothless asked.

"Yep. I thought they'd be out here by now. Aragorn and Gandalf are around, but I'm not sure..."

Toothless growled.

"Even though I do not want to be around the Ring, I do want to see the Hobbits again."

"Fair point. You can stay away from Frodo while we find out what's going on."

They strode across the muddy plain toward the two members of the Fellowship, both of whom were arguing with each other.

"Not a fair fight at all! No one gave me a bow!" Gimli objected while waving his gauntlet around.

"As if you would have known what to do with one. You Dwarves are only proficient with the ax anyway. Further, you had the honor of blowing the Horn of Helm Hammerhand," Legolas retorted.

"But you had more kills because no one sent the Uruks to me! Blasted dragons taking all the kills!" Gimli threw down his gauntlet and fumed.

"My forty-two is a perfect number," Legolas answered while affectionately stroking his bow.

Gimli grumbled something in Dwarvish that he probably would not repeat in Common Speech. Then he and Legolas noticed them.

"Hello there!" Hiccup greeted them.

"Masters Haddock and Toothless. An... honor to meet you again," Gimli gruffly answered.

"Is it? You did not approve of me back in Rivendell," Toothless huffed.

Gimli frowned, leaning against his ax. Then he removed his helmet and bent his head, averting his eyes.

"I have heard far more of your deeds from Gandalf and Aragorn. I see that I was too hasty to judge you... good dragon."

"Apology accepted. I met your kin in Erebor," Toothless toothlessly grinned.

Gimli crossed his arms and looked surprised.

"You saw Erebor? Mine King Dain welcomed you there?"

"He did. I had to show them that I am not like Smaug."

"Oh really, how did you do that?"

Toothless smirked.

"I might have damaged a golden floor. There are claw marks in that floor now."

Gimli laughed freely.

"Are there indeed? I shall have to see them when next I am in Erebor. To hear tales told of the good dragon who was once in Erebor and to see those marks myself, I would enjoy that! I would even say that mine kin will treasure those marks for as long as we hold Erebor."

"They are only scratchings in the ground," Toothless chuckled, amused.

"Aye, that they are. But they are proof that a dragon was there in peace with mine kin. I shall need to hear all about this from mine father, Gloin!"

That name struck a chord in Toothless's memory.

_Where did I hear that name before? Bilbo... quest... yes!_

"Your father, Gloin, was one of the Dwarves who took Erebor from Smaug, true?"

"Aye, that he was."

Toothless chuckled as he sat down. This was a very good opportunity to get an answer to something twisted about that story.

"What were they thinking, trying to bury such a big dragon in gold?"

Gimli grumbled and looked exasperated.

"I have asked mine father that question many times. I still have no good answer. There were many parts of that journey which are... most incredible."

"Fair enough."

Toothless then turned to the Elf. Legolas had been silent so far and only had eyes for the starlight pendant hanging from his neck.

Wearing Galadriel's gift after the battle, to help make a good impression for his kind, was his own idea.

"That is a great gift from the Lady of Lorien," Legolas reverently whispered.

"It is. How did you know of that?" Toothless asked.

"Only she could bestow such a gift as the light of Earendil."

"It helps me... not forget what is important. It helps keep me safe from temptation... from gold and other badness," Toothless explained.

"Are the Hobbits around here somewhere?" Hiccup asked.

Gimli and Legolas spared each other a glance before answering. They also made sure that there were no other people listening.

"Keep this to yourselves, but Frodo and Sam went off on their own to finish the mission," Gimli explained.

"Merry and Pippin were taken by Uruks, but the Hobbits are safely hiding in the forest of Fangorn," Legolas added.

"Frodo and Sam are going to... Mordor, alone..." Hiccup gasped in shock.

"Merry and Pippin were taken..." Toothless hissed.

Gimli and Legolas grimly nodded together.

"Yes, the Fellowship broke at Amon Hen. Boromir was slain by the Uruks that took Merry and Pippin. Frodo and Sam snuck away to continue the quest on their own," Legolas explained.

"It was terrible that they parted from us, yes, but it might be for the best. The little folk can move across the lands without being seen," Gimli grumbled.

An important detail in what Legolas had said then struck them.

"You said that Boromir was killed..." Hiccup whispered.

Gimli leaned heavily on his ax.

"Aye, he fell with honor. The mightiest man may be slain with one arrow, and Boromir was pierced by many. We laid him in a boat and sent him over the Falls of Rauros."

Toothless looked away across the field of fallen, mostly Uruks.

"He did not like me in Rivendell," he grumbled.

"Boromir was a stubborn, proud warrior with a good heart, even if he was not perfect and had doubts about the path we took. He always wanted what was best for his people and for the Hobbits. He fell defending Merry and Pippin," Legolas whispered.

Hiccup looked up to the clear sky.

_I wish I had gotten to know him. Seeing him learn to trust Toothless would have been very good. If a true soldier could learn to trust him, anyone could._

"Do you know where Aragorn and Gandalf are?" he then asked.

"The last I saw them they were over in the Deep courtyard with the wounded dragons," Gimli answered.

"Thanks."

They stepped away from the Elf and the Dwarf and then flew up above the sundered wall. Sure enough, they spotted several Furies, a man, and Gandalf inside the courtyard behind the Deeping wall.

Wind-Biter lay with a wing over Starlight's back while young Storm-Chaser lay on her father's other side. Flame-In-The-Night, Snowfall, and little Free-Flight crowded around the sleeping Snowflame. Windripper was also present, surely to help comfort Snowflame, though he was presently drinking from the small stream. All the other Furies were up in the mountains, resting after long flights and the battle through the night. The cubs and fledglings wanted to come down from the mountains to meet the humans, but the consensus among the parents was that there was a time for that later... if it was going to happen.

Aragorn and Gandalf were smoking their pipes and taking council together a short distance from the dragons. Just as he had noticed before, Hiccup thought that Gandalf looked different now. His hair and robes were as white as snow in the sunshine. His bright eyes were as piercing as rays of the sun.

_I don't know. Something is different about him. Not so grey anymore._

"Gandalf!"

"Well met, Masters Haddock and Toothless. I am glad to meet you properly now," Gandalf solemnly answered after blowing a smoke-ring their direction.

"We heard that you fell. What happened?" Toothless asked.

A shadow passed over Gandalf's countenance.

"Do not ask me about the Balrog. It is enough for you to know that I smote his ruin upon a mountainside, and then I died. Gandalf the Grey is no more. I am... Gandalf the White, if you will. My task in Middle-earth was not yet complete, so I was sent back."

Gandalf then waved a hand toward the resting Furies.

"I see that your task was very fruitful. Elrond and I were correct in our guess that your kin were in hiding in the Northern Waste."

Toothless nodded.

"Yes, they were. We also found my sire and dam; they are alive, and I have another brother also!"

Gandalf grinned for the first time either of them had seen him as he was now.

"I am very glad to hear that. Family reunited is one of the consolations after war."

"And about the other Night Furies... I have a question for you," Toothless paused with a wary hum. He was unsure how to ask about what was bothering him. He was also a little afraid of asking about this because he was not sure the answer would be good.

"Speak, good dragon," Gandalf encouraged him.

"We asked them if any of them want gold hoards of their own. They do not know about gold or want hoards. Do you know why not?"

Gandalf put his arms behind his back and began to pace. Then he stroked his long, white beard.

"I already spoke with your leaders, Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall, about that precise question, though I still have questions. On my journeying there was much time for me to think on your situation. I suspect now that you are tempted in a way that they are not; your situation is different from the rest of your kind... for one reason."

Toothless shared a glance with Hiccup. This was something they both wanted to hear.

"Why?" he eagerly asked.

"The Ring. You were closer to it than any of them ever were. You felt its pull as they never did. I suspect that your being near it did more harm to you, Harm the others never felt," Gandalf explained.

Toothless blinked and grumbled while thinking about that explanation. His being around the Ring had been very bad, yes, but part of the Wizard's explanation did not feel like it had lift.

"But they can speak like me. They should also have that... bad soul-fire in them, true?"

"Perhaps they do, but it might not have any power over them unless they meet the Enemy himself, as you did through the Ring. The kindling is there in them, so to speak, but it lacks a spark. I do not know for certain," Gandalf mused.

Toothless silently considered all this.

"But that is good. They will be free forever after the Ring is gone!" Hiccup reasoned.

Gandalf grimly nodded.

"That is my hope also. But this also means that their fates are tied to that of the Ring. Sauron's claiming it would be... most unfortunate for them. I fear that they would all fall to him were he to reclaim the Ring."

Toothless then turned away and whined softly.

"It was bad chance that it happened only to me? I... wish the Ring had never been near me... and that none of that had happened..."

Gandalf strode over to him and rested a palm on his head.

"That is understandable. So would any who feel such influence, but fate and that which already happened are not what you should concern yourself with. It is as I told another: all you have to decide is what you will do with the time that is given to you. Another way you can think about this is that it is good no others had to feel what you did."

"I... suppose so."

Gandalf stepped back and leaned on his staff.

"What do you both hope to do now that this battle is won?"

They spared a glance at the resting Furies, both those on the ground with them and those perched high up on the mountainside.

"The pack wants to live in peace with humans. We are not sure how that will happen," Toothless answered.

"What are the people of Rohan like?" Hiccup asked.

Aragorn stepped forward and put away his pipe.

"The Rohirrim are proud and willful, but they are true of heart. Bold, but not cruel. They have no books or letters, but they have wisdom learned in life and they sing many songs. Their life is very tied to the land and their horses, as you can see."

_Hmm, almost like Berk, less the cruelty part there and the horses here._

"They have also been allies of Gondor for many generations after swearing the Oath of Eorl. They can be trusted with any solemn oaths," Aragorn added.

"Good to hear. We will talk about this with Theoden and the pack soon," Hiccup said.

Then he glanced again at Snowflame, and he felt a pang of sympathy for her. It was bad luck that she had been stuck in the fighting and that she had been wounded in so serious a way as getting her wings punctured. But another way of looking at it was that she was lucky to have not died. Plus, he was sure that such wounds could be tended to.

"Do either of you know someone who can help Snowflame?"

"Is she not healing?" Aragorn asked, visibly worried for her.

"It's her wings. Not sure if you saw before, but they were pierced by arrows. We should help her with those injuries. I don't want her to be... grounded."

Aragorn frowned after glancing at Toothless's folded wings.

"That should not be too difficult. Anyone with skill at the needle could sew closed such wounds. Eowyn might be the best for doing so."

"Eowyn?"

"She is a shieldmaiden of Rohan and niece to the King. I could try to stitch Snowflame's wings, but the entire Fellowship here, King Theoden, and his advisers will venture to Isengard shortly. I am to go with them."

Toothless blinked and growled.

"That is where the bad Wizard is, yes? Why would you go there?"

Gandalf answered.

"Yes, that is Saruman's realm, or it was. I suspect that the fires of Isengard may have awoken something in the Fangorn forest; something that Saruman forgot about because he stopped caring for growing things and all life that was beneath him."

Hiccup shivered at the memory of seeing trees moving on their own. The strange forest that had appeared and into which the Uruk army had fled had itself vanished, though how he was not sure. There was no remaining sign of any of the Uruks that had fled into it.

"So you all are going to Isengard to meet Saruman?" he clarified.

"To meet with him, possibly offer him mercy, and see what information he can share with us. I suspect that he has lost much of his strength already. A mere falling of pebbles sparked an avalanche that fell upon him," Gandalf cryptically mused.

Hiccup rolled his eyes.

_Still speaks in riddles. Typical wizard._

Motion got their attention. Well over a hundred Lorien Elves in full battle-attire had packed up their supplies and were beginning to march in formation out of the valley while bearing their wounded and their banners. Those too wounded to travel were to remain in the encampment at Helm's Deep for the time to heal.

Haldir approached him and Toothless, and the Elf gazed long at the starlight pendant on Toothless's neck. Then the Elf inclined his head.

"I see that my Lady's faith in you both was not misplaced. She told me that a storm of lightning and death would descend from the night upon our foes. I see what she foresaw," Haldir said.

"We are only doing what is right," Toothless hummed.

"No, you and your kind are doing more than that. Fighting for Rohan was a pledge of goodwill between your kind and the free humans of this world. To stand united in alliance against a common foe is a deed that we Elves remember and respect."

"Where are you going now? Back to Lorien?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes, we have wounded to attend to and borders of our own to defend. The Enemy will march on our lands also in the coming days of shadow. The people of the woods will not forget this," Haldir answered.

The Elf held a hand over his breast in some Elven greeting or gesture of respect to them first and then toward Aragorn and Gandalf, both of whom returned the gesture. Haldir then departed to lead his soldiers in the march.

"Gandalf, what did he mean that they have borders of their own to defend? Is Sauron going to attack Lorien also?" Hiccup asked.

"Lorien, the woodland realm in Mirkwood, Erebor in the North, all will fall under Sauron's shadow soon. The board has been set, and the pieces are moving. But fear not for them," Gandalf added, seeing his evident worry, "I believe that the hammerstroke will fall on us the hardest. The battle for Middle-earth is only beginning."

"Great, more pain, love it!"

Gandalf's laugh was like a ray of sunshine in the gloom that hung over the valley.

"I missed that wit and dry humor of yours, Haddock. I would also wager that you have found that purpose of yours now."

"With helping the Furies? Yes. It feels like what I'm meant to do."

Gandalf grimly nodded.

"Then how about we go do what you are meant to do. The King and his advisers are waiting for us."

* * *

_Alright, don't mess this up!_

Hiccup put his hands behind his back and considered the bizarre assembly in the Deep's courtyard beside the flowing stream. What was about to happen was surely something that had never before happened in the history of the world. Or the other world, since apparently there was not only one world. That was confusing.

King Theoden, now out of his armor and wearing normal but still Lordly attire, stepped forward into the slight space between the two sides. Many soldiers and civilians watched from the walls or otherwise from a distance.

Hiccup glanced over at the three Furies sitting beside him. They all looked nervous but also eager to get this underway.

_It's go time!_

"Alphas, this human is King Theoden; he is the Alpha for these humans, as I told you before."

Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall slightly inclined their heads.

"King Theoden, these two dragons are Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall; they are the Alpha pair, the leaders for the pack. As you know, my friend is named Toothless, or Burning-Star to the pack."

Theoden bent his head and then spoke.

"It is my honor to meet you all. May I introduce my commanders: Gamling, Grimbold, Erkenbrand, and Eomer, Marshal of the Mark."

The men were all grizzled, weary and sweaty, and had long golden hair. Their faces were a mix of grim and impassive, probably because of the recent combat they had been through and many years of warfare.

"For coming to our aid, you and the rest of your pack have my thanks and the thanks of all the people of Rohan," Theoden continued.

"We did not think that humans would be so understanding and kind," Snowfall hummed.

"Why not?"

"We were hunted in the world we came from," she answered.

Theoden frowned at that.

"I know not where you are from. Leader to leader, why were you hunted?" he asked.

"There had always been fighting between humans and dragons. He could explain more."

Then she turned to Hiccup and nodded at him, so he continued with the explanation.

"Dragons would raid human villages for food, sheep and cattle, but never for gold or treasure. There was also fighting because dragons are... dangerous, even though that does not make them bad."

Theoden nodded.

"Definitely not. Gandalf is dangerous, but I do not fear his aims. Your flying to our defense saved hundreds of lives. Rohan will never forget that. I will not forget that. Why did the dragons raid humans in your lands? There must be a reason why. Was food lacking in that world?"

Hiccup answered.

"Because dragon Alphas commanded them to and had... powers that could make them obey. The dragons of this pack fled those Alphas to escape that way of life. We want to be free."

"Very good. What do you intend to do now?" Theoden asked.

Hiccup took a deep breath and drew some encouragement from Toothless's deep purr of support.

"The pack flew here to show humans that we are not the monsters you might have thought we are. We hope that we could live in peace with you and your people. What that would look like is what we have to talk about now."

He glanced up to the mountains.

"The pack wants to settle down somewhere together. One option would be for the pack to live up in the mountains. Some of the pack would probably prefer that at first because it is more what they know already. I would suggest that we live more with humans."

"How?" Theoden inquired.

Toothless purred and stepped forward.

"He and I lived in the Shire for over a moon-cycle. The Hobbits gave me a barn-den to live in. I helped work in the fields, and the Hobbits gave me prey, fish and four-legs, to eat."

"It is possible for the Furies to live in peace with you if you both only try. We want to try," Hiccup added.

Theoden crossed his arms on his chest, silently considering all this.

"Would you want that? Would you want to live with us in our cities and throughout Rohan?" Theoden addressed the Alpha pair.

They both swept their ears back and stared at him, softly humming some of their worry.

"That way is very different from the life we have lived. Some of us are not sure how we can trust humans to never turn on us," Flame-In-The-Night calmly said.

Theoden slowly nodded in return.

"Indeed. I understand that. Many of my common folk would be afraid of you because of old stories we have heard. It will be difficult for them to trust that you would never turn on us."

Flame-In-The-Night and Theoden appeared to agree on that understandable reluctance. People on both sides would have difficulties trusting the other at first.

"That is where I would come in. I could work as a peacemaker between you all. I would do things like help kids of both kinds learn to trust each other and be friends, and meet suspicious people and help reassure them," Hiccup offered.

Theoden started pacing.

"That aid, Master Haddock, would be most welcome. It may take time, years even, before that peace and trust can be built strong enough to last on its own."

"You would let it happen though?" Hiccup exclaimed in wonder.

"Certainly I would. Your entire pack, Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall, is welcome in Rohan for as long as I rule and longer, if I have any say."

The two Alphas' eyes went wide in amazement.

"What would you dragons need if you were to live among us?" Theoden continued.

Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall glanced at each other before answering.

"Not much. We would first want a place to be our own where we could rest as a pack," Snowfall answered.

"That is easily met. We do not have large cities in Rohan, but Edoras is one place where many of you could abide. That is where I and my court live with some of my thanes. There are empty homes there and the surrounding lands now because of the fallen. We could give you those homes to be yours after remaking them or even build new ones for you."

"What about food? We dragons need to eat more than humans... do," Flame-In-The-Night winced and hastily added.

Snowfall rolled her eyes and knocked into his shoulder.

Theoden nodded and faintly grinned, appreciating the moment of levity.

"Food should not be an immediate problem. The Eastfold and the Westfold are grasslands in which there are great herds of cattle. I could have a steady supply of them brought. There are also fish in the Snowbourn and other rivers, and wild game throughout the hills and mountains. If there were still shortages after all that, we could speak then on what to do."

That detail about availability of food was one which Hiccup was more concerned about in secret. Dragons needed to eat more than humans needed to eat, and a pack of over twenty dragons would need a lot of food. Adults needed less or got less than growing fledglings, cubs, or pregnant mothers, but even the adults still needed to be satisfied. Rohan was not around any great waters like an ocean, so there was no ever-present supply of fish.

_We'll figure it out if there's a problem._

"What about the four-leg horses?" Flame-In-The-Night asked.

"What about them?" Theoden warily asked.

"Are they food?"

Hiccup knew that it was a fair question, but it still made the men of Rohan wary for understandable reasons.

"No. We do not hunt them, nor are they truly our pets to keep in the same way that hounds are. I would not have horses become food."

"What about the dead ones here?" Flame-In-The-Night then added.

Theoden looked pained at that reminder of the dozens of horses that had fallen to Uruk pikes. The fallen horses were being piled apart from the Uruks.

"True, there are many of them, and it would take too long to dig proper graves for them."

Hiccup watched as Theoden paced for a while in thought.

_It would be practical to let them eat the dead horses._

"I suppose," Theoden continued, "that you and your pack could take the fallen horses, with the understanding that they are not to be food in the future. It is better that they serve a better purpose in death than only to feed the wolves and scavengers."

Both Alphas dipped their heads in respect.

"Where is the nest where we would live?" Snowfall then asked.

"Edoras is along the mountains to the southeast. It is a walled city on a hill in the plain but near the mountains. Most of the people live in small villages throughout Rohan or have no one place they live, but my court and several hundred others live in Edoras."

Theoden paused.

"I must ask this also. What would you dragons be willing to do among us? Everyone has a role and works for the good of all."

"If I may, King Theoden," Hiccup spoke up, "they could help to work the fields like Burning-Star did in the Shire, herd and protect the cattle, and also help protect everyone from Orcs, Uruks, or any other dangers. They could watch the borders and warn you if they see anything."

"Would you be agreeable to all of that?" Theoden nodded and then asked the Alphas.

Flame-In-The-Night grumbled.

"We must know this first. You are the Alpha for your pack of humans. Would you expect us to bend our wings to you as our new Alpha?"

"No. Not in any human affairs. So will I not presume to have any power over your affairs unless the peace is not sustainable, which I do not think will be a problem."

Snowfall spoke up.

"You humans have four-leg-horses you use to carry you. We will not do that or be your mounts."

"Of course not. You are not beasts of burden," Theoden agreed.

The Alphas stepped aside and whispered to each other as they deliberated. Then they returned after a brief discussion.

"We see no bad in those flights. We must talk to the pack first because of how much change this would be for us," Snowfall said.

"We wonder this also," Flame-In-The-Night asked, "where is your mate? Do you humans not have an Alpha pair like we do?"

"My... wife died long ago," Theoden softly answered.

"And you never took another?" Snowfall added.

"I wanted no other."

A solemn but also surprised glance passed between the Alphas.

"We are much the same. We find one we want for life. We usually want no other after such a loss," Flame-In-The-Night said.

"We will return and tell you what the pack wants to do," Snowfall added.

They then flew off toward the high cliffs where most of the pack waited.

Toothless stepped over to Hiccup's side. They both stared off toward the cliffs while wondering about what was going to happen.

"Now what?" Toothless asked.

"Now we wait..."

"I will get some water then."

Hiccup took the opportunity to see to Starlight and Snowflame while the Alphas were gone. Wind-Biter, Storm-Chaser, and Wind-Ripper were up among the rest of the pack so they could be out of the way during these negotiations. The two wounded Furies were both awake and lapping at the stream that flowed down the mountain behind the Deep.

"Starlight? Snowflame?"

They lifted their heads from the water and purred softly to him.

"How are your hurts?" Toothless asked.

"Better," Starlight huffed.

"My belly hurt does not hurt much now," Snowflame moaned.

Hiccup went straight over to her, realizing that it was not truly that wound which was troubling her. While that was definitely the more painful of the wounds, it was the less life-changing one.

"We are going to help your wings heal," he declared.

"You can do that? How?" she blinked.

"Someone will sew the wing-skin together so that it heals well. You will see. Do wing-cuts heal well on their own?"

"Some can. I remember other dragons whose wings had hurt-marks that had healed," Starlight answered.

_That's a relief._

"See, it will happen. I also wanted to let you both know that the pack might be going somewhere else soon. Starlight, do you think you can fly?"

"Yes, I can. This side-hurt does not stop flight."

"Snowflame, you might need to walk."

"If I must," Snowflame groaned.

Her faint croon and backswept ears pierced his heart, so he took her head in his hands and rested his forehead on her muzzle.

"You will fly again. I promise."

She hummed softly and slowly pulled back from him only to lick him across the face.

Under the circumstances, he did not feel at all like teasing her. Instead, he only smiled.

She smiled a toothless smile in return.

"You've been practicing that, huh?"

"Yes, it feels good doing that," she purred.

* * *

Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall flew back and touched down in the courtyard. They had not been gone for even five minutes.

Snowfall bounded over to her daughter and started nuzzling her. Flame-In-The-Night strode straight up to Theoden who also turned to meet him. The Fury then sat down and curled his tail around to his front paws.

Hiccup, Toothless, Gandalf, Aragorn, and Theoden's advisers also approached; all of them knew the significance of the coming moment.

"What is the pack's decision?" Theoden asked.

Flame-In-The-Night stared evenly at the King before answering.

"We told them of the offer to live in peace with your pack-nest. We could get new dens and food, and we will help work and protect; two pack-nests living freely together. No forced carrying or bonding. We told them what you have done for my daughter and for Starlight."

"And?"

"We will fly this flight of peace and life together," Flame-In-The-Night answered.

Hiccup closed his eyes and exhaled while leaning against Toothless's side. Some weight he had carried around inside, a fear that his mission might be impossible, fell away. He wiped away a tear from his cheek.

_It's really happening! It worked!_

"Hiccup, are you..." Toothless whispered.

"Yeah, I'm good... and happy..." Hiccup softly answered as he rubbed circles on Toothless's neck.

"Me also."

Theoden then stepped back and nodded.

"So be it. I will leave with my advisers to meet with the... Alpha who sent the army to attack us. In a couple days, most of my people and soldiers will go to Edoras and their homes throughout the lands. Would your pack fly above my people to help keep them safe?"

"Yes, we can do that. All in the pack are tired and will rest much today," Flame-In-The-Night nodded.

Toothless snorted softly to himself at this first time the Alpha used human signals.

_Hiccup must be... rubbing his ways off on him. He does that much._

"You have my thanks for that protection," Theoden said.

Theoden then beckoned Eomer forward.

"Eomer, would you please find your sister and bring her hence?"

"Yes, my King," Eomer departed.

Flame-In-The-Night meandered over to Snowfall and Snowflame, and then Theoden departed with the rest of his advisers, concluding the negotiations.

"Now what?" Toothless asked.

"Now, we just help out here until everyone is ready to leave."

They were discussing what to do next when several sets of wings appeared in the sky a few moments later. Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, and Breath-Of-Sky swooped in, landed, and bounded up to them.

"Hiccup! We are flying to more humans!" Breath-Of-Sky shouted, tail swaying wildly.

"No way!" Hiccup shouted back.

"Yes way!"

Gandalf's clear laugh drew all their gazes.

"And who would these fine dragons be?" the Wizard grinned.

Hiccup was struck by how Gandalf had been silent until this point in the entire meeting. He had been there but said nothing at all. It was as if the Wizard's role was to guide others to lead and act, rather than being the center of attention himself.

"These are Toothless's parents and younger brother. His father, Far-Flight; mother, Sky-Dancer; and brother, Breath-Of-Sky," Hiccup indicated each by name.

"Who is this white face-fur human?" Sky-Dancer asked, her head tilted in surprise.

"He is Gandalf, a Wizard. He has some... powers that other humans do not have," Toothless explained.

"Powers?" she wondered.

"The first time that I met him he blocked a fireball I shot at him."

"What!" "What!" they both exclaimed.

"Yes," Gandalf grinned at Toothless, "our first meeting was certainly a memorable one."

"You struck first!" Toothless pouted.

"To protect Hiccup from you..."

"Says the Wizard with the power-stick. That is a new one though," Toothless blinked, noticing that Gandalf's staff was a different one.

"Yes, I lost the other one when I... fell."

"Fell? Did someone help you up?" Breath-Of-Sky warbled as he bounded forward and then sat down on his haunches.

"Indeed, dear one, but I needed a new... walking stick."

"The stick walks?"

"When I am walking with it, yes. And you are Toothless's younger brother?"

Breath-Of-Sky eagerly nodded with a toothless smile as Gandalf gently scratched under his chin.

"Yes! I am Breath-Of-Sky!"

Gandalf smiled widely.

"So you are. I am already well-acquainted with good beings that go on the winds..."

Hiccup watched with a distinct warmth in his heart as Gandalf and then Aragorn greeted Toothless's entire family.

_Can't wait for the Hobbits to meet them also... wonder when we'll see them again._

Then Flame-In-The-Night called to Sky-Dancer, and she bounded over to him. They started talking on their own a short distance away.

Almost at the same time, Eomer returned leading a women clad in white robes at his side. Her glance was grave and thoughtful, and her long hair flowed down her back as a river of gold. She was slender and tall, but she also appeared strong and stern.

They were also brother and sister from their similar appearances.

"My Lord," she formally, stiffly bowed.

"Eowyn, sister-daughter," Theoden stepped over to her and gently lifted her chin, "do not fret so. There is no dishonor in your charge."

"How often have I heard of my duty, my Lord? Am I a shieldmaiden or a dry-nurse to tend the wounded always?"

"Deeds done unpraised are no less noble. Both war and healing are done to save life."

Hiccup thought that there was a cold or a distance in her eyes, though she remained respectful.

"Is that it? I am a woman, and therefore my place is to mind the house and the sick while the men ride to war and glory?"

Theoden took her slender hands in his own and kissed them.

"Dearest, do not think there is more glory and honor in war than there truly is. You have not heard the screams and been in bloodshed over long, wearying battle. War is the great and terrible province of men, Eowyn."

"For those women who cannot fight, yes, let them stay behind and be protected by others who fight for them. But will you not let me ride with you to honor? I am weary of hiding in the hills so. You know that I can wield a blade as well as any man," Eowyn protested.

There was a firmness in her voice and strength in her bearing that reminded Hiccup of someone else he knew.

_They are kind of similar. Both are shieldmaidens eager to fight and prove themselves. I definitely don't see Astrid being content to stay in the house either. She'd definitely have knocked me out if I even suggested it._

Despite their similarities, Eowyn was much older than Astrid. While Astrid was his own age, Eowyn was probably in her mid-thirties and had certainly seen far more from life.

"There may yet come a time when you do great deeds in battle. I pray that you never need to though. I have a task for you."

"What would my Lord have me do?" she whispered.

"I would have you lead everyone back to Edoras, and rule in my stead as Queen regent until my return. Please work with Master Haddock here in anything involving the dragons. They will be... moving in with us, so it appears."

If Eowyn was surprised, she hid it well as she politely nodded at Hiccup.

"It will be done, my Lord," she then addressed Theoden.

Aragorn then came forward before her. She oddly averted her eyes briefly.

"Lady Eowyn, you doubt your skill as a healer, but you have a chance to ply your craft. One of the dragons fighting for us was felled. Snowflame's wings were pierced by many arrows. I would tend to her wings myself, except that I am to go with the King to Isengard. Could you tend to her?"

She did not look at all afraid, though she was visibly surprised.

"I will do what I can. Please take me to... her," Eowyn answered.

Aragorn led her away toward the resting dragons.

Sky-Dancer stepped away from Flame-In-The-Night and returned to them.

"My mate, sons, Hiccup, I will be flying from here for several days."

Far-Flight rubbed against her neck with a deep purr.

"Where are you flying, my dear mate?"

"To bring Hunts-In-Deep-Waters and Lightning to where we are flying as a pack. I can fly the fastest of us all, so I should do this."

"Do you know where the place is?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes," she nodded, "down the mountains from here and some toward the rising sun. A large nest on the plain near the mountains."

"Yep, that's it. I'm sure you can't miss it."

Toothless and Breath-Of-Sky then took turns nuzzling her nose. Finally, Hiccup went up to her and threw his arms around her neck. She purred very deeply back to him and patted his back with a paw.

"Fly fast and be safe," he instructed her.

Far-Flight barked in amusement.

"She is the best flier of us all! I should know..."

She purred at Far-Flight and walked past him, brushing her tailfins along his side. Then she leaped for the sky, beat her wide wings, and darted up out of the valley, vanishing over the mountain as she turned for the north.

With her gone, Hiccup turned his attention back to the other Furies over at the stream. Snowflame was holding out a wing so that Eowyn could closely inspect it and the several holes in the wing.

King Theoden came and stood beside him.

"Master Haddock, what do you think?"

"You helped to change the world today, sir."

"Between your assurance, Gandalf's word, Aragorn's testimony, and what I saw in the battle, I do not doubt that these dragons are good at heart. I cannot promise that it will be easy with all my people, though the aid given here and which you have promised will do much to change hearts and minds."

"That's fine, sir. I'm very used to people being stubborn."

Theoden kindly smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Take care, and I will see you in Edoras for the festival."

"What festival, sir?"

"A feast to remember the fallen and celebrate the victory," Theoden explained.

"I look forward to it."

The King and all his retinue left to prepare for their departure. Hiccup then approached Eowyn; she was still inspecting Snowflame's wings, held out for her to see up close.

"Uh, Lady Eowyn?"

"Master Haddock," she answered him.

"How do they look, her wings?"

"They will be easy to patch up. I was about to go and get my needle and thread."

"See Snowflame, what did I tell you?"

Snowflame retracted her wings and purred softly, looking far more cheerful now than she had been earlier in the day.

"Lady Eowyn, do you have a moment to talk on our own?"

She followed him a short distance from Snowflame so that they could speak freely.

"What is it, Master Haddock?"

"Thank you for helping her with her wings. It... means a lot to her."

"I am sure it does. I am only doing as my Lord requests... and as is right."

"Is there anything I can do to help before everyone here leaves for Edoras?" Hiccup asked her.

"We will leave in two days, after the slain have been buried and all others have had their rest. I know to have some of the fallen horses set aside for the dragons. Could any of the dragons help with digging graves for our dead?"

He winced at the thought, though he saw the sense in her suggestion.

"I suppose we could help with that. It might be best if the dragons only help with the digging and not anything else."

"Of course. We will handle actually laying our dead to rest."

"Good. Oh, and for what it's worth, I understand your wanting to fight. The women where I am from fight alongside the men."

She smiled at that.

"It must be a great and honorable place where warriors are held in high esteem," she said.

"Well, there is certainly a lot of fighting there. Everyone fights because they must."

"Who are the enemies?"

He groaned and looked away from her, his gaze eventually settling on something else in the inner-courtyard.

"Dragons... not like these ones though!"

She crossed her arms on her chest.

"Pardon me, Master Haddock, but you must appreciate how strange this still is to us. All the tales we heard of are of monstrous dragons."

"Yeah, I hear that one a lot."

"Did you know that one of Rohan's greatest heirlooms, the Horn of the Mark, was taken from the hoard of Scatha the Worm."

"Worm?"

"A flightless dragon," she explained.

He crossed his arms and grinned.

"Do you want to see proof that dragons, these ones with us anyway, are not monsters?"

"What proof might that be?"

"That," he gestured over her shoulder down the slope, and they both looked.

Toothless and Breath-Of-Sky had each other's tails in their mouths. Far-Flight was sitting upright, his ears lifted high while watching his sons at play.

Eowyn faintly grinned.

"Yes, that will do it. If you please, Master Haddock, would you stay here with Snowflame? I will be right back with the needle and thread."

"Sure."

Hiccup went to stand with Snowflame while Eowyn left to retrieve her supplies.

"Where is she going?" Snowflame asked.

"She needs to get some things to help her fix your wings when she gets back. It might hurt a little, but your wings will heal."

"How long will that take?" she warbled, resting her head on her forepaws.

"I'm not sure. It will probably be a while, a few... moon-cycles, before they are strong enough that you can fly."

"I can wait. Windripper will not be happy about this..."

"Oh really? Why is that? Wait... do I want to know?"

"Why would you ask if you do not want to know?"

"Eh, fair point. Let's just leave it at that."

She huffed.

"Fine. I will let Eowyn fly with me if I do fly again. She feels like a good human."

Hiccup grinned at the thought.

_Who will be the first person from Rohan to go flying? Guess I'll find out someday. At least they will already know everything about saddles, if the Furies don't mind wearing those of course._

Standing there with Snowflame, watching Toothless and Breath-Of-Sky playing with abandon, and seeing several other Furies calmly gliding high above while none of the men and women nearby looked afraid made everything, all the cold, hunger, and silence on the long flight into the north and even the minor and serious wounds Snowflame and Starlight had recently suffered, feel worthwhile.

Still, the promise of peace and something approaching normalcy was very appealing after all the drama and uncertainty of the past few months.


	41. Golden Plains

Golden Plains

* * *

Hiccup walked at Snowflame's side to keep her company while her parents and Windripper were away. He was glad to see that the stitches Eowyn had given her were holding nicely after a couple days of slow marching. Her parents also gave her wings frequent lickings. It was unclear if that attention would help the wings heal faster, but it certainly couldn't hurt. Best of all so far was that walking no longer greatly pained her. The puncture in her belly was just starting to scab over and no longer hurt her except when she lay down.

Starlight spun through the sky high above, followed closely behind by Wind-Biter and young Storm-Chaser. Starlight's recovery was also a swift one, though he still said he felt weak and wobbled slightly in flight and whenever he was on the ground. His injury had been the far lesser of the two, even though he would have bandages for a few more weeks. Starlight had let him strap the bandages to his side and tie them down with rope. It had taken some explaining to help him understand why that was necessary, but Starlight agreed to it in the end.

Hiccup paused with Snowflame atop a small ridge, since she wanted to rest for a while.

The warm wind from the southeast blew into his face as he beheld Rohan in all its glory. Golden plains, short shrubs, small hills, and valleys with streams stretched out as far as the eye could see. Far behind him lay the snowcapped White Mountains.

_It figures that a people who call themselves the horse lords would live here..._

But what amazed him the most, far more than the beautiful landscape, was the people of Rohan. Hundreds of them were marching together down a trodden path. They carried very little with them in the way of possessions, but everyone was still contributing. Men, women, and children were all carrying supplies. Horses were pulling wagons loaded with armor, weapons, and those wounded but still able to be moved. Mounted soldiers rode on the perimeter of the convey to help keep watch.

There were many ways in which this people reminded him of Vikings and of home. Everyone looked rather simple and rugged, and the people had proven themselves competent in combat. However, the Rohirrim, as they called themselves, had no bloodthirst or great desire for war and glory. They were entirely capable of war when needed, but their lives did not revolve around bloodshed or glorious death.

All of which was very encouraging and bode well for what he hoped might happen.

He then returned to Snowflame's side.

"Snowflame, what do you think of these ranges?"

Her ears lifted, and she purred.

"This is warmer than where we were."

"That's not saying much," he chuckled.

"True. The grass tickles my belly and tailfins."

He laughed.

"Bet it does. What about the humans?"

"They are good, but I do not know them... other than Eowyn."

He had been watching the Fury-human interactions so far on the journey; there were a lot of encouraging signs, which mostly meant there had been no violence or open hostility yet.

The cubs and fledglings were doing their part to change hearts and minds just by being themselves. Tumbling over each other in play and chasing each other's tails surely helped a lot. Toothless and Breath-Of-Sky had been especially eager to meet as many of the humans who were willing to meet them.

There was still healthy skepticism though, and he could not fault anyone for that. Night Furies were, after all, fire-breathing dragons with sharp teeth, claws, and a very protective streak. Human parents always held their children close whenever any of the Furies were near, and Fury parents always followed closely behind their cubs when down on the ground. The pack slept apart from the people of Rohan when everyone settled down to rest at night, and the pack, for the most part, kept its distance in the sky or on the ground while following the convoy.

There was no true mingling happening yet. But, there had been a lot of questions for him.

"Where did they come from?" "What do they eat?" "Do they abduct maidens?" "What is it like to fly?" "Should I hide the family gold?" "They don't eat horses, do they?"

He knew it was overly optimistic to expect a people with centuries of history living one way of life and having heard certain stories to change overnight. That would never have happened back on Berk anyway.

"Yeah, but we'll get to know them, and they'll get to know us. What do you think of her so far?"

Snowflame paused before answering.

"She is twisted: both warm and kind in her soul-fire, but she is also cold and not happy about... something. She did not talk about that."

He suspected that he knew what was bothering her.

"That makes sense. She's not happy that she isn't allowed to fight."

"Why is she not allowed to fight?"

It was complex issue, for sure. She might want the glory and honor combat brought, she might see herself as having a duty to fight, or she might not like the expectation that she be a healer despite being a shieldmaiden.

"Theoden probably wants her to be kept safe. She's not his daughter. She is his sister's daughter, but he loves her like his own."

"He named her his cub?"

"Yes, he adopted her and her brother Eomer. Their parents died... so I heard."

"That is good of him."

She settled down to rest until her family returned, so he decided to wait there with her until they did.

* * *

Hiccup returned to the convoy after her parents and little brother arrived. He had nothing better to do than just listen in on all the conversations and try to learn what he could about the people. The mood was very jovial, which made sense given that they had just won a major battle with minimal casualties.

He saw plenty of people pointing skyward at the circling Furies or glancing aside to where several packmates were walking apart from the convoy. Closest to him were, unsurprisingly, Toothless, Breath-Of-Sky, and Far-Flight. They were being very helpful in making introductions with those Rohirrim willing to meet with the dragons.

Moonbeam and Mystery flew in from the distance, and they touched down by Far-Flight and his sons. They were all much too far away for him to hear what they were saying, but the two Light Furies looked like they were joining them for a while.

Moonbeam had kept her distance so far, preferring that she and her sister fly out of sight of the Rohirrim. He wasn't sure whether to be frustrated with her for that, or be accepting that it would take time for her to change.

But she had stubbornness issues, and those might never go away without finding out what her problem was. There was probably more than just the pain of her parents' deaths and the burden of being like a mother for Mystery. Something else was behind her bitterness.

* * *

He noticed when about a dozen of the Rohirrim men and their horses split off from the main convoy just ahead of him.

"Let's go, boy..." "Come on, girl..." "Time to go, bud..."

He watched as the riders led their horses and vanished over a ridge. The men returned several minutes later with saddles and bridles in their arms. Their horses were not with them.

_What's going on there?_

Shortly thereafter he saw a small herd of about a dozen horses galloping away together across the plains. He thought he knew what must have happened, but he couldn't know for certain without asking someone.

* * *

He glanced to the side and saw a pair of shapes, one black and one white, loping along together off in the distance, well away from the convoy. It had become clearer what was happening beginning the day after the Fury pack and the people of Rohan left Helm's Deep.

Toothless and Moonbeam were walking together and talking a lot.

He wasn't sure what to think about that. So many times he and Toothless had joked with each other about whether or not they would ever find a... partner for him. That had been only idle teasing back then when they thought that Toothless was the only Night Fury in the world. Now Toothless... finding someone was definitely not just a possibility.

He knew that his own thoughts on the idea had changed a lot after meeting Lightning and speaking with her. His awkwardness at that natural part of life had to come from some aspect of himself. The Furies certainly were not reluctant about embracing all of life, though even they had some ideas and customs about propriety and what was acceptable to do or not do in public.

Toothless and Jumps-At-Fire had not worked out even after they had been... together a lot. There were irreconcilable differences in who they were and what they wanted from life. What would it truly mean if Toothless and Moonbeam became a pair? They would be... together... and try to have cubs eventually, which would definitely be a good thing, but what else would change?

She had given few signs that her thoughts about humans in general had truly changed, and she definitely didn't behave like the kind of dragon who would be interested to live among humans in peace. There were very deep scars in her life. She might be more trusting of him specifically, but not yet of humans as a whole.

He stared off at the distant mountain peaks while walking, lost to his thoughts and the constant sounds of the convoy.

It felt almost wrong in a way for her to fly into Toothless's life like she was doing. Jumps-At-Fire had used him for... fun. Moonbeam probably would be different, but even she would change a lot in Toothless's life. At least Toothless couldn't just fly off and leave him or...

He stumbled over a small rock and winced at the pain in his stubbed toe.

_Ugh, stupid foot..._

Then he realized what he had been thinking and winced, ashamed of himself.

How could he be at all relieved that Toothless couldn't fly on his own? That dependency and limitation was a tragedy for the dear Fury.

Even if Toothless could fly, he wouldn't just leave him or forget about him, would he? They were family.

_Something's wrong... with me..._

He frowned and turned his thoughts away from that. Maybe all the marching was getting to him and leaving him tired. There had not been much food available so far on the march, so hunger probably contributed to his foul mood.

_Hmm, what do they have to eat here?_

* * *

"Master Haddock, are you hungry?" Eowyn kindly asked.

She carried with her a hot pot, wooden bowls, and some wooden spoons.

"A little," he glumly answered.

"Good. I made some stew for everyone. You should have some."

She poured a generous helping of the stew in a bowl and handed it to him along with a wooden spoon. He warily inspected the stew, poking around in it with the spoon.

"What's in it?"

"Not much, just some of the vegetables and dried meat. Please eat!" she gestured at the soup.

A cautious sip of the stew followed, and then he looked up at her. She warily looked back, awaiting his thoughts.

"Do you like it?" she hesitantly asked.

"Yep, much better than the yak stew everyone had back on Berk! The stew at home was almost always tasteless."

She beamed at his praise.

"Really? Lord Aragorn liked it too on the journey to Helm's Deep. I shall have to make more of it for him when he gets back!"

"I'm sure he'd like that a lot," he heartily agreed.

She prepared to continue on down the line when he remembered what he meant to ask someone about.

"Lady Eowyn, I saw some of the riders lead their horses away earlier. The men returned with their riding equipment but no horses. What was going on?"

She shrugged.

"War can leave people with scars. The same is true with horses. Some of them have seen too much of war and need to be let go to live in peace and heal. We respect all the horses of these lands."

She confirmed that they had let their horses go free.

"You just let them go... wild?"

"They need their freedom to be able to come and go as they wish. They also remember the riders whom they carried in the past, and they will usually accept the saddle and bridle again if they care for the rider and were treated well. They have a way of finding those who are known to them."

He idly stirred the soup.

"It must hurt to send them away though. What if you never see them again?"

"Have you ever seen a herd of horses galloping, no, thundering, across the golden plains or grazing in the fields?"

"No. There aren't any horses where I'm from."

"It is glorious. Does it hurt to let a horse go free? Yes, it does some. But we do it for their own good. We even let those who do not bear the scars of war roam on their own to gallop and graze as they wish. They need freedom too, though they always return to us because they want to be with us."

* * *

"What were those fighting twisted-not-humans?" Moonbeam snarled.

Toothless flamed a small bush that had made the mistake of being in his way.

"I heard them named Uruks, but I do not know what they are other than twisted-bad-life," he answered.

"They looked like they wanted to kill much. Not only were they attacking, I also saw some of them feeding on dead humans," she hissed.

"Monsters..." he growled.

She then ran ahead up the slope. It was a steeper slope, so she used her wings to help herself along. He did the same, although he was very pleased that he got to watch her as she ran. Her long tail swayed from side to side, her wide and strong wings stirred up the wind, and her shape was so warming and...

_What am I thinking..._

Being around her was tempting in a good way. He knew that much.

However, he had learned from his mistakes before. That he had desires and wants in his soul-fire did not mean he must act on them. He needed to truly know who she was in her soul-fire before he could... act on his wants with her, assuming that she could want him also. For one, he needed to know that she could warm to humans at least a little.

She perched at the top of the slope and sat down to look over the flock of walking humans. He sat down next to her and watched with her.

A pawful of their packmates danced in the sky, playing tail-tag games or otherwise gliding for warmth in the sunlight. Mystery and Breath-Of-Sky were walking together beside Far-Flight.

"I saw your fighting in the night, you and Hiccup. Your together-flying was good and fast. You also have hot fire," she huffed.

"I know how to fly attack-flights. I flew flights to protect other dragons for many winters before Hiccup happened to me."

"What?" she barked in confusion.

He smugly purred at her surprise; that detail about his past was one that he had not shared with her before.

"Yes, I flew with attack flights and used my fire to destroy rock- and spine-throwing things made by the humans. I was the... flight-leader."

She looked very impressed.

"I did not know that."

He liked that she was impressed, so he continued.

"Hiccup told me that the Night Fury attacks on his human-pack stopped when he was a young cub. That was when my sire and dam were brought to these skies. The attack flights got better for the dragons when I got my fire and joined the attacks."

It was still a twisted part of life. His defending the other dragons was a good thing, but the need to do the fighting was just as bad. That was all in the past.

Thinking about attacks and fire reminded him of the most amazing thing that happened in the fighting at Helm's Deep.

"How did you disappear? I did not know we could do that."

She blinked in surprise, but then she chuffed, probably remembering that there was much he did not know.

"Usually it is the sire and dam who teach how to hide from eyes."

"That did not happen for me. I want you to teach me."

"Why me?"

He flicked his tail against hers and let it rest there.

"Because I want you to show me more of life."

She did not pull her tail away from his, but neither did she return any gesture of warmth or wanting. But he saw in her eyes that she knew what he had done.

"I can tell you what you must do, but there is a problem that will foul the flight. My way of hiding from eyes is different from yours. You must have split-fins on your back, and then you must fill all your thinking with the sky-lightning jumping to you. Being under a storm helps much, but you can make the sky-lightning without clouds. The sky-lightning will hit you and will dance on your hot scales and hide. Then you fade from all other eyes."

"And we see with sound-seeing?"

"Yes," she purred, "that is how we do not foul our unseen flights. We can see each other without using eyes. Our kinds are the same in this. But I cannot teach you the fade."

"Why not?"

She pointed a paw down at the humans.

"You can be hit by the sky-lightning without dying, but I do not think humans can be hit safely."

The problem was immediately clear. He needed to be flying to call the lightning to him, which meant Hiccup would need to be flying with him, which meant that Hiccup would be hit by the lightning also.

That would kill Hiccup.

"Good point. I do not need to fade. I can live life without it," he grumbled.

There was no flying around this problem.

"You can live without the fade, but it is bad for you to not be as strong and dangerous as you could be."

He said nothing to that, preferring to guide her thoughts to something else.

"What do you think of these humans?"

She hissed.

"I do not know them. Flying to help them was... needed... as you and the Alphas explained, but these are still humans."

"Yes, they are humans who do not hate us, who just saw us fight for them, and who will let us live in peace with them in their range. That is good."

"Maybe... I do not trust them yet," she grumbled.

She started walking again, so he followed her. They walked until they stopped together on the peak of another small hill. Then she spun on him.

"You said something twisted to me before, but I do not know what you meant. What is the gold hoarding you told me about?" she asked.

He snarled and stared out over the golden plains. If he did not look closely, he could almost imagine that the ground was a solid floor of gold, just like in Erebor.

Telling her about this weakness was very soul-fire chilling, but it was also another way to show trust and bond with her.

"Something bad happened to me. I was touched by a bad-twisted-soul-fire that gave me... bad thoughts. My thinking is twisted when I see gold, a rock that is yellow and... precious."

"Why do you want a rock?"

"I do not, but I do. It is rotted thinking, and I know that it is rotted. I did not have those twisted wants before we flew to this world. What do you think about that?"

She blinked and looked away from him when he glanced over at her.

"I do not know what to think. You are fighting against part of you?"

"Yes, I am. I want to change and find a way to bite out the rotted thinking or stop it from growing, but I have not found one yet. The rot is still there inside."

She sighed.

"I understand that. Life was hard and hurting after my sire and dam were killed. I had to hunt for myself and Mystery while keeping her hidden and teaching her everything... hunting, words, life-rules. All was much better after I flew to the pack and was accepted by them, but I almost gave up."

"What?" he gasped.

She paused and hung her head before answering him.

"The hunting was very bad once, and I lost much weight. I thought it might be better to not try. I could leave Mystery in a nest of other dragons, and I could... find peace... by never waking up."

"Moonbeam..."

She snarled.

"But I was strong! I saw that rotted thinking and tore it out of my soul-fire. Mystery needed me because I was all she had."

He stepped over to her side and gently nudged her shoulder, though he did nothing more. That act could be one of bonding between packmates only. That she confided something about her past in him was an act of trust by her, and returning that was only fair of him.

"I am warmed that you did. Hiccup was similar for me; he is a reason I could fight the twisted-thinking. Having another who is kin in life helps when fighting rotted thinking," he whispered.

"Yes, it does," she purred.

They said nothing else as they looked around at the golden plains and at the flock of humans.

_She does not think I am twisted because of my hoarding-wants. She knows what it feels like to fight against herself._

* * *

Edoras was very large compared to the village on Berk. The city was built on a rocky hill perhaps a ten minute swift flight from the snowcapped mountains to the southwest. There was a large wooden wall around the base of the city. The lower levels of the city had what looked like thatched houses with straw roofs.

An amazing structure was up at the top of the hill, removed from the couple hundred simple homes.

It was a massive, golden great hall. Banners of leaping horses flowed in the afternoon wind around the hall. The slope below the great hall had large boulders and outcroppings throughout the slope.

A tear streaked down his cheek as he beheld Edoras for the first time in its simple, rugged beauty.

_This is so like home! Could Berk have been like this if they lived in peace?_

"So, Master Haddock, what do you think about it?" Eowyn asked.

"It is amazing, my Lady. This reminds me of where I came from. All the homes there are wooden and have the same design, mostly."

"It was greater once. Rohan and the House of Eorl has been declining for generations."

"Well, there will be dragons here now, so we might be able to help with that."

"How are we going to bring them into Edoras?" she asked.

"Make a list of the homes that are... available, and go from there? I'm not sure what will happen."

They looked up at the circling flock high above.

"Some of them might not want to live near you all. We just have to make them all welcome," he added.

"I will send for some of the cattle to be brought from the Eastemnet. Providing for all of them will be a challenge, but I think we can do it," Eowyn mused.

"Yeah, I have the feeling you all have stubbornness issues. We will help provide for our own needs too," Hiccup agreed.

"Stubbornness issues?"

"You fought against an army that was... how many times bigger than you?"

"True, the first plan was to defend Edoras itself, but we heeded council to take refuge at Helm's Deep."

He frowned, seeing an obvious dissimilarity between the two peoples.

"Actually, my old tribe would probably have stayed here to fight in Edoras. No idea at all of retreat."

She crossed her arms on her chest. Her forearms were surprisingly strong for a lean woman, though her training as a shieldmaiden definitely helped with that.

"There is no lack of honor in giving up ground if doing so helps win a future battle. Not unless it is truly hopeless. Only then is such a defiant death a worthy one," she explained.

"Tell that to my old people. There is a reason why every home back on Berk is new. The old ones all burned down. You think everyone would leave and go somewhere else, but no..."

Eowyn almost smiled.

"They sound like great people, indeed. Very loyal to each other and brave."

Hiccup shrugged.

"They were that for sure. They had other problems though."

"But you were not happy there," she observed.

"If it's not obvious, I'm not a fighter. I wasn't one of them like that. Toothless would have been killed if we stayed there, so we left."

"I see. Did you leave behind family?"

"My father was the Chief, basically the King there."

She started in evident surprise.

"You are a son of a King?"

"Yes, but we didn't get along that well."

"Why not?"

He wasn't sure why this was, but it felt somehow easier to speak to her about such issues. Actually, it was probably because she was in a similar case to what had been his own, being asked or expected to be something she was not by someone she loved as a father.

"Because of what I am. Because I'm not violent, aggressive, or a leader. I was always different, and it took a while for me to see that and accept it."

Eowyn nodded and drew her sword, clearly knowing what to do with it as she held the sword aloft with a palm on the blade. He had not appreciated that she was traveling so armed.

"I am a shieldmaiden, not a simple woman who is content to stay in the house, mind the kitchen, and tend the sick or the children. Someone must do those things, but not I. My place is to do great and honorable deeds in war."

He was again struck by that similarity to someone else he had known and been fond of. Still, she and Astrid were very different in other parts of their temperaments, not to mention their ages. Eowyn was decades older than Astrid or himself.

He spied Toothless bounding toward him from a distance.

"Well, looks like the dragon brother is on his way. Gotta go."

She politely nodded to him as he ran off. He met up with Toothless at the base of the hill, climbed to the top with him, and then joined him in staring up at the city.

"This is the city? It looks very big," Toothless observed.

"Yeah, it is. Almost reminds me of Berk but in a good way."

"True, the dens look like the ones I saw before in that Berk-nest-city."

"But we will not need to sneak around in the night anymore next time I get stuck to the saddle!"

"About that, why did you not just take the saddle off me after our crash?"

"Uh, let's not talk about that one..."

Toothless then crouched down with an expectant purr.

"Fine! We should fly and see this place!"

"You got it!"

They took to the sky and flew toward Edoras proper. The rocky slopes, straw-thatched homes, wells, pastures and barns, buildings that looked like forges, and the great golden hall passed underwing as they circled.

"This is where we will be living now?" Toothless asked.

"Looks like it. At least for those who want to live here."

"Moonbeam said she does not want to live here."

The cool wind blew in their faces as they glided, calmly circling above the city.

"Why not?"

"She is... afraid of being trapped... and does not know if she can trust humans."

He put a hand on Toothless's neck.

"She said the same thing to me before. I don't think she understands that it isn't a trap to live with humans. Yes, it changes life for the better, but..."

Toothless dove for the rocky slope, landed, and perched on a large outcropping. Then they silently stared out over the vista. The rolling grass, golden hills, flat plains, and distant mountains were truly glorious. The wind flowed around the slope and around them.

"What does it meant to be free?" Toothless softly asked.

"No one is making you do something?" Hiccup offered.

"I am not free to fly on my own anymore. No one is making me be grounded now."

Hiccup closed his eyes, wincing at that unintentional reminder of the past.

"Okay, free is that nothing is making you do or not do an action."

Toothless warbled softly and sat down. Hiccup hopped down from his back and stood at his shoulder.

"What if a dragon wanted to attack a human and make it prey, but you could stop the dragon. Would you?" Toothless asked.

"Yeah, of course."

"But you would be making the dragon less free to do what it wanted."

"To stop it from doing something bad."

"You say it is bad, but the dragon might not."  
"What are you saying, bud?"

"I think that free is both having different flights to choose from and being able to choose good. A dragon out there," Toothless snarled toward the north, "that only wants to sit on treasure on its own is not free. It is living in a trap that it made for itself."

"Maybe so."

Toothless nodded and purred toward the distant procession of refugees.

"Living in peace with humans does mean that we dragons should not do things that we would do in the wild. Things like hunting any prey animal we see. But that does not make us less, only different."

"Totally agree."

Toothless then hung his head and sighed.

"I wish Moonbeam could understand that."

They were alone, so it felt like a good time to finally talk about that issue.

"What do you want from her?"

Toothless's ears fell slightly.

"Truly, I am thinking about if she can be my mate, but I fear that she... cannot think well of me because I am grounded on my own."

Hiccup frowned, frustrated with her behavior on Toothless's behalf.

"Then maybe she is not the one for you either. If she cannot accept you for who you are, well, what is her problem? Is this like with Jumps-At-Fire?"

Toothless slowly shook his head.

"I do not think Moonbeam has a problem. Not in this. And I am not going to foul my flight with Moonbeam by being too eager with her."

"That's good to hear. Nice to know my best friend can control himself."

"Of course I can! I learned from that mistake."

Toothless then purred and nudged his shoulder.

"We are among a good human pack now."

"Yeah, we are."

"There will be females your age."

"Probably so, yeah."

Toothless huffed.

"I just wanted to remind you of that!"

"You think I didn't notice?"

Toothless's eyes went wide.

"What is this? Is Hiccup staring at females in secret?"

Hiccup punched Toothless's shoulder.

"No! But... I know they're there..."

"Good."

Neither of them said anything else on that matter.

* * *

The refugees were still streaming into Edoras or past Edoras on their way out to other nearby villages.

The Fury pack was resting on a golden hill well outside the city. A small stream flowed down around the hill, and several of the Furies were refreshing themselves there.

Hiccup and Toothless were led by Eowyn on a walk through Edoras. She showed them to the stables and barns, which could possibly be converted into actual dwellings, and to a group of empty homes. As he suspected, the homes were solid wood and had straw roofs, all of which made them extremely flammable, but that probably wouldn't be an issue.

_Those could maybe work if they had new, bigger doors and more open space inside. Am I missing something here?_

Then she showed them up to the Golden Hall, the Meduseld as she called it. This structure used the most stonework in its construction. Its roof was mainly straw, which gave the Hall its very golden look from afar. It was smaller than the Berk Great Hall on the inside. The walls were covered in tapestries depicting the people of Rohan. There was no great central firepit, but there was a throne at the head of the Hall.

"What do you think, Master Haddock?"

"It's smaller than the Mead Hall back on Berk, but this one feels different."

"How so?"

"It feels... quiet, obviously since no one else is here."

"It has seen greater days. A far worse pall hung over it and my King not long ago. What do you think of this place, Toothless?" Eowyn asked.

Toothless looked around at the hall. He was not sure what to think about such human dens and buildings yet, though he had no complaints about the den the Hobbits gave him or the places he had lived in while among the Elves.

"It is strange for a dragon to be inside these things. But we like caves for dens, so these ones you made might be good for us."

He stepped over to her side and gently nudged her shoulder. She did not blink or recoil.

"That is where Theoden sits as Alpha, yes?"

"It is."

"It looks like a good perch for him."

She looked amused by what he said.

Hiccup shrugged.

"Bud, think we should bring some of the Furies up here and find some... dens for them?"

"Yes, we should. My sire and brother are waiting outside," Toothless agreed.

* * *

Hiccup watched as Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall inspect the stable. It was admittedly one of the nicer and larger ones; the people of Rohan treated their horses very well.

But there was a detail that, while not intended, was almost symbolic in a way he hadn't appreciated until now.

The stables were somewhere that useful beasts of burden were kept.

_It just needs a lot of work. Take out a few of these extra walls. Bring in some rocks for them to flame and lay down on. Put in doors they can open and close on their own. Shouldn't be too hard..._

"What do you think?"

Snowfall stepped back to his side as Snowflame and Free-Flight walked inside. Snowflame immediately lay down and went to sleep while little Free-Flight stood up on his hind legs and started batting at the walls for some reason.

"I do not know what to think about it. None of us ever lived in... dens like this," Snowfall answered.

"And," Flame-In-The-Night added, "we cannot see the rest of the pack. They cannot rest with us."

"That is not good. We are pack dragons," Snowfall explained.

Hiccup started pacing, arms behind his back and his thoughts wandering. The Furies definitely rested and lived as a pack when they were up in the Northern Waste. The pairs and kids would stay together, but all of them would sleep very close together to share warmth and protection.

_Maybe I am not thinking about this the right way. Dragons are not humans. Maybe this putting them in homes and modified stables is treating them too much like the humans._

Then he stopped and rolled his eyes as the obvious solution came to mind. It was amazing that he had not realized it before.

_Gods, I am an idiot..._

"I got it! You all prefer to stay close as a pack and rest together, yes?"

"Yes," Flame-In-The-Night agreed.

He started explaining his idea.

* * *

"You want to do what?" Eowyn asked in surprise.

Her arms were crossed, and she looked very suspicious.

"Yes, my Lady, you heard it correctly. Doing this would be far better than putting them in stables or empty homes that aren't even the right size for them."

"But do you know how much work that would be? We do not have many trees in these plains."

He nodded, walked over to a table, and pulled out his map that Bilbo had given him. He pointed to one place when she stepped over to him.

"The slopes on the White Mountains have plenty of large trees. I remember from flying over them."

"I suppose that might work. Flight..." Eowyn whispered with a dreamy look in her eyes.

_Hmm, it might be a good idea to share this..._

"Can you keep a secret, Eowyn?"

"Certainly."

He lowered his voice.

"You obviously remember Snowflame. She told me that she would like you to fly with her once her wings heal."

Eowyn's eyes went very wide. She was struck dumb for a long time.

"I... is it like riding horseback?" she breathed.

He shrugged.

"I've never ridden a horse before, so I can't compare them. It's also a little different for me and Toothless because he needs me to... help him fly."

"Because of his tail?"

"Yes."

He took a breath and turned his thoughts from that.

"Anyway, it's probably very different since there is no giving the dragon instructions. You are a guest on their back, not their master."

"True, that would be different."

He looked around the Golden Hall again.

"Do you think the people will want to do this for the Furies?"

"The King could order it, and it would be done."

"Yes, but what do the people really say about them? You must have heard people talking about the dragons."

"They have been. Mostly good things from what I have heard. The people know that the dragons fought for them and saved many lives. It will probably take some time before everyone is willing to truly trust. Toothless and his brother are doing a good job right now."

Toothless and Breath-Of-Sky were standing outside at the base of the steps to the Golden Hall while Far-Flight drifted on the winds. The brothers were sitting peacefully, tails swaying, and speaking with some of the braver boys and girls of Edoras. Toothless never missed an opportunity to show off his starlight pendant or his toothless smile.

"Yeah, Breath-Of-Sky is very friendly too. He never knew bad humans or had to fight them. Anyhow, that plan I told you about is best. The Alphas agreed that the pack would like it more than having stables or houses for each family."

"What will you and the pack do in the meantime until Theoden King returns and can discuss this further?"

"They are fine with resting outside together. Probably on the slopes below this Hall but inside the outer wall."

Eowyn gave a gesture, and an attendant answered her with a report which she received.

"Thank you, Leofing, you are dismissed. Master Haddock, the first of the cattle for the dragons should be here by evening tomorrow. We will prepare the meat and provide provisions. I will have you shown where."

"My thanks, Lady Eowyn."

He turned to depart but she cried out again.

"How big do you want the new Hall to be?"

"Well, it will take a lot of work, but I was thinking that the front gates could be... as wide as this Golden Hall and the inside could be twice as high. That sounds big enough. I know it sounds crazy..."

"Very..." she mumbled.

"... but I know how to make things. I can see it right now! Some crossing support beams, strong timber, a high ceiling they can hang from, stone beds to flame, oh, maybe Gimli can lend some masons and Dwarven skills from his people, and..."

"Master Haddock!"

"Yes?" he blinked in surprise.

"Go..." she shooed him away.

He eagerly nodded and ran from the Golden Hall; his mind was too occupied with ideas about this great abode. Now all he needed was some paper to begin making his design.

_Yeah, right over there on the gentle slope! Open space with a good, solid rock foundation._

Joyful bellowing got his attention as soon as he exited the great building. Then he rolled his eyes as soon as he understood what was happening. As usual, it involved Toothless and Breath-Of-Sky, both of whom were rolling on the ground and snapping playfully at each other's tails.

The boys and girls watching them were grinning and laughing while pointing at the play.

_Yeah, that definitely helps. Playing Night Furies makes everything better._

_Who knew that being a peacemaker was so easy? It's almost like I don't even need to do anything myself!_

* * *

"Hiccup, we need your help!" Flame-In-The-Night cried and bounded up to him.

"What is wrong?"

"We do not know human life-ways on this problem. You remember how in the cold range we always flew out over the water to drop our waste and not foul our range."

"Yeah, oh..."

He winced at the obvious practical problem that he really should have thought about before. Taking care of basic needs simply wasn't a concern out in the wild since there was so much free space in which to do what was necessary. There were plenty of times up north with the pack when Toothless has asked him to take him on such a flight out over the water, frustrating though those flights were.

But that had to change now with both kinds trying to live together in peace. Expecting the Furies to just fly out over the plain or outside the city to relieve themselves on the ground would be disrespectful, demeaning, and unsanitary.

Fortunately, there was an easy fix.

"I can ask the humans to dig deep pits outside the city and away from water, you... use the pits... and then cover them with dirt."

Flame-In-The-Night huffed.

"That is a good plan. We can do that and help with digging. I will let the pack know what to do."

"And I'll go tell Eowyn to have some people get to work digging, sooner rather than later."

Flame-In-The-Night flew off, and Hiccup turned for the Golden Hall.

_How much of leadership is managing practical matters like food and... cleanliness? Dad certainly had to worry a lot about... all that, even if Bath Day was not as frequent as it should have been... for some people..._

* * *

It was bittersweet to see a place that was so familiar in shape and purpose. The forge in the Shire was very simple and only useful for sharpening tools, whereas the forges in Rivendell were beautiful and elegant.

This forge was rugged and sturdy.

He walked around the forge while recalling so many things he had done in the past: sharpening swords and axes, hammering out nails and other metal tools, and shaping metal rods to be used in a fin. This had been his life for many winters.

His fingers brushed over the hammers, anvil, chisel, tongs, fuller, slack tub, charcoal, firewood, spare leather, bellows, and the dull, notched weapons sitting in a barrel and waiting to be restored. There were also other things, saddles and other equipment for riding horses, there to be repaired.

"I could definitely get back to this someday."

_Hmm, do they need any help? Maybe I could get apprenticed to someone and..._

"Hey! Who's in there?"

He spun around in surprise and saw that a young woman stood in the entrance to the forge. She was about his height and had golden hair, what was a very common trait among the people of Rohan, tied up in a bun. She had plain brown eyes, strong forearms, and was wearing very rough, worn clothing appropriate for use in a forge.

"Oh, the black rider..." she gasped.

"What! Oh, black rider, yeah, I suppose I am one in a way; it's, funny story, just odd since I knew other Black Riders, but... is that really what they call me?"

"Well, your dragon is black and you ride it, so yes."

He frowned.

"Him. Toothless is not an it."

"Toothless? Ha! I heard that was its... his name, but I didn't believe it," she laughed.

"Yeah, that's him. He also goes by Burning-Star, if you think his first name is so hilarious. What do you think of them?"

"The dragons? They're dangerous, and the little ones are cute, friendly, and playful," she immediately answered.

"Fair, that sums it up. By the way, I am... my name is Hiccup Haddock, son of Stoick the Vast. I'm not so vast."

"Hic...cup?" she mouthed.

"Don't question it. I know it's a stupid tradition my old people followed."

"I wasn't going to mention anything, but I agree with you that your name is stupid," she said.

_What is going on?_

"What is your name?" he rolled his eyes.

"Adney, daughter of Gamling."

"Adney, a pleasure to meet you."

He went to sit down on the edge of a stool, but he missed and fell down with a clang of falling steel as dull swords crashed down around him.

"I'm okay!"

Then he hopped back to his feet and brushed himself off. The ground had a lot of soot on it, and now so did his backside.

"Ugh, that was... a little embarrassing. What, uh, are you doing here?" he asked.

She frowned and crossed her arms, clearly very unimpressed by him.

"I should ask you that. What are you doing in the forge?"

"I used to work in one."

"Did you?"

"Yep, Gobber, the village blacksmith, had me training almost my whole life. Need an ax or sword sharpened? I'll do it! I was hoping that I might be able to get back to blacksmithing eventually. I've a few ideas of some things I need to make."

She rolled her eyes.

"I'll believe it when I see it. Now if you will excuse me, I have work to do."

He blinked in surprise as she ushered him out of the forge. Then she got to work by striking up and feeding a fire, tossing coals and wooden planks into the furnace.

_She is a blacksmith! I didn't know women did that here. It makes sense though if they can also be trained as shieldmaidens._

Seeing that she was busy and didn't want to be, he left to go check on all the Furies. It was tricky to get to them since they were resting on the outcroppings of rocks on the slope below the Golden Hall.

But it looked like all of them were there except for those in Rivendell or flying from there.

_When will they get here? Maybe by tomorrow evening. Lightning might be flying slower now. Gods, I really didn't think about that. She has to be getting very close to being ready._

Flame-In-The-Night hop-flew over to him as he climbed down the steep slope.

"What did she say?" Flame-In-The-Night asked.

_Who? Oh, Eowyn..._

"She is not the Alpha, but I think we can do it. King-Alpha Theoden will return in a few days, and we can talk with him then. I'm sure he won't have a problem with the plan. It might take a while, several months, moon-cycles, before the place is ready for the pack."

Flame-In-The-Night snorted.

"That is fine. We like where we are now. Being a pack together under the stars is what we know."

They both looked out over the plain filled with distant steams and flowing lengths of golden grass. The wind was warm out of the southeast as were the rocks that had bathed in the sun's light all day.

"How is Snowflame?" Hiccup asked.

The Fury purred softly but also sadly.

"Her wings will heal; we are sure of that. But she will stay grounded for over a moon-cycle to be safe until we know her wings are strong and well again."

He stepped up next to Flame-In-The-Night and rested a hand on his neck.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. What do you and the pack think of these humans?"

Flame-In-The-Night looked up at the distant clouds and hummed in thought before answering.

"You and Burning-Star have shown us a world we did not think could be. These humans are a little afraid of us, but they do not attack or show hate. They gave us food, water, and tended our hurts. Their young have wide eyes and talk much to our young. They... are willing to share ranges with us. I... I think it was good to fly here," the Alpha declared and then glided away to his family.

_So do I..._

Hiccup continued on to the pack. Each present pair had claimed one of the larger rocky outcroppings on the slope. Several of the Furies bounded down to greet him with a nuzzle or briefly talk about what they had seen.

Finally, he arrived where Far-Flight, Toothless, and Breath-Of-Sky were curled up.

"You two look tired! Too much playing?" he teased.

Toothless covered his head with his tailfin. Breath-Of-Sky looked over at him from where the young Fury lay on his back, yawned widely, and then went back to sleep.

Far-Flight visibly rolled his eyes and jumped down from the rock.

"They wanted to play much to help make the young humans warmer to them."

"They certainly did that."

"Mystery is also resting with us," Far-Flight added.

There was another, much lighter shape up on the rock and barely hidden behind Toothless.

"Oh, shouldn't she be with Moonbeam?"

"Moonbeam is flying to the mountains."

He remembered the nearest snowcapped mountains in the southwest. There had to be a reason why she was flying out there.

"Why?"

"She wanted to find a place she could roost away from humans," Far-Flight explained.

He gave a weary sigh and sat down on the slope. He wondered whether or not Far-Flight knew how important Moonbeam was becoming to his son.

"She will not stay here with the pack?"

Far-Flight grumbled at that.

"She is looking for other roosts because she fears that this one might not be good. I do not think she would turn her tail on the pack without enough reason. The humans here appear peaceful to us so far."

"Far-Flight, can you keep a secret?" Hiccup whispered.

Far-Flight's ears lifted as followed Hiccup away from where Toothless and Breath-Of-Sky were resting.

"I will," he hummed.

"Burning-Star likes Moonbeam... as a mate, or as someone he wants to be his mate."

Far-Flight purred solemnly.

"Yes, I have seen them walking and talking together. I feel cold for him."

"It's not fair of her to reject him because of his lost tailfin. She..."

The Fury shrugged and tapped his tail against the rock.

"She can decide what is important for her. She wants a mate who is strong, free, and can fly. That is... fair of her. To not have a mate who can provide when she is heavy with a cub would be bad."

A long silence followed only broken by the whistle of the wind. But Hiccup's heart was not peaceful inside.

A tear fell down his cheek as he realized that there was a truth that he had to share. He had kept this truth from Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer for too long, and it was only fair to share this.

"Far-Flight, I need to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"You... know that I... love Burning-Star like a brother... and I would not hurt him."

"Yes."

"But life was... not good before I knew him. Dragons and humans where I lived always fought each other."

"I remember well."

"You and Sky-Dancer helped the other dragons attack my... previous human pack."

Far-Flight's lifted ears fell at that reminder, so Hiccup stepped over to him and took his muzzle in his hands. The Fury looked so much like Toothless, except for having a slightly different shade of green in his eyes, that it looked like he could have been holding Toothless in that moment.

"It was fighting. We all did... what we thought was right."

"I know. My nest-pack killed, gods, probably thousands of dragons, and the dragons killed hundreds of the humans... through the winters. I do not blame you for what happened then. No, this is about Burning-Star," Hiccup whispered.

"What?"

"I shot him down. He lost the tailfin when he fell into a tree... because of me."

Far-Flight blinked and did not look away. His eyes narrowed for an instant and then softened, going wide again, and the Fury gave a deep sigh.

"I thought you did it."

"You... you knew?" Hiccup gasped in surprise.

Far-Flight pulled back slightly, still purring to him.

"Sky-Dancer and I thought you might have downed him, but we were not going to ask."

"How... how did you know?"

"There were things you both said that sounded like you were dodging a fireball or trying to not say something. We guessed from what we heard of your story. Do any others in the pack know?"

"I only told Moonbeam. Burning-Star probably wouldn't have told anyone else."

Far-Flight huffed.

"Good. Let that knowing stay with us. I would not want to scare the cubs or make any others in the pack doubt you."

"And you don't hate me for what I did to him?"

Far-Flight stepped closer to him again.

"Did you really? You, the Hiccup standing before me, hurt my son? No. The Hiccup with me now would not hurt Burning-Star."

Far-Flight poked him in the belly with a paw.

"You said that. You are different now. You are not the human who hurt Burning-Star even if you remember... what happened back then. That human who wanted to prove himself to his old pack is gone."

Far-Flight then rested his chin on Hiccup's shoulder.

"You gave him life when you did not need to. You are like another cub to me, but also not at the same time."

"That's..." Hiccup put an arm around Far-Flight's neck in a hug, "a little strange, but I was thinking about you like a father, in some ways. My real father was..." he fumbled.

"Speak..."

Hiccup frowned and sat down before him.

"It's a mess. He was a good Alpha who did what he thought was right for the pack, and he was very patient with me. He put up with so much from me; mostly my not listening to him and making many mistakes, all because I was trying to be like one of them: a Viking. But I'm not like him. I don't know what could get him or others to change and listen to me. Maybe if I died first for them, that might get them to listen..."

Far-Flight curled his tail around him, much like Toothless frequently did.

"I never thought I could be like my sire. He was big, fast, and understood the enemy, humans, better than any other dragons in that safe world did. That might be why he was the Alpha. Most of the others never saw humans because they never flew out. Or they did know humans and went into that world to be away from them forever."

_Hmm, that sounds strange. So, Toothless's grandfather was the Alpha of that place._

Far-Flight continued.

"I wanted to be a flight-leader and Alpha like him, but I also wanted to find a mate. He and my dam only had one cub, me, and there were no other dark wings where I was in that world. There were light wings like Moonbeam and Mystery, but I wanted a dark wing for a mate."

Hearing about that place, combined with what he saw in the recent battle, helped Hiccup realize an obvious explanation for something that had been mysterious until then.

_No one knew about the Light Furies if they stayed in that safe world and could go invisible._

"I had to choose between staying in the safe hidden world with him and my dam, or flying the nest to look for a mate. I flew and found some pairs of us, some of whom are in the pack now, but it was long before I found an unpaired female."

He purred softly.

"It is good that I found Sky-Dancer, but it was also not good what nest we were both caught in. We flew into a trap."

"The really big dragon with six eyes?"

"Yes, a monster that could twist a dragon's thinking. Looking into its eyes would take their will and soul-fire from them and would make them less free. We followed a flight of other dragons flying with prey catches, and then we saw the Monster. It thralled us, and we had to be a sire and dam in that nest while flying to protect the other dragons."

A pensive pause followed as Far-Flight kept his eyes closed.

"A sire and dam who fly that duty-flight well make their young strong enough to fly on their own, even if that has their young fly a different flight from what the sire and dam would want. One who cannot disagree with parents is still a cub or a fledgling, not an adult with a strong soul-fire. I stopped thinking that I had to put myself in my sire's scales and live his life. Does your sire know why you are gone?"

"Yes. Someone saw me and Burning-Star leaving, and she would have told my father what she saw."

Far-Flight then unwound his tail and stepped aside with a soft purr.

"Then your sire knows that you flew away with a dragon. Even if he thinks that we dragons are monsters, he will know that you did a brave deed and made your own choice in life. He should be proud of you and who you are now."

Why was it so much easier to speak about this with Far-Flight? Maybe it was that Far-Flight accepted him and encouraged him as he was without dismissing him, seeing him as inferior, or trying to mold him into someone else. Rightly or wrongly, it was this precise attention and acceptance that he had felt he lacked with his father.

"I don't know if it is that simple. He might not appreciate peace."

Far-Flight huffed and snorted.

"Do you truly think that? If your sire walked up here and saw us dark wings living in peace with these humans, would he be angry or would he want that peace for his own nest-pack?"

Hiccup remembered an old story his father had told him about some mythical hidden place where dragons, even Night Furies, supposedly came from. His father had spoken fondly of finding that place and sealing it up to end the fighting and bring about peace by forever separating humans and dragons.

He had long thought that story was a fantasy or a wild tale, probably told by sailors who had too much ale or wanted attention. After all, dragons probably lived all over the world, or they would if humans didn't hunt them. Now, it sounded like there might be something to those old tales. As terrible and wrong as that idea of separation definitely was, it was one with the best of intentions. Even all the old nest hunts were always in the hope that the danger could be eliminated forever.

Wasn't there a saying that the path to Helheim was made with good intentions?

"He would want the peace," Hiccup sighed.

Far-Flight chuffed and turned toward the mountains while his tail tapped impatiently at his side.

"You are making that peace live here. Almost all of us feel safer here. I hope Sky-Dancer flies to us soon."

"Yeah, I miss her also."

Far-Flight softly purred.

"Breath-Of-Sky is big enough to help hunt now. He has shown that he can help with providing. Sky-Dancer and I were also waiting until we knew where the pack would be living before we started flying together."

_Flying together? Wait. Wait... oh great... yeah... that._

"Uh, you'll be trying for another cub?"

"Yes, as soon as I see her. We have wanted this for several winters."

Hiccup took a deep breath and tried to not think about what the two would be doing.

"Well, I... hope your... flight goes well."

Far-Flight smugly purred.

"It will. You will be helping Lightning birth her cub, yes?"

"Thank you for reminding me about that. Yes, I need to find some help and learn what I need to know, but I will be helping... with that... yes."

"Good. We will want that help for our future cubs also," Far-Flight nodded.

Hiccup felt dizzy, but he did not fall over.

It was one thing to help any female Fury from the pack with such a request. That was an awkward but practical deed to help protect life by making sure nothing preventable went wrong. It felt very different to do that for Toothless's mother.

_Hiccup Haddock, rider of a Night Fury, self-outcast from his tribe, dragon whisperer, and a midwife. Not sure I'll ever get used to this._

"I'd be... honored to do that. First, I want to learn about what to do."

"You will have a full season-cycle of her carrying the cub. That should be enough time to learn. We should rest now."

They had been talking for a long time, and the sun was falling low over the western mountains. He followed Far-Flight over to the rock the rest of the family was perched on. Toothless was already asleep, so he leaned back against Far-Flight's side while the Fury purred peace to him and covered him with a wing.

The same Fury who had once unknowingly sworn to tear him apart to avenge Toothless's lost tailfin was, now knowing the full truth of what had happened, covering him with a wing as he would a son.

Hiccup gave a weary sigh and closed his eyes as he relaxed and thought about the immediate future.

_Food provisions, a new great hall still to be constructed exclusively for the Fury pack, plans for growing families, and peace._

He really liked Rohan so far. This land felt like a place where he could live for a long time, maybe forever if everything went well.

* * *

_**Author's Note – Hiccup has grand plans which may or might not be practical.  
**_


	42. Settling In

_**Author's Note – To briefly comment on something I mentioned to a reviewer in a PM, the focus of this story is not on certain aspects of the canon LOTR characters' emotional stories. There will be relevant discussions and insights into some of the canon LOTR people and their motivations, but they are not the protagonists of this story. My assumption is that we all know, more or less, the stories of the Fellowship and surrounding characters, so you do not need me to tell you their stories in great detail except when those stories are closely intertwined with this one.**_

_**Thank you to everyone who is keeping up with the story. It is a long one, but you knew you were getting into that.  
**_

* * *

Settling In

* * *

Haerfara looked as wrinkled as Gothi, and she had to be just as old also. That made her an elder, as far as Hiccup was concerned. She wore a plain brown tunic, and had a hunch, long white hair, and very thin arms. She also had wisdom in her eyes, despite being someone who spoke little and had apparently lived a simple life.

She was staring at him in clear surprise after having been given instructions from her Lady Eowyn.

"Young man, you want to learn that?"

Hiccup bit his lips and shuffled in place, not meeting her eyes for a while.

"I'll be honest, elder, it is very strange and awkward, but I need to do this for them. I made them a promise. If I may ask, what do you think of the dragons?"

She shrugged and waved a wrinkled hand at nothing specific.

"The dragons? They fought for us and are peaceful so far. What more do I need to know?"

_Practical. I like it._

"Yeah, they told me that sometimes their women, well, their mothers, can have... problems in birth. I told them that humans have the same problem, but you have people who know about that and... can help. They want me to help with that because they trust me."

"I see. Do you know anything about it?"

"No, I don't."

"And I am to teach you?"

"Yes..."

"The female is not here now."

"True..."

"How long do we have until it is her time?"

"I'm not sure. A few days or weeks."

Haerfara crossed her arms and scowled.

"Fine. I will show you what I can, but I need to be there when it is time. No chance you are doing this alone."

He thought that was very reasonable; he wouldn't want to be alone for that the first time. Hunts-In-Deep-Waters and Lightning certainly wouldn't mind after he vouched for Haerfara. Still, her willingness to help with this was very welcome and surprising.

"Thanks for that. You don't mind helping them out?"

"This is what I know. If they kill me, so what? I've lived a full life."

"Alright, I can convince them it's for the best. And you don't need to worry about that. They're not dangerous... well, not unless they need to be."  
Haerfara rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to teach a young man how to be a midwife for dragons. And I thought I'd done everything in life..."

"Yes, it's kind of crazy."

Then she grabbed a crutch, beckoned to him, strolled outside, and turned for some distant buildings.

"Come on, young man!"

He ran after her, surprised at how hale she still was and how quickly she got around. Though now that he thought about it, he had noticed that even the elderly among Rohan were very capable of getting around in their old age. Maybe it had to do with how much work they did through life and how much they lived with the land. Maybe they were just a tough, stubborn people.

In many ways, they reminded him of the good parts of Berk.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"The stables. We have a couple mares heavy with foals."

"Great..."

She put a wrinkled hand on his shoulder and smiled a kind, toothless smile which almost made him jump in alarm.

"Don't you worry, young man. I've taught dozens of lasses and helped bring a hundred babes into the world. I know what I'm doing."

"Wonderful. Can't wait to learn."

_What have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

Hiccup was away, learning something that would help him with Lightning and her cub-birthing. Having nothing better to do, Toothless was resting with his family. He, his sire, and his brother were curled up together on a large rock on the slope below the Golden-Hall-den. The rock had been eating up the sun's warmth all day, which made it a very good place to sleep.

Moonbeam flew back from the mountains and briefly spoke with him. She had seen something strange, a couple humans, up in the mountains. But she had also added that the being away from the pack was not pleasant, so she was willing to rest here with everyone else. That was good of her and was a very small step toward her making progress with being able to trust humans.

Just before sunfall, he heard a very familiar roar.

He jumped to his paws and roared aloud to answer the call as his dam dove for them. His sire and brother similarly jumped to their paws. She landed by the large rock and then jumped up onto it next to them.

"Dam..." "Dam..."

"Burning-Star, Breath-Of-Sky..." she nuzzled both of their noses before laying down at Far-Flight's side.

"How was the flight, my love?" Far-Flight purred.

"Fast and tiring. The wind was at our tails," she glanced up at the other two circling Furies high above, "and Lightning wants rest now. Burning-Star, does Hiccup have a den for them?"

"Yes, I know where it is," he answered, remembering Hiccup showing him to the barn-den that was prepared for the pair.

It was a simple barn-den with new straw to sit on, but that and privacy were all the pair would need.

"I will go find Hiccup!" Breath-Of-Sky cried and jumped for the sky, swiftly vanishing over the rock and above Edoras.

"Do you need rest, my mate?" Far-Flight asked.

"Yes," she purred and looked off toward the mountains, "but not here. I want to play in the snow."

"Then we will. I also need to tell you something important that Hiccup told me."

"What is it?" she asked.

Far-Flight paused and grumbled after looking around. Several other packmates were close enough that they might overhear anything he said, which was probably a secret.

"Not now. Burning-Star, will you watch your brother if we are not back at sunfall?"

"I will," he nodded.

His sire and dam then jumped from the rocks and glided away from the hill, flying low above the swaying golden grass and away toward the distant mountains.

He watched them as they peacefully flew wingtip to wingtip.

_Why would they not be back at sunfall? Well, it was a long flight for her._

With none of his family there anymore, he jumped down from the rock and scrambled up the hill into Edoras. It was still hard for him to believe that everything was going well for everyone. The only problem so far among the packmates was the grumbling about when more food would be here.

_Are there any waters with fish? It would be good to have fish also and not only four-legs._

That problem would likely be answered as everyone settled down into the routine and found work or hunting to do. Hiccup had previously mentioned that the making of duties and work for the pack would happen after Theoden and everyone else returned to Edoras. There was not much to do until then.

He saw Hiccup and Breath-Of-Sky running toward him.

"How did the learning go?"

"Well, I learned what... position the cub should be in, and also what must be done... but let's not talk about that. Is Sky-Dancer back?"

"She was, but my sire and dam both flew off to the mountains. They want some rest after her long flight."

Hiccup very slowly nodded, as if he was falling asleep where he stood.

"Right... well, we should go to Lightning and show her the barn."

"Want me to do it?" Breath-Of-Sky eagerly asked.

"Please. Have her and Hunts-In-Deep-Waters fly to us. We'll go to her new den."

Toothless interrupted him, having another idea.

"Actually, just bring them to Hiccup. I will bring Wings-Of-Ice; he will want to see his sister again."

"Good idea, bud!" Hiccup agreed.

* * *

Lightning strolled inside the empty barn, slowly spun once to inspect it, and then collapsed in the straw, hiding her head under her tailfins. She was asleep in seconds.

"Okay, that was fast," Hiccup whispered.

Hunts-In-Deep-Waters nudged him in the back and beckoned him outside the barn.

"She is very tired. The cub has been kicking much on the flight. We think it wants out."

He gave the Fury a scratch behind the ears, much to his purring approval.

"Don't you two worry about the cub. I and another old woman will help with it, as I promised."

"We know you will. Who is the old one?"

"Her name is Haerfara. She knows a lot about birthing cubs, has helped others learn, and will teach me. She also wants to be there for your cub, if you will allow it. I suggest she should be there."

Hunts-In-Deep-Waters chuffed.

"If you trust her then we will trust her. This cave-den will be ours only; no other humans will go in it. True?"

"Yes, it is yours only for as long as you two need it. All the humans have been told to not bother you."

Hunts-In-Deep-Waters huffed happily.

"Good. Being away from the pack is twisting to us, but it is good when the cub comes out."

"Why is that?"

"Dams sometimes bite at others when they are hurting and with new cubs they want to protect."

Hiccup stepped back from him in alarm at this sudden news.

"Hold on. No one told me about that!"

"Yes, they do not try to hurt any others, but they might snap if, in their twisted-hurting-thinking, they see others near the cub."

"But I could really get hurt if she... bites me."

Hunts-In-Deep-Waters blinked and gave a wary grumble.

"True..."

"She wouldn't try to bite me, would she?"

"No. No... Maybe. But I would stop that. I will be there for her and the cub also."

"That... very reassuring..."

_Oh gods, so now I have to help with birthing a cub and hopefully not lose a limb in the process. Great! And I thought the danger was over after the fighting._

He sighed and slumped.

_Occupational hazard..._

"Anyway, Burning-Star said he'd bring Wings-Of-Ice up here soon to see her."

"Good. He can tell us what happened in the fighting and since then. Sky-Dancer told us some, but she does not know anything after she flew to us after the fighting."

He nodded.

"Just so you hear it now, only Snowflame and Starlight were hurt. Snowflame is... grounded for now, but her wings will heal again. No one else was hurt, and nothing bad has happened here. We can have the Alphas come talk to you tomorrow."

Then he heard the sound of diving wings as Wings-Of-Ice glided in. Toothless similarly approached on the ground after having led the other Fury here.

Whether they were going to wake her up so she could meet her brother was uncertain and not really his business anyway. His job was done there.

"Bud, it's time to turn in."

"Want to sleep under the stars?" Toothless asked.

"I have been for months so why stop now?"

Toothless shrugged, and they continued on down the slope through the dark. The moon shed its bright light on the surrounding plains as it crept from behind the flowing clouds.

Several softly purring voices greeted them as they passed by the outcroppings of rock. Wide, glowing eyes of various colors followed them.

Hiccup climbed up on the family's rock, took out his Elven cloak, and wrapped himself with it under Toothless's wing. Breath-Of-Sky lay at Toothless's back on the other side of the rock.

"Where are they?" Toothless grumbled.

"Your parents?" Hiccup whispered.

"Yes. They said they might not be back."

"Yeah, they might be... busy."

"Why?" Breath-Of-Sky rumbled.

Toothless grumbled in confusion of his own, so Hiccup tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Who knows?"

Then he whispered in Toothless's ear.

"They are flying together to... make another cub..."

Toothless's eyes went very wide, and his jaw fell open. Hiccup silently nodded.

"Oh, they will be back here when they are... rested," Toothless then said aloud for Breath-Of-Sky to hear.

"They could do it here," Breath-Of-Sky mumbled.

Hiccup and Toothless rolled their eyes and snorted.

"Nah..." Hiccup groaned.

"No..." Toothless huffed.

"Whatever..." Breath-Of-Sky said.

Everything settled down after that. Breath-Of-Sky started snoring after he fell asleep.

Hiccup took the opportunity to look around at the entire pack resting closely together on the slope. Each family naturally claimed their own rock to sleep on.

It was so good, the peace and growing trust. However, not much had happened yet between them and the people of Rohan. Excluding the brief meetings while traveling or the interactions which Toothless and Breath-Of-Sky helped with, the peace between the groups was more like just sharing space and seeing each other from a distance so far. That would eventually change after specific work could be decided on. There were plenty of opportunities for the Furies to help out by doing things like guarding borders, helping raid any remaining groups of Uruks, helping the shepherds, and other possible labor.

There was certainly no chance that anything like this could have happened back on the Berk he knew. It would have taken so much before they would have...

Purple eyes darted away from him and vanished, leaving only a shape on a far rock.

He started in surprise that she had been staring their way. How could it have been anyone else?

"I didn't know Moonbeam was back here."

"Yes," Toothless whispered, "she flew back before sunfall. She said she found a good place up in the mountains."

"Good for her. Why is she back here then?"

"She wanted to be close to the pack. She also said she saw a couple humans living up in a den in the mountains."

"That's strange. What are they doing up there?"

"Why knows?"

"We could fly out there and find out. But... it's not important. Probably guards or something like that."

Toothless looked out over the plain and then sighed.

"Do you think..." Toothless paused.

"Uh, yeah, I can think."

"Useless human. No, nevermind. She would not want that."

"Want what? Talk to me."

"I was wondering if you would help me fly a sky dance with her, but she would not want that."

Hiccup grimaced at that mere thought of having to help Toothless do that.

"What about, I don't know, on the ground like you did with Jumps..." he whispered.

They both glanced across the pack to where Jumps-At-Fire was resting, as usual on the edge of the pack. She had been talking more with others in the pack and had not sought out any places far off in the mountains. Even so, Hiccup thought she was not being as sociable as she could be.

Toothless wearily sighed.

"Maybe for a pair that already is, but not for one that is not yet. Moonbeam would not want that."

"She was watching you just a few minutes ago, bud."

"What?"

"Well, I'm sure it was either her or Mystery, and Mystery is not that big."

Toothless said nothing and curled his tailfin over his head, ending the conversation as a calm silence followed.

* * *

Hiccup sought out Jumps-At-Fire first thing in the morning. It was not hard to find her since she rested on the edge of the pack.

This would be the first time that he and she had truly spoken after he learned the truth about what had been happening between her and Toothless. Even now it was awkward to think about them... being with each other and... doing that...

But he also understood, from what Toothless had told him, that she had been hurt by betrayals and bad luck in the past. Those betrayals had made it very difficult, if not impossible, for her to trust Toothless or any male Fury.

And then there was the situation between her and Toothless, specifically that he and she were not seeing each other anymore. It was a very messed up situation, especially since Toothless was interested in Moonbeam now.

He approached her, and she lifted her head from her paws when she saw him.

"Good morning, Jumps-At-Fire!"

"Same to you, Hiccup."

"How are you?"

"The same as the rest of the pack. Sleeping much now," she answered and yawned.

"Nice to hear. We deserve it after everything that's happened. What do you think of this place?"

She lay her head on her paws and looked out over the golden plain.

"The humans do not want to hurt us, but they are not as warm as you are."

He sat down before her.

"That's because they don't really know us yet. They will. Their King, their Alpha, approves of us."

Her ears fell slightly.

"Do you think... do you think I should get a human friend?" she asked.

"Why do you ask?" he wondered, surprised that she suddenly asked about that.

"Because... Burning-Star suggested that I... get to know them."

He remembered that detail from when Toothless explained everything to him. Toothless had told her that she should think about getting to know humans. Having a human friend, or at least just getting to know them better, might help her learn to trust other people without... natural distractions.

She also did not know that he knew everything about what had been happening between her and Toothless.

"If you want to, you can. I don't think the pack will be going anywhere soon, so it might be good to get to know people here."

"Would I have to carry them like you do with Burning-Star?" she asked.

Why was she asking about that?

"It'd probably be good to. Flying together helps to build trust, but you shouldn't think you must do that for them. It's also different for me and him... because he needs me... to help him."

Then he realized that there was something he hadn't asked her about. Toothless had shared with him one key detail about her life; specifically, the loss of her first mate. The difficulty was in bringing this up without making it clear that he knew the answer beforehand.

"Have humans hurt you before?"

She blinked and looked away.

"Not me directly. Humans did... kill someone I knew once, but I do not hate all humans for that."

"Why not?"

"Because you did not do that. Only the ones that... trapped him did it."

"It's good to not be angry because of the past. Trusting others is the same."

"What do you mean?"

He chose his words carefully to keep them general enough that they could be unspecific life advice but also were specific to what was bothering her.

"I mean it can feel safe to be on one's own and not trust others. I should know about that."

"Why?"

"Because I was alone in my old pack. That's probably why I took up working in the forge; it was an activity I could do on my own without needing others. No one else back there appreciated me enough or could accept me for who I was."

"That is good to not need others. It is not safe to need them," she huffed.

"Maybe so, but safe means that you aren't changing. Was it safe when you flew for the first time?"

"I do not remember. Why does flying matter?"

"Because when you flew the first time you might have fallen, but you took the risk. It's similar when you try to get to know someone. They might lie or trick you or have problems, but they might not. It depends if you think most people are good or bad."

She considered all this.

"It is dangerous to trust. Flying is different because with that I can control it and be responsible on my own."

He thought it was a fair concern of hers. Being in control of her own life was understandable and a concern that he could relate to. Still, her suspicion was an obstacle in her life. That inability to trust was holding her back from her potential.

It was also not his or Toothless's job to try to change her. All they could or should do was show her another way, a better way. Anything after that was her responsibility to do.

Speaking of responsibility...

"I understand. Want to help the pack?"

"How?" she asked.

"We've been promised some cattle every week, but we might want some fish or other prey. I can show you where the rivers are, and you could go see if they have any fish in them."

Her ears lifted as she purred, clearly liking the idea.

It was both a practical request, since he did want to know if the named rivers had any good fishing available, and an impractical one in that this task gave her something productive to do rather than sit around. Maybe having some responsibility was part of what she needed to feel like she was being treated fairly and trusted.

"Yes, I can do that... for the pack."

He smiled.

"Great, follow me. I'll show you a map."

* * *

Hiccup and Toothless were peacefully gliding above Edoras to keep watch on everything below and to have some time to themselves. Not much had happened over the last couple days.

Their packmates rested a lot after the flying, battle, more flying, and settling in on the slopes of Edoras. No one begrudged them an afternoon doze on the sun-warmed rocks. Further, the Furies were slightly more active at night, which they could more easily do now in this warmer climate in which warmth was not as important for survival.

Hiccup had arranged to have one of the troughs regularly filled with well-water for any of the Furies who wanted a drink. It was either that or they find one of the streams near the mountains or out on the plain. Best, in his opinion, would be to modify one of the wells so that the Furies could draw water entirely on their own, maybe with a paw-powered pedal. That was one more project to add to his list.

"Look!" Toothless then shouted, breaking his thoughts..

"Woah, what is it bud?"

"Over there!"

Hiccup looked to the northwest horizon and saw what could only be a group of horses galloping toward Edoras.

"Yeah, I see them. What about them?"

"One of them is Gandalf!"

Toothless could probably see much better than he could.

"Good! Let's go see them!"

Toothless raced ahead across the plain toward the approaching horses. Sure enough, Hiccup saw that the group was led by a white rider on a white horse, though any further details were too difficult for him to make out from a distance. But there was no doubt who was leading this group.

"Yep! That's them!" Hiccup agreed.

"And Merry and Pippin!" Toothless joyfully roared.

"If you say so, bud! We should probably let everyone at Edoras know they're coming!"

"Good idea!"

Toothless spun around and raced back to Edoras with this good news.

* * *

"So, the Hobbits met friendly, walking trees in Fangorn, convinced the tree-Ent things to go to war against the bad Wizard, led an attack on Isengard, Saruman's city, and the trees released a river to flood the city? Did I hear all that correctly?" Hiccup repeated.

"That is an accurate assessment of what transpired," Gandalf agreed.

Hiccup shrugged.

"I'm not surprised by anything anymore. Loki could stop in for tea next Thorsday for all I know..."

Gandalf smirked and patted him on the shoulder.

"And I see from the lack of fire or shouting that the Furies have been peacefully settling in here," Gandalf said.

Toothless purred softly and stepped closer.

"Mostly. We are not going to live in the stable-dens or house-dens though. Hiccup has an idea for something better!"

"Better?" Gandalf's eyebrows lifted.

"Yes, I realized that..."

Hiccup was about to explain his plan when two more figures approached from behind the horde of Rohirrim riders. These new people were wearing Lorien cloaks and had in their mouths pipes emitting clouds of smoke.

"Hiccup!" "Toothless!"

Merry and Pippin ran forward without any hesitation, hugging Hiccup first and Toothless second. Hiccup messed up their hair, and Toothless put a forearm around their backs in hugs while purring to them.

But Hiccup realized something was strange or different about both of the Hobbits.

"Hold on, are you both taller?"

"Maybe you're just shorter," Pippin countered.

"You would know, Pip," Merry added.

"Hey, everyone knows that I'm the tall one!"

"Are not!"

Pippin smiled.

"Don't listen to him, Hiccup! Treebeard gave us some Ent-draught to drink. That helped us grow a few inches, but it didn't help Merry as it did me!"

"Pippin!"

"Just think of it, Peregrin Took, tallest Hobbit ever! Going to outdo even old Bullroarer, that's my new life goal!"

"When did you start having life goals?" Merry exclaimed.

"Hold on, both of you," Hiccup stepped back, "you drank... magic water and you got bigger?"

"Pretty much, yeah!" "That sums it up!"

_If only Berk had that magic water for me. Maybe I should go to Fangorn and see if they will let me have some._

"Anyway, this place here is amazing!" Pippin looked around.

"Gandalf said that you and Toothless found more Night Furies and that they'd be here. Are they?" Merry asked.

Toothless lifted his head and roared a cry of summons which was answered seconds later as three pairs of wings lifted into the sky.

Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, and Breath-Of-Sky touched down behind them and bounded up to their side.

Merry and Pippin's eyes were wide in awe.

"I don't believe it!" "It can't be!"

Hiccup gestured first to the Furies and then to the Hobbits.

"These are Toothless's parents and his little brother. These are two of the Hobbits who were some of the first friends we made here and who let us live in peace with them."

Breath-Of-Sky hopped over to Merry and Pippin and nuzzled them while Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer inclined their heads.

"How many of you are there?" Merry asked while scratching Breath-Of-Sky's neck.

"Twenty-three and one more very soon," Hiccup explained.

"Amazing!" "Wow!"

"You are small humans!" Breath-Of-Sky hummed.

"Well, Merry is small, sure..." Pippin smirked.

"Pippin!"  
"And we aren't humans at all. We're Hobbits."

Motion broke up the happy greeting as King Theoden approached at the head of his warriors and advisers. Hiccup went over to greet him.

"Well met, Master Haddock, I see that all is well with the dragons here," Theoden greeted him.

"Yes sir, I need to talk to you about that. They aren't going to take stables or the empty homes."

"No? What will they do?"

"They live in a pack, so splitting them up doesn't work that well. For now they are going to be staying on the slope below your Golden Hall. Being outside is normal for them. With your permission I would like to build a new great hall. I understand that it would be a lot of work."

"A great hall?"

"Yes sir, they could rest in it together as a pack, and it would be theirs. I will do all the planning with them."

Theoden considered it.

"I would not object to it. We can speak more later about provisions and the timing of such an endeavor. How are the wounded ones?"

"They are getting better. Snowflame's wings look like they're going to heal well."

Theoden visibly relaxed in relief.

"I am glad to hear it."

Theoden and his company then continued on toward the Golden Hall, leaving behind only the members of the Fellowship.

Breath-Of-Sky had moved on from the Hobbits and was being scratched behind the ears by Legolas. Even Gimli was smiling at the young Fury.

Hiccup was very curious what had happened while they were gone.

"What else happened at Isengard?"

Gandalf stepped away from the rest of the group and beckoned Hiccup and Toothless over to where they could speak freely.

"What happened at Isengard, other than finding out that the Ents had destroyed everything there except Orthanc? We spoke to Saruman, though he rejected our offer of reconciliation."

"What happened to him? He was a Wizard like you. How could he go bad?" Hiccup wondered.

Gandalf's gaze darkened for a moment, as though he was troubled.

"Yes, he was the greatest of the Istari. His studies, originally noble in purpose, led him perilously close to the way of the Enemy. He studied Ring-lore and gained greater knowledge of how the world works and the ways he can turn the world to his purpose. Saruman believed that it is only great power that can hold evil at bay, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the everyday deeds, small acts of kindness and love, of ordinary folk that keep back the darkness. Perhaps that is why I always appreciated Hobbits more than Saruman could. I saw in them a strength that he never did."

"And that is why Frodo is best for the task," Toothless observed.

"Indeed. Bilbo bore the Ring for sixty years and showed few outward signs of its influence all that time until the end. Saruman came to crave the Ring for himself. He was truly smarter than I am, but he lacked wisdom and prudence. Knowing how to do something is not at all the same as knowing if one should do something. He used an ancient relic that he should have known not to use. In his pride that he could control the One, he used a... device that let him look far away. But he was seen by Sauron and fell to the temptation to be like him, even to the point of pledging service to his cause with the intention of claiming the Ring for himself."

Gandalf idly patted a heavy bag slung around his shoulder.

"But he has no power now, save for his voice. I broke his staff and cast him from the Order. He is locked in Orthanc within Isengard, and he will stay there until the war is over."

Gandalf then turned to Toothless.

"He said some very cruel things about your kind, Toothless."

"Did he? What did he say?" Toothless growled.

"He said that allying with dragons made a mockery of the House of Eorl and that Theoden was a traitor to mankind. He also insisted that the dragons were always destined to serve the Enemy and would turn on humans at the stroke of doom."

"What does he mean by that?" Toothless asked.

"I do not know. Theoden answered that the only traitor was Saruman for turning on a peaceful people who trusted him and never wronged him. He added that dragons who would risk their lives to fight for what is right will always be welcome to him and among his people."

Toothless growled in pleasure and approval.

"Theoden is a good Alpha-king!"

"I agree," Gandalf added with a nod.

"So," Hiccup smiled, "one servant of the Enemy is gone and Rohan was saved. What happens next?"

"That is for me to think about. It all depends on what the Enemy's next move is. Where will he strike, and where should I be on the board?"

Hiccup wondered whether Middle-earth had anything like maces and talons.

_Maybe I can invent that game if they don't have it here._

"What about the Furies? They are happy here for now, and they are lucky that they didn't lose anyone at Helm's Deep," he asked.

They looked off toward the slope below the Golden Hall; several Furies were resting down below in the afternoon sun.

Gandalf looked uncertain for a moment.

"They must understand the need to fight, even if only for their own sake. But at the same time they are still few, and the loss of any one of them would be grievous indeed. As I told you both before, you are free powers in this world. Neither I nor Theoden can order the pack to obey. We will be sure that you know before the great battle of our time, wherever it happens."

"I don't know. That battle against the Uruks was a big one. There had to be ten thousand of them. How could it get worse than that?" Hiccup nervously chuckled.

"Sauron has hundreds of thousands at his disposal: Men, Orcs, Trolls, Fellbeasts, and others besides."

Hiccup's jaw worked without making any words. Not many people among the Vikings could comprehend numbers larger than what could be counted on two hands. He could, but these numbers, hundreds of thousands, were so massive that even he struggled to believe it.

"I... can't even imagine an army that big..." he finally mumbled.

Gandalf nodded and leaned on his staff, his white robes flowing in the wind.

"I pray that you never need to see one. But worry not for now! Tonight there is a grand feast up at the Golden Hall and throughout the city. I suggest that you bring some of the Furies along to join the party."

"Really? We would be welcome to the... party?" Toothless exclaimed.

"Of course. Theoden insisted that at least the two Alphas be present. There is something he wants to do with them. It may be because of you and your kin that Helm's Deep stood at all. There are hundreds of Men and Elves who live because of you all. And," Gandalf chuckled, "very little can do more to help bring two people together in peace than to share food and drink together at the same table, so to speak."

Hiccup snorted at the thought.

"Dragons eating from a table and drinking ale from a mug, yeah, that's probably not happening. Say, bud, how much you do have to drink before you get drunk?" he chuckled and nudged Toothless's shoulder.

"Drunk? Is that the twisted-talking and falling down you do after you drink too much happy-water-beer and ale?" Toothless asked.

"That was a contest, and I won!"

"Yes, you defended your status, and that was good. But you marked my den afterwards!"

"Huh?"

Toothless forcefully nudged him with a paw.

"You relieved yourself of waste-water in my den!"

Hiccup's eyes went very wide as his cheeks turned bright red.

"Did not!"

"Does being drunk make you forget also?"

"Well, it can, yeah, but... I didn't... gods... I didn't do that, did I?"

"Yes, you did."

Gandalf burst out in laughter and had to lean on his staff.

"My apologies, watching you two together has become a great joy of mine."

* * *

Staring out into the night at the black shapes and shining eyes, Hiccup went over the list one more time, just to be sure they did not forget.

"Remember, this is a bonding ceremony! They will remember those of their pack who died in the fighting. Then there will be lots of eating, drinking, and storytelling."

"What should we do?" Snowfall asked.

"Just be there. Talk to the humans who will talk to you. No sharing food from your bellies. Tell stories and listen to stories. Cubs!"

"Me!" "Me!" "I am here!" "Food!"

"Be cubs!" he instructed them.

They warbled in confusion at the obvious and easy task.

"And remember that if you see any weapons, they are not there to be used against us. The human Alpha will tell all of his pack that we are a peaceful pack that wants to be at peace with them. Are you all ready?"

"We are!" Flame-In-The-Night exclaimed.

What had to be almost everyone in the entire pack got to their paws and then followed Hiccup up the slope into Edoras proper.

It was well after sunfall, but there were so many torches lit that it could have been late in the afternoon. Bonfires had been lit with slaughtered livestock turning on the racks. The hearths had been worked for several hours to bake breads. Men were carrying crates and rolling giant barrels out of storage.

_Bet I know what that is!_

Tables were set up outside the Golden Hall for those people who could not fit inside. It looked like the entire city and even people from some of the surrounding villages were going to join in the feast in some way.

Most of the Furies had previously mentioned that they preferred to stay outside the Golden Hall because of how different it was and how many people were going to be inside it. That was fine. There would be plenty of opportunity for interaction outside also.

Flame-In-The-Night, Snowfall, Snowflame, Free-Flight, Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, Breath-Of-Sky and Toothless were going to follow him inside.

Those who were going with him walked up the stone steps that led to Golden Hall. There were no guards outside right now. The inside of the Hall was bright with light, the sounds of conversation, and the smell of foods.

Hiccup paused at the door and took a deep breath before flinging it open.

_This is go time!_

Just as expected, the inside of the Golden Hall was filled with activity. Wheels of cheese and mugs were laid out on the many tables. Rohirrim men, women, and children sat at the tables and were deep in conversation, laughter, games, and, for the men, drinking contests. There was also a large open space on one side of the hall; that space was set aside for them.

He led all the Furies who were going with him into the Golden Hall. All the conversation died away as dozens of heads turned to closely watch their entry.

Suspicion, awe, wariness, and curiosity were mingled in their gazes, none of which he was surprised by. There was no open hostility, which was very good sign.

He and the Furies settled down and waited for the ceremony to begin. Free-Flight and Breath-Of-Sky looked around eagerly with their ears lifted.

Silence fell over all with no one moving. Then Eowyn, wearing a long white dress, walked forward to the head of the hall while carrying aloft a silver chalice. She handed the chalice to Theoden who then stood. All attention went to the King as he lifted the chalice. Men and women throughout the hall lifted mugs of their own.

"Tonight, we remember those who gave their blood to defend this country. Hail the victorious dead!"

"HAIL!"

Silence followed as all the present people of Rohan drank as one. Then Theoden lifted the chalice again and got the attention of all in the hall.

"We are not only here to remember our fallen."

He gestured to the assembled Furies.

"They came unbidden by us to our defense. Are they dragons? Yes, they are. Have they proven themselves as deserving of our trust? Yes, they have. Have they been wounded in our defense? Yes, they have. I asked that their leaders be present. Flame-In-The-Night, Snowfall, would you please come forward?"

The two Alphas got to their paws and slowly walked up the central aisle between tables of men and women. The men and women visibly stepped back or leaned away from them at their passing, but there was no shouting, jeering, or wailing of fear.

Theoden stepped forward from his throne to meet them.

Silence fell over the hall until the King spoke.

"There would be dozens more of my people dead if you had not come to our aid. I, Theoden, son of Thengel, Lord of the Mark, make this oath to you and your pack that the people of Rohan will never forget your deeds at Helm's Deep. Further, we shall be allies for all time. You will always be welcome with us for as long as you wish to live among us. This I swear."

Flame-In-The-Night slowly turned in place and looked out over everyone in the Hall. He beheld all the Rohirrim staring at him and Snowfall, glanced at her, and then spoke to the Hall.

"And we will not forget that you let us live in your territory and that you helped us when we were hurt. We will always help protect you humans. We want peace."

Theoden lifted his chalice, and the entire audience lifted their mugs after refilling them. All then drank as one.

Hiccup leaned against Toothless's side as the mugs were emptied and slammed onto tables throughout the Hall. He wiped away a tear from his cheek.

_So this is what happens when people... just... try..._

"Let the feast begin!" Theoden cried.


	43. Celebrate Them

Celebrate Them

* * *

Hiccup sat at the table nearest the space reserved for the Furies. An attendant brought out several haunches of cooked beef and sheep for the Furies. They purred in thanks and then inspected the haunches on large plates. Toothless, Breath-Of-Sky, Snowflame, and Free-Flight ate first.

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer stepped over to him and nudged his side.

"Why did they burn the meat?" Far-Flight whispered.

"That's how humans need to eat meat. They can't eat it raw," Hiccup explained.

"Why not?"

"They can get sick if they don't cook it.

Breath-Of-Sky ate another haunch of beef and then licked his chops.

"Taste good?" Hiccup asked.

"It tastes... flamed... and good!"

"Really?"

"Well, more blood would be better..."

Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure it would..."

The Furies ate the rest of their portions while he ate a quick meal of sliced cheese, freshly baked bread, and salted pork, none of which was tough or tasteless. He wanted to finish his meal quickly since he, Toothless, and Breath-Of-Sky found themselves the center of much attention.

Men, women, and children were eager to meet them. They answered plenty of questions about what the pack was like, where they had been, and what it was like to fly. Something about the atmosphere made everyone more willing to meet the Furies and be in close quarters with them.

All throughout he was given mugs of ale, and it would have been impolite to refuse. He hadn't enjoyed so pleasant a feast since... probably his time in the Shire. However, he made sure to not get drunk. The last time that happened had not been pleasant at all. He kept his third mug still half-full so that no one could offer him a new mug.

It was still turning into a very pleasant evening.

He returned from a break and saw that Toothless and Breath-Of-Sky had wandered off into the crowd and were now sitting beside a table. Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer were apparently comfortable with that since they were curled up together in the corner.

"Hiccup! Get over here!" Merry and Pippin cried out from the table beside which Toothless and Breath-Of-Sky were sitting.

He gladly went over to the table and noticed that Adney and a couple other young people he did not recognize were also there beside the Hobbits.

He nodded to the two other lads at the table, and they introduced themselves.

"Wynfryth." "Haleth."

"I'm Haddock. Good to meet you."

"Alright, he's here!" "Now we start to party!" the Hobbits chuckled.

"Oh, is he the true life of the party?" Adney laughed, leaning in.

"Totally," Pippin exclaimed, lifting his pint-mug, "You should have seen him after the Green Dragon!"

"Yeah, we even started him at a disadvantage, and he still won the drinking contest!" Merry laughed.

Hiccup shrugged and grinned, "What can I say? I get challenged and I just have to win! That's who I am!"

"But it was so crazy afterwards! You all should have seen him," Merry said, lifting a mug brimming with amber foam.

"What were you even doing on the wagon?" Pippin asked.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Yeah, you took off your shirt, started swinging it around, and yelling 'Oye, oye, oye!'" Pippin explained.

"I don't remember that!" he protested, throwing up his hands.

"Which means it definitely happened!" Adney chuckled, pointing at him.

"I swear!"

Toothless stuck his nose into the conversation.

"At least he did not mark your dens!"

"What?" "What?" "What?" "Toothless!"

Toothless grinned and resisted Hiccup's attempts to push him away.

"Yes, he came back to my barn-den after his drinking was done..."

"Don't you dare!"

"He talked with twisted words, fell down, and then he relieved himself in my den!"

A round of laughter went up from the table as fists pounded on the table, tails slapped on the floor, and Hiccup's cheeks turned bright red in his indignation.

"Alright, you useless dragon, if that's how it's going to be... fine! Should I tell everyone that you danced around a valley and tried to catch a... shining light on the ground? Yeah, I was causing that!"

"He did not!" "He did that!" "What!" "Silly brother!"

Toothless recovered himself, closed his mouth, and shoved Hiccup's shoulder with a paw.

"What! How?"

"I'm just that amazing!"

"Sure, how about when you thought it would be a good idea to crash us into rocks!" Toothless retorted.

"Ah, not my best moment! But enough of embarrassing us and sharing our bad moments, how about you all? Surely you have some stories you can share," Hiccup glanced to the other people at the table.

Merry and Pippin related the incident with the fireworks at Bilbo's party. Adney, Wynfryth, and Haleth were amazed at the description of fireworks, and said they hadn't seen anything like that before. But the torture and abuse Gandalf put the Hobbits through was either very disturbing or very exaggerated; Hiccup favored the latter explanation, given who the storytellers were.

"What about you three?" Pippin eagerly asked them.

Adney frowned.

"Not much to say about us. Our lives are very boring compared to yours. The craziest thing my brother probably did was he was helping our father re-straw the roof and my dear brother fell off into a pile of manure," she explained.

"Ady! You pushed me!" Wynfryth glared at her.

"You still fell off..." she shrugged.

"I didn't tell anyone that you couldn't ride a horse until you were fifteen! Oops, just told them..." he said.

Hiccup shook his head as the two siblings continued trading insults, though in what was probably good humor. They were both grinning as they roasted each other. Maybe this was a pastime of theirs.

The Hobbits were clutching their sides, laughing deeply. Even Toothless and Breath-Of-Sky were laughing, though Breath-Of-Sky was probably laughing because Toothless was.

"You are very twisted!" Toothless said.

"Twisted?" Adney asked.

"Strange and funny, like you had twisted your tail... if you had one."

"Well, I have to put up with my brother, so..."

"Ady!"

She gently punched Wynfryth's shoulder.

"You know I love you, bro..."

"Sure... oh look, our folks are here!"

Hiccup glanced where Wynfryth and Adney looked and saw three adults sitting at another table; they looked like an old couple and a middle-aged man who was probably Adney's and Wynfryth's father.

Sure enough, Adney and Wynfryth got up from the table.

"If you'll excuse us, we should go to our folks," she said.

She paused beside Toothless and Breath-Of-Sky.

"Good dragons, thanks for talking with us."

"And laughing!" Breath-Of-Sky added.

"That too! Later!"

She and her brother left for their folks' table.

"Alright, looks like it's just us now!" Pippin cheerfully said.

Toothless purred and leaned closer to the Hobbits.

"Want to tell my brother about the Shire? He liked what we told him before."

Breath-Of-Sky also leaned in, his ears lifted.

"The very green place! Please tell me!"

"Well, if you insist... Hiccup, want to join us for this?" Merry asked.

While hearing more about the Shire was almost always a good use of time, there were other things he could do right now which would be more productive. He was at least somewhat responsible for overseeing everything at this shared feast and for making sure that the human-Fury interactions went well.

"If you will all excuse me, I'll go check on everyone else. Someone's gotta make sure there's no fighting!"

Pippin nodded.

"Sounds good. Alright, Breath-Of-Sky, how about we start with the best place in the Shire... other than the Green Dragon, obviously..."

"The Southfarthing..." Merry interjected.

"Indeed, Merry. Best pipeweed in the whole Shire..."

"What is pipeweed?" Breath-Of-Sky asked.

Toothless nudged his shoulder.

"Have you ever seen a human or Hobbit making smoke before?"

Breath-Of-Sky's eyes went wide.

"They have fire too?" he barked in shock.

"Not really..." Toothless chuckled.

Amused by how crazy that conversation had quickly become, Hiccup got up and wandered the Hall, quickly checking on each of the other Furies within. Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer were still dozing in the corner. Snowflame was gingerly following Free-Flight between some of the tables. Lastly, Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall were sitting near the front of the hall and were talking with Theoden.

He hadn't had the... pleasure to sit in on any important conversations his father had with other Chiefs, so he had no idea what leaders talked about with each other. It was probably boring stuff. However, the simple fact that the Alphas and King Theoden were able to speak respectfully with each other was a very reassuring sign.

The Alphas finished speaking with Theoden, and then they stepped aside and returned to the space saved for them. Theoden then saw him watching, and beckoned him forward.

"Master Haddock, welcome. I pray that you are enjoying the feast."

"Very much, King Theoden. We all are."

"I am glad to hear it. I have been thinking about your idea of a great hall for the dragons. It has its merit as a way to forge greater trust between us and to give the dragons a place of their own. With that said, it might be best to wait to begin construction after the war, when we have more time and resources to devote to such an endeavor."

Hiccup nodded in agreement after a moment of thought. Theoden had a valid point that building a new great hall during a war effort was not the most prudent plan. Doing that could wait until later.

"That makes sense. It would need a lot of planning anyway. Do you have any idea how long the war might last?"

Theoden frowned and looked weary.

"Nay, I do not. Gandalf has shared with me the true quest and purpose of the Fellowship. How long it will be before that purpose is fulfilled, I cannot say. A month? A full winter? The sooner the world is freed from the shadow, the better."

"I understand, King."

He turned to leave but was surprised when Theoden clasped him on the shoulder.

"Do you feel welcomed here in Edoras?" Theoden asked.

"I do. It reminds me a lot of where I'm from, except the people here don't hate dragons and haven't been fighting a three hundred years war against them."

"Is that so? Pray tell how."

"You are tougher than you look, have simple lives, know how to use weapons, and love to feast and drink as a... tribe. Even the village looks similar with a great hall and the type of buildings you make. Almost feels like home..."

"You remind me of someone who was very dear to me," Theoden softly said.

"Who was it?"

"My son. He was killed by raiding Orcs when I was... unable to lift a finger in defense of my people."

He almost started in surprise and pity. Theoden, a kind, brave, and solemn king, had lost his son during the war. His thoughts briefly went out to his own father back on Berk. Was Stoick worried about him, or furious with him for befriending Toothless and leaving forever? There was no way to know.

Theoden continued without pause.

"If I could trade places with him, if I could have died instead, I would without any hesitation. No parent should have to... bury their child."

Theoden frowned, gazing off into the distance, and then must have remembered everything going on around him.

"Ah, do not concern yourself with that and my troubles. Go on, this night is for celebration."

Hiccup bowed to him and then wandered inside the Hall. He noticed that Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall had gone off to the corner of the Hall and were resting, just like Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer.

He also saw Aragorn on his own, likely lost in thought after whatever he and Gandalf had been talking about earlier. That made this a good opportunity for a meeting which hadn't happened yet. Aragorn had left with Theoden to go to Isengard before any proper introductions had been made in this special case.

He approached Aragorn.

"Aragorn."

"Master Haddock."

"Have you met Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall yet?"

"I have not spoken to them."

"Well, you should since you tended to their daughter at Helm's Deep. They would want to meet you and thank you for that."

"If you wish for us to meet, please introduce us," Aragorn agreed.

They approached the Alpha pair together.

"Flame-In-The-Night, Snowfall, this is the one I told you about. His name is Aragorn. He tended to Snowflame in the fighting."

Both Alphas drew a breath and stared at Aragorn. Then they hung their heads and crooned very softly.

"You saved our daughter's life," Snowfall whispered.

"It was not that terrible of a wound," Aragorn said.

"Still," Flame-In-The-Night answered, "you helped her. We will not forget that."

Aragorn bowed to them.

"I lived long in the wild and learned many types of healing. It is my honor to have given aid to one of you," he said.

"Yes," Hiccup interjected, "his hands are those of a healer."

Something about what he said surprised Aragorn, but the ranger had no chance to say anything.

Snowfall stepped forward without prompting and rested her nose against Aragorn's forehead while purring softly in gratitude. She had the dignity to not lick him though.

Aragorn stepped back, bowed again to both of them, and then vanished again into the merry crowd.

_Alright, nice. That went well._

The Alphas then returned to the side of the Hall while Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer ambled up to him.

"Hiccup, will you stay here with our sons?" Far-Flight asked.

"Sure, you two going out on your own?"

"Yes, we want to fly..." Sky-Dancer purred.

They dashed out of the Hall together.

_Well, we won't be seeing them again tonight..._

He realized that his mug was empty, so he grabbed another mug of ale and slowly drank while wandering the Hall, idly listening to the conversation and observing the interactions. There was some wrestling and tussling among the men for the remaining barrels of ale.

_Hmm, maybe I should check on everyone outside soon..._

"It's time!" a pair of voices clamored.

Merry and Pippin were standing on a table. They had locked their arms and had large mugs in their free hands. A couple dozen men and women gathered around them and began cheering and clapping. Most of the other conversations died away.

Then the Hobbits started dancing and singing.

"Oh, you can search far and wide! You can drink the whole town dry, but you'll never find a beer so brown... but you'll never find a beer so brown... as the one we drink in our hometown... as the one we drink in our hometown."

They stamped their feet and kicked away someone's mug.

"You can drink your fancy ales! You can drink them by the flagon, but the only brew for the brave and true, comes from THE GREEN DRAGON!"

The Hobbits clanged their mugs together and then started drinking, bottoms up.

Raucous cheering and applause went up at the end of their song.

"Thank you!" "I win!"

Hiccup leaned against a supporting column and shook his head while clapping at the Hobbits' being themselves. He was entirely pleased to sit back and watch everything unfolding. A chorus of voices and conversation resumed.

Breath-Of-Sky and Free-Flight were weaving between the tables and eagerly striking up conversation with the young people they met, though Free-Flight seemed to just want to be petted, smile at everyone, and occasionally snap up a tasty morsel.

It probably wasn't right that Free-Flight was eating food that had been tossed on the floor for him, but it was a festive party and he was not going to spoil the mood by telling anyone off. Further, good interaction of any kind was part of the point of having the Furies here at all.

"Hiccup," Snowflame nudged his side.

"Snowflame," he took her head in his hands and scratched her chin, "how are you?"

"Well," she purred, "they gave me meat called salted-pork. It was tasty."

"Bet it was!"

She toothlessly grinned.

"What is this green dragon in the song?" she asked.

"Oh, it isn't a dragon. It's a place like this hall. A place where Hobbits, those are the little humans, bond with each other, eat meals, and drink a lot."

She hummed softly and nodded towards the front door, so he followed her outside. They stopped at the top of the stone steps leading up to the Golden Hall. She sat down, and he stood beside her, looking out over the continuing party down below and the distant darkness of the plain beyond the walls.

There were more Furies sitting outside near the bonfires while a pair of the cubs, Storm-Chaser and Tail-Hunter, played with each other. Their parents sat close by, watching over them without appearing especially worried, though the nearest humans gave them all a respectful amount of space. Mystery and Windripper sat on their haunches while talking with several young people. Even Jumps-At-Fire was present among the pack; she was not isolating herself as she had in the past.

Seeing just about everyone here in peace and trust was...

Then he slapped himself in the forehead when he realized the obvious.

"Lightning is not with us! She and Hunts are not at the party."

"No, she is resting much now," Snowflame answered.

"Well, she shouldn't be left out. I'll bring her something to eat!"

"Good idea. She will like that."

Snowflame then bounded away from him and trotted toward Windripper.

He ran back inside the Hall, went to the kitchen, explained his request, and got two buckets, one of water and the other of chicken. However, he paused on his way out of the Hall when he noticed Gimli and Legolas standing by a table on which were many empty mugs. Toothless, his ears lifted in amusement, was closely watching the Dwarf and the Elf.

"What's going on?" Hiccup asked them.

"It's a drinkin' game!" Gimli gruffly answered.

That much was obvious.

"I see that. What are the stakes?" Hiccup asked, amused at their progress.

"When I win," Gimli threw down his gauntlet and pointed at the Elf, "Legolas has agreed to explore the Glittering Caves behind Helm's Deep with me! An Elf will delve underground!"

"And Gimli has agreed that when I win, after the war we will both explore the depths of the Entwood and will see such trees as are nowhere else found in Middle-earth," Legolas firmly answered.

They both downed another mug.

"What are the rules to the drinking game?" Toothless asked.

"Rules? Last one standin' wins! Heh, heh, heh!" Gimli burped.

"You shall not prevail, Gimli son of Gloin! Do you know nothing of the constitution of the Elves? Legolas swayed on his feet and braced himself against the table.

"Oh, I know enough! Lightweights, all of ye! Ye can't hold yer liquor!" Gimli roared.

"What would you know? You have never been in the Woodland realm, bearded one! You and your kin have never joined us for strong drink at our festivals!" Legolas declared, holding a hand to his chest.

Gimli pointed a finger somewhere towards the Elf.

"I don't need to! Mine father told me stories of ye pointy-ears Elves in yer Woodland realm! Thorin's entire company escaped yer dungeons cause yer guards couldn't handle their own wine!"

Legolas looked either livid or ashamed.

They both grabbed another mug and began drinking.

_I better leave them to it._

He bowed to them, though they looked like they had entirely forgotten about him, and went to Toothless's side. The Fury looked very amused by the Elf and Dwarf.

"What is that chicken and water for?" Toothless asked, seeing the buckets.

"I'm taking it to Lightning. I'll be outside if you need me."

"Okay."

He then continued outside the Hall, down the hill, and toward the stable given to Lightning and Hunts-In-Deep-Waters. As he expected, Hunts-In-Deep-Waters was awake and alert outside the stable's entrance. The male's head lifted at his approach.

"Hiccup."

"Hunts-In-Deep-Waters," he bowed, "is she awake? I brought some food and water for her."

Hunts-In-Deep-Waters purred softly and turned for the stable. He strolled inside and nuzzled her neck.

"Hiccup has some ground-bird and water for you."

Lightning groaned and wearily lifted her head, blinking away the sleepiness from her eyes.

"Hey there Lightning. I brought dinner, hope you're hungry..."

"I am..." she answered without moving.

Satisfied that he had permission, he approached her and bent down at her head, gently setting down the buckets of chicken and water for her. She gobbled down the chicken and lapped at the water. Then he gently rubbed under her chin until she started purring.

"How are you feeling?"

"Heavy..." she answered.

He snorted.

"How long do you have?"

"I do not know. This is my first cub."

"Alright. I found an old female who taught me some about how to help you. I would want her to be here when it's time; she knows more than I do. Are you okay with that?"

She blinked and huffed.

"Yes, if you trust her then I trust her."

He had already gotten approval from her mate, but it felt appropriate to do so with her directly.

"Good, I'll let you get back to sleep."

Then he left her and went outside as she curled back up. He stopped at Hunts-In-Deep-Waters's side.

"You just fly to me and let me know when it's time. I can bring Haerfara to meet you both tomorrow."

"Good," Hunts-In-Deep-Waters purred.

Hiccup strolled back through Edoras up toward the Golden Hall, alight from within and without by torches and fires. It was a beautiful, clear night on which the stars shone brightly. He paused up above the slope where the Furies slept. He was just far enough away from the activity that he had some measure of peace and quiet.

It was good that everyone was getting along so far, though it was probably easier to get along during a feast in which there was plenty for all. How the Furies and the Rohirrim would get along in normal life was still something to figure out along with work assignments. Those were topics for tomorrow and...

Oddly, it looked like one of the Furies had already left the party and was now resting down below. They were all alone, whoever it was.

Curious, he ran through the list of who he remembered seeing at the party or was otherwise occupied, and he realized the obvious. There was someone who understandably had not joined the party at all.

He could leave her alone, as she probably wished to be, or he could go to her and have another... pleasant talk. Talking to her was unlikely to help much, but stranger things had happened in his life.

So he started down the slope toward the lighter shape.

It was dark enough that he had to take the slope slowly to avoid tumbling down.

"Moonbeam?"

She stiffened and turned toward him from where she lay up on the rock.

"Hiccup..." she sniffled and quickly blinked her purple eyes.

_Wait, were you crying?_

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"What is not wrong?" she huffed, looking away from him.

He climbed up on the rock and scrambled over to her side, though he kept a few feet between them out of respect.

"Why are you out here alone, away from the pack?"

"Because they are bonding with the humans," she answered.

"Yes, so? That's good of them."

"Is it? What comes next? More fighting for humans, forced carrying?"

He frowned.

"You know I wouldn't let that happen. And you are dragons. You'd never let yourselves be treated poorly."

"I," she softly sighed, "see the others from the pack up among the humans. Maybe they want that, but I am not like the rest of the pack. In my dreams, I still see my sire and dam dead because of humans."

"Humans in general or a bad human?"

"Only that bad one, but it has your face."

That stung. Even though she had already told him that her parents' killer looked almost like him, it still hurt to be reminded of that apparent similarity. But there was another, more sinister side to her dreams as she just related them.

Was it possible that she thought he could betray the pack and become a dragon-killer?

"Me? Do you really think I could ever do something that terrible?"

Faintly growling, she turned and narrowed her purple eyes on him.

"Maybe you could have. You let Toothless live when you could have killed him. What if you had killed him?"

_Gods, I don't even want to think about that._

"I couldn't have done that."

She hissed.

"Yes, you could have if you were a little angrier or more like your old pack. Fly this thought flight. How would your life have been different?"

He stared into the dark plain beyond the Edoras walls. It was terrible to imagine that he had killed Toothless. But since she asked... and purely as a what-if...

"I don't know. My tribe, my old pack, would have been proud of me. I'd have been the true pride of Berk and would have been respected, finally. Everything would have been different... better maybe as I saw it then..."

But there was another obvious truth, now that he thought about the situation and truly tried to imagine how life would have progressed if he had killed Toothless.

"For a while, but I wouldn't really be any different. I'd still be little and weak compared to everyone there, so I'd probably feel like I had to keep proving myself to them. I'd do that by killing more dragons, more Night Furies, probably, if I could. That... might become my whole life."

She grunted in agreement.

"Yes, and you are doing that now in a different way."

He crossed his arms and scowled with righteous indignation. She had gone too far in saying that.

"How! How is making peace the same as killing them or your kind? That is stupid! You're smarter than that!"

She snarled in his face. He did not blink or recoil at all.

"Your idea of peace will change us! What do you want us to be, your mounts? Would you have each human pair get a dark wing or a light wing of its own to ride on and be carried on and have do work for them? Are we only horses with wings?"

He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, silently counting to ten to avoid an outburst of anger and frustration. How could she even suggest anything like that after everything she had seen? After all the times he assured her that was an unreasonable fear? After seeing everything that was happening right now just above in Edoras?

It was like she had stubbornness issues.

"My old pack had a saying about dragons. A dragon will always go for the kill," he whispered.

"Why does that matter?"

"Burning-Star didn't go for the kill. You aren't going for the kill now."

"So?"

"You are not dragons. Not dragons as my old pack understood them, anyway. You are not cruel and uncaring monsters. You are more than just animals. Everything my old pack knew about you was always wrong."

He looked away from her out to the dark plain.

"Moonbeam, you are not stupid. Why are you holding onto... the old way, fear, and distrust of humans? Please, I want to know."

"Because we are safer out there! We cannot be hurt and used by humans and others if we are flying on our own and free of them."

"Do you still think that about humans? Even after everything you've seen?"

She lay her head on her paws and did not answer for a long time. Her voice was much softer when she continued.

"I do not know what to think. I see the peace you are making, and it... might be good. But what happens when one of us has a fight with a human? What happens when your kind remembers that we are not toothless, clawless, and flameless?"

He shrugged.

"People fight sometimes. Life isn't perfect. That doesn't mean giving up is better, especially when giving up would probably mean more and worse fighting later. Just because you could hurt humans doesn't mean that you will try to."

She still looked skeptical, so he continued.

"Alright, let's think about it this way instead: what if you're right? The humans eventually stop trusting you dragons, try to use you, and even turn on you. Then you can just fly away and go somewhere else that is safer."

"You are assuming that we even have a chance to fly. My sire and dam did not. If I had not been flying that day, the thrall-dragons might not have seen me and known where..." she snarled and went silent.

Her words echoed in the silence that followed.

Her father and mother defended their den and their children, and were killed over a decade ago by some unknown, grisly dragon hunter that used other dragons as tools and weapons. She was forced to flee the den while carrying her infant sister, and she saw from afar as her parents were killed. She was forced to grow up far too quickly and to provide for two even before she had fire of her own.

It was incredible that she had done all that and risen to the challenge despite the grief she must have felt. Seeing a loved parent, let alone both of them, die must have been so...

_Oh gods..._

He had a flash of clarity and pity as so much about who she was and what she struggled with made perfect sense.

He turned to her and scooted closer without looking away from her. She closely watched him as he settled down just before her. Then he held out his hands, palms up, before her chin. He had not yet touched her a single time, and it was entirely her choice to do so if she wanted it.

"What are you doing?" she snorted.

"What happened to your parents was not your fault," he whispered.

She blinked and lifted her head from her paws.

"No, it was not my fault. I know that."

"Not your fault that you had to raise your sister from when she was a cub."

"I know!" she barked.

"Not your fault."

"I know! It was that human and his thrall-dragons!" she bared her teeth.

"Not your fault."

Her eyes narrowed on him as she wordlessly snarled.

"Not your fault."

Her claws scratched against the rock.

"Not your fault."

"Hiccup... what are... you..."

"Not your fault."

She breathed heavily and hung her head slightly without looking away from him.

"I... I do not... understand..." she whined.

"Not. Your. Fault."

Something broke.

She leaned forward into his hands with a weak whine and gasp. Tears fell freely down her muzzle as he leaned his forehead against hers.

He said nothing, settling for gently holding her muzzle as she trembled and wept freely. His own tears on her behalf mingled with hers. How long he stayed there he was not sure; he could and would stay there all night if she needed it.

How long had it been since she let out the hurt or openly faced it? She had been forced to grow up and be there for her baby sister. Had she secretly blamed herself for being seen flying over the den? Had the pain laid there, unchallenged and unrecognized, for over a decade without closure? How easy was it then to blame the entirety of another group whom she did not truly know?

All her hate and anger toward humans was just because she was hurting, unknowingly blaming herself and needing someone else to blame.

She eventually leaned back from him with her head still hung. Then she gave the faintest of purrs. It was the first time he had ever heard her purring.

"Moonbeam..."

"H... Hiccup..."

"You did nothing wrong. You are so brave."

"It... feels like I did. They would be alive if... I had not... been seen."

"You don't know that. The bad human probably knew where you were. He would have found you eventually..."

"Maybe..."

"He is gone now, and you will never see him again. So don't give him any more power over you."

She gasped and weakly whispered.

"I still see it in my dreams. How... do I move on? Do I try to forget them, my sire and dam? I do not... know what to do..."

He paused, unsure what to say at first. He had not been planning to give her anything like life advice. He also hadn't experienced anything so terrible himself.

"No. Don't forget them. Listen to me: there was nothing you could have done differently. You are not to blame. Honestly, do you believe that?"

"I... could have fought more or..." she protested.

He remembered the scar that streaked down her front.

"How? You did not have fire back then. You got a scar from the fight, so you almost died. No. Your parents told you to flee with your sister. You did what you had to do. You would both have died if you stayed."

She said nothing, but she didn't object either. That was promising.

"What would they want you to do now? Would they want you to be stuck... living forever in that moment when they died?"

"Probably... not. But..."

She sighed, staring at her paws.

"Saying that does not help me feel... warmer. It does not change that they are dead."

He frowned.

"Okay, how about this? What would that hunter want? More death and killing is probably what he would want. If I know humans, he was liked by many of them in that world we came from. They... probably thought he was a hero. I want this world to be one where people like him never happen. You must know that our kinds being apart and on our own is not the answer. It does not help us learn to trust each other."

She took a deep breath and slowly looked up to him as she blinked away the remaining tears.

"No, it does not..." she whispered.

"And do you believe that you did nothing wrong? What happened is not your fault," he whispered.

"I... yes... I see that now... you are right..."

Relieved that she had finally accepted that, he let her admission hover in the air for a long time. There was simply no need to say anything else.

Though, there was something they could do to further help her. Talking about problems helped, but it was probably not enough on its own.

"Do you want to come up to the feast? The rest of the pack, most of it anyway, is still up there now."

He and she looked up at the blazing, flickering lights in Edoras. The party was still ongoing and likely would continue all night long, if the Rohirrim were at all like Berkians.

"I'm sure they still have some food they could share," he added.

She chuckled softly at that.

"Smelling the burning meat has been twisting..." she admitted.

"So let's see if they saved us some," he proposed.

He hopped down from the rock as she did likewise.

"Will you... walk with me?" she whispered.

He slowly put a hand on her neck, and she did not recoil or flinch at all.

"Yes, I will."

She purred very softly and started up the steep slope. He walked at her side up out of the darkness and toward the many voices of laughter and conversation. Toward the Furies peacefully sitting around and warming themselves next to bonfires. Toward the humans sitting at tables and sharing stories with each other and even with some of the more eager Furies, mostly the fledglings, sitting closest to them.

Toward light and life.

* * *

Toothless stepped out of the noise in the Golden Hall. He wanted a little more peace and quiet outside under the stars, and he was also curious where Hiccup had wandered off to. Hiccup had been gone a while if what he meant to do was take Lightning some food and water.

He paused on the rock-steps up to the Golden Hall because he saw much of the pack sitting peacefully around fires and many humans. Then he gasped in surprise when he saw Hiccup standing at Moonbeam's shoulder. Hiccup had a paw on her neck, and she did not look afraid of anything. They were not talking or doing anything except being there for each other in an act of silent trusting and bonding.

It was a warmth he had thought she could never have or show.

The possibility that she would be happier and more trusting now, that she had somehow changed or shed old life-scales, filled his soul-fire with warmth that he had not felt in a long time.

Then he allowed himself a spark of hope.

While Jumps-At-Fire had been wrong about many things, she was not wrong that some ceremonies were not good or needed anymore. While her reasons were twisted, she had been willing to be with him even with him being grounded on his own.

Maybe Moonbeam could learn to ignore old ceremonies, and could accept him as he was. He would not use her like he did with Jumps-At-Fire.

He wanted so much more.

* * *

_**Author's Note – The Gimli-Legolas drinking game should have been an even contest in the film. Elves, as anyone who read the Hobbit will know, can get drunk.**_


	44. Tested

Tested

* * *

Finished meeting with a pair of cattle herders, Hiccup finally had a moment of peace, so he went over to a well to draw some water for Lightning and let his thoughts drift.

Two days had passed since the celebratory feast. In that time he, the Alpha pair, and King Theoden had begun discussing tasks which the adult Furies could help with. He also had taken it on himself to meet more of the Rohirrim whenever possible to learn what they really thought about their new neighbors and allies.

He was tired and frustrated.

The general opinion among the Rohirrim adults was that the Furies were useful fighters to have around. While definitely true, it was not the ideal impression for everyone to have. That was nowhere more evident from how a few of the soldiers who had approached him had openly asked if they would get a dragon of their own to train.

He had patiently explained that no, that is not how the relationship works at all. There is no training in the relationship, and the Furies are not like horses or mounts.

The relatively quick recoveries and lack of infection among the people who had their battle injuries licked had definitely helped to spread goodwill. So there was that.

The parents he had spoken to expressed more open worry about their kids being around dragons. That was also... understandable. He had reminded the worried parents that these were not man-eating dragons and that the Furies were also trusting the humans to be around the cubs, at least whenever that happened.

But what he was most frustrated by were the reactions of some of the kids. While very eager, they had also asked him for pet dragons of their own to ride like he did with Toothless. They were not afraid of being around dragons, but theirs was not an opinion he wanted to promote.

Some of their reaction was probably from their upbringing. They learned to ride horseback relatively early in life, so it was hard to be frustrated with them... falling back on that way or not knowing anything different at first.

At least some of the young adults had the right idea.

There was a small group of young adults including Adney, Wynfryth, and Haleth whom he had seen interacting peacefully and respectfully with Windripper, Toothless, Breath-Of-Sky, and Mystery. And of course Eowyn and Snowflame were friendly with each other.

No one had gone on any shared flights yet though. He had asked his packmates to tell him if they planned on taking that crucial step.

He finally finishing drawing the water and then departed for Lightning's stable. Hunts-In-Deep-Waters was resting in the warm sunlight outside the den when he arrived.

"How is she?" he whispered.

"She is sleeping more. She only gets up to relieve herself now."

He nodded and then held up the bucket.

"I brought her some water."

"Leave it inside the den and let her sleep," Hunts-In-Deep-Waters hummed.

He left the bucket just inside the stable and did not bother her as she slept in peace. Then he returned to Hunts-In-Deep-Waters's side.

"You just come get me when... it's time. I'll be... around."

Hunts-In-Deep-Waters nuzzled his shoulder in thanks. Hiccup bowed to him while purring softly in gratitude.

After leaving the stable and while on his way up to the Hall, he rolled his eyes in amusement when he realized what he had done: involuntarily purring.

_I'm really picking up some habits from them. As long as I don't go around licking people..._

* * *

Hiccup stood with Eowyn at a table within the Golden Hall. She smoothed out the map of all Rohan once again, since that map kept rolling itself up. He had just explained some of his ideas on specific tasks the Furies could aid with to make themselves useful and earn their keep.

"It will be difficult to convince the farmers and shepherds," she said.

"I know it sounds crazy, but it can work."

She rolled her eyes and leaned against the table.

"It is still so strange to believe. Dragons will be helping to herd our cattle. You remember what happened with the horses getting spooked?" Eowyn reminded him.

Starlight had been working on regaining steady flight and had gotten a little low over one of the nearby pastures. That had scared the grazing horses and sent them into a braying, neighing frenzy that took part of the morning to settle down.

"That was an accident, and everything was fine. I can't blame the horses for being afraid. Still, we know to be more careful. Herding the cattle will also go a lot better once everyone learns what to do."

She again smoothed out the large map. He inspected it some more, considering the more fertile places where some crops were grown. There were not many such places in Rohan, but there were a few.

"We're willing to help with plowing when that's needed. Burning-Star did that in the Shire," he explained.

She nodded.

"That will be a great aid. Having them patrolling the borders is also a very sound strategy. We would have advance warning if any rogue Uruk patrols or other foes were to invade," she said.

He was glad that she saw the obvious tactical advantage of dragon patrols on the borders.

"Easily. We could fly back and warn everyone faster than any rider on horseback. I was thinking about having four of us stationed... let's see... one near the Gap of Rohan, one past the Eastfold along the White Mountains, and two along the Entwash. They can rotate duties and hunt a little on their own if there's anything wild to catch."

"True. Anything else to share?"

"Not right now. Will you talk about this with King Theoden?"

"I will," she curtly answered.

"Thanks. Any idea where he is?"

"He went to speak with my brother and his other advisers about the army," she answered while scowling.

He knew why she had to be upset.

"You are not included in that council?"

She crossed her robed arms and stared at the empty throne.

"No, he leaves more of these matters of provisions to me. Commanders and leaders of armies are expected to lead the battles and be ready for war. He will ask me to ensure the supplies for any conflict that may happen, but he does not want me in combat. He does not trust me."

She sounded a little bitter about that and possibly not correct. Her adoptive father probably just wanted to keep her safe... not so differently from how his own father had wanted him to stay inside during all the raids. The difference was of course that she was entirely competent at combat whereas he was... not.

"I don't know about that. He trusts you to provide for, lead, and protect your people in his place. My old tribe didn't trust me much because I wasn't a fighter like them. Then I had my chance to prove myself, and I learned that I wanted another way."

"What other way was that?"

He paused and frowned, thinking back to that moment that changed his life forever.

"The way of... peace and life instead of... glory and honor."

She seemed unconvinced.

"Those are well and good, but the peace is only protected through deeds of valor and bravery. I saw your bow. Are you a fine archer?"

He felt slightly guilty that he hadn't practiced with Inferno at all since naming the bow. But there were other, more important activities that got in the way and took up most of his time since then.

"I'm still learning, and I haven't practiced as much as I should. I can keep most of the arrows within a couple paces at a distance of fifty paces."

"Is that so? That is not bad for one who has not practiced much."

"Thanks. I knew how to shoot back among my old tribe, not that they valued archery as much as the ax. That it's an Elven bow might help a little too..."

"How did you come by so fine a bow?"

"It was a gift I got in Rivendell. I didn't join the Fellowship, but Lord Elrond wanted me to have a weapon of my own. I don't have the build for a sword, hammer, ax, or spear, but the bow and arrow are more my style. I hope to one day get so good that I never miss again!"

She looked very amused.

"Did you say that Night Furies never miss?"

"Yep, that's the saying."

She leaned against the table, a dreamy look in her eyes.

"I saw them above Helm's Deep during the battle. So powerful. And yet they can be so gentle too. What must that be like to have flames? How much better could one protect those one loves?"

His thoughts also went back to that fateful night. Blasts of fire rained down on the mindless horde of Uruks. Arrows flew by the hundreds from within the fortress.

Toothless's fire had protected him from the Barrow-wight, Nazgul, Vorunturth, and the cold.

He had no idea what it would be like to have fire of his own. If only there was a way that he could...

An idea came to him with a renewed flash of inspiration.

"Wait! Gods, I am an idiot! It's so easy!"

"What?"

He stepped back and started pacing.

"It'll change the weight some, but it only needs a little fabric, some oil for soaking, some practice, a lot of practice, and I can get a forge right here to do the fletching and work, and..."

"Haddock!" Eowyn shouted.

He blinked and stepped back.

"My lady..."

"Is this one of your... crazy ideas?"

"Yes, I'll... need supplies... and a forge..."

"I can have them and a smithy provided for your use. Go," she shooed him off.

* * *

He got permission to claim one of the forges as his own for as long as he needed. The smithy was somewhat off on its own and not too far from the slope the Furies rested on. He also acquired the needed supplies, and then he got to work, which was mostly just tearing very fine strips of fabric and then soaking them in lantern oil and some animal fats. Once soaked and dried, those flammable strips would wrap around the lengths of the arrows or just behind the arrowheads.

He would have flaming arrows and therefore be able to shoot fire of his own! The only remaining problem was where the spark was to come from. Toothless could easily provide that whenever needed.

Pleased with his progress, he stepped back from the messy table.

"Alright, that does it for having fire... sort of."

Next among his smithing pursuits had to be armor and a helmet. Black, obviously, for both. It might even be possible to work with shed Night Fury scales, though he didn't have any of those available. He hadn't been collecting any so far. The best he could do for now was work with normal leather and darken it. Lightweight armor was definitely more his style anyway compared to heavy armor.

Even with the planned armor and helmet and his current bow and arrows, it still felt like something was missing. He wouldn't have something that he... really ought to have.

He left the smithy and went out to walk on his own and think about that unknown problem. He walked past the Golden Hall and arrived at a slight clearing overlooking the golden plain and distant White Mountains. His Elven robes fluttered in the crisp wind as he stared across the plain. He briefly wondered wondered where Toothless and family had gone off to, since he hadn't seen any of them all day. Toothless certainly couldn't have gone far. He had said something about going on a walk.

"What am I missing?"

The wind gusted and whipped his green robes. Then the obvious truth struck him. He needed wings to complete his Night Fury look!

"Duh, I'm an idiot!"

Making an actual wingsuit was a much crazier idea than flaming arrows, but this was also an idea he had before. Not only would the wingsuit look appropriate, it would also let him fly... in a way!

"I am so doing this!"

He ran back to his smithy, began digging through his supplies, and grabbed a length of leather. The leather was a pale brown, not the right color at all, but it could be charred and blackened with coals.

"Yes, this is not too bad... it can work!"

He began planning out how the wingsuit would be constructed. He would need darkened leather, many straps, fine filaments of steel, lots of twine, joints, and more. Nothing he lacked would be too hard to make on his own. This was a project for several days and lots of experimenting and tinkering, but if it worked... he would be able to truly fly!

Well, at least he could fall with style. He was going to keep this a surprise until it was finished.

Toothless and family didn't need to know about this project until it was done and the wingsuit was ready for a test flight. Then they could all fly together as a family.

He could see it already. Gliding beside Toothless, teasing Breath-Of-Sky, diving through clouds, soaring with the...

"Haddock, is that you?" Adney cried out.

He spun around in alarm and hid the length of leather behind his back, though he was not sure why.

"Adney, Adney, hey there..."

She stood in the doorway, put her hands on her hips, and stared at him in surprise.

"What's going on? What's... all this?" she waved and gestured at... all of him.

He nervously chuckled and set aside the leather.

"Oh, I was, you see, making an outfit."

"An outfit?"

"Well, I was planning one very special outfit... suit... thing."

"Huh?"

"It's kind of a secret, so I can't say anything else. Sorry."

She stared at him. He stared back at her. Then she shrugged.

"Alright, have it your way. What's with the arrows?"

He massaged his neck, unsure why he was so uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"They are flammable now. Having flaming arrows fits with the whole dragon-theme of my life."

She walked inside and picked up one of the flammable arrows.

"I see. You know doing this totally throws off the balance of the shot. You won't be accurate at all."

"Maybe. I just need practice. Anyway, this is more... symbolic than anything."

She set aside the arrow.

"Okay. I was talking with one of the dragons earlier, Breath-Of-Sky I think it was. He is very friendly," she said.

"Oh yeah, remember him from the party?"

"I do. He followed your friend everywhere."

"He's Burning-Star's little brother and almost like a little brother to me too," he explained.

"Little brother?"

He waved his hands.

"Figuratively."

"I see..."

He frowned.

"That guy has never known how bad humans can be."

She stepped closer to him and leaned against the table.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she kindly asked.

"Not really. It's better to let the past stay in the past. You are good people, and everyone in the pack feels safe here."

He paused, wondering what she thought now that she had more opportunity to get to know the Furies. She didn't have a problem with them before, but her experience might help him understand what he could expect from other Rohirrim.

"What do you think of the dragons now that you've gotten to know them better? Be honest."

She crossed her arms on her chest.

"They are not at all what I thought dragons would be like," she finally answered.

"How so?"

"The ones we heard about or have in tales were all like Scatha or Smaug up in Erebor. But none of the Furies care at all for gold or cruelty. They like stories, jokes, and riddles though."

"Yes, they do like those. Any type of playing also."

"Definitely. Especially for the cubs. Other than that, I don't really know any of them well enough to say much more about them."

An awkward silence followed until she gestured at the table and the ashen-cold forge.

"So, you got yourself a smithy now?"

"Yep, Lady Eowyn gave it to me to use as long as I need it. I wasn't kidding when I said that I know my way around a forge."

Her eyebrows lifted.

"So this is your craft. I thought you were joking last time."

He winced.

"Well, to be fair... that wasn't my forge! So I wasn't so... comfortable in it."

She rolled her eyes.

"Sure. That's why you fell on your backside."

"It was an accident!" he protested.

She nodded and then walked to the edge of the forge.

"Well, Haddock, I'll let you get back to... whatever you were doing."

"Sounds good, see you later Adney!"

"Don't burn down the smithy!"

He stared after her as she left. Did she really think he could fail that badly and burn down the forge? No, she was just teasing him. To be fair, she was not being unreasonable, given what she had seen from him so far.

Then he grabbed his paper and pencil, and got back to work, sketching out designs for certain parts of his wingsuit. He could already visualize the finished design, but putting it to paper helped when making any modifications or improvements.

However, his thoughts wandered to something Adney said. There was one specific issue concerning the Furies and which it would probably be best to resolve sooner rather than later.

None of the Furies had expressed any care for gold or treasure; however, it was also likely that none of them had been exposed to gold or hoards before. Not like Toothless had anyway.

Gandalf and Elrond thought that Toothless was especially impacted by gold because he had been around Sauron's presence through the Ring, which made some sense, but even the rest of the Furies might have been... touched by that other, even more ancient Enemy when they came here to Middle-earth.

He didn't know if the other Furies would want to hoard gold or would become violent around treasure. The possibility of a Fury finding someone's treasure or gold by chance and there then being an incident was not one he wanted to risk.

He, Toothless, and the Alphas, at the very least, needed to know if any others in the pack were affected.

Fortunately, there was an easy way to safely test that while having just the person needed there in case anything went wrong.

* * *

"King Theoden, may I speak to you in private?"

"Certainly, Master Haddock."

King Theoden dismissed his commander and gestured for him to follow him outside. They exited one of the Golden Hall's rear doors, stopped on the cliff, and looked out over the swaying, golden fields while the warm wind flowed down the plains.

"We may speak now."

"King Theoden, I want your help figuring something out about the dragons."  
"What might that be?"

He took a deep breath to steady himself. He was sure that King Theoden would be understanding about this, but he was still nervous about bringing up this issue.

"The stories that you and your people have about dragons are about ones like Smaug and Scatha: ones that had gold hoards."

"That is true."

"I know Burning-Star and I trust him completely, but he has had problems being... tempted by gold before."

Theoden did not react beyond looking more curious.

"Please explain."

"It started after we first flew to Middle-earth. We lived near the Ring without even knowing about it, and the Ring might have... done something to him to make him want gold. He fights against that temptation and does not let it control him. I want to find out if the rest of the Furies feel any temptation like he does."

"How would you propose we do this?"

This was the awkward part.

"Well, King, I was wondering if I could bring Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall to see your... treasury."

Theoden stared at him in surprise.

"Master Haddock, did I hear that correctly? You want to show a couple of the dragons my treasury, such as it is?"

"Yeah, it sounds very strange, I know. All we'd have to do is show them some of the treasure, let them see the gold, and ask them if they feel anything. We can have Gandalf there too just in case."

Theoden paced for a few moments and then nodded.

"I do not object. What if they do have desire for gold and hoards?"

"I'm not sure. They can control themselves, and Toothless always resisted that desire. I'd talk about it with the whole pack and find out from them."

"Very well. Let us do this soon. There is no sense in waiting."

"Understood. I will get Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall when they are back."

* * *

"You want to learn if there is rot in our soul-fires?" Snowfall asked.

"I do not understand," Flame-In-The-Night grumbled.

Hiccup grimaced.

"I don't think it will be a problem either, but we need to know if it is."

"But why would we want to sit on shiny rocks? That is twisted," Snowfall added.

"I never said it made sense. I told you about the ice dragon that was sitting on gold in a cave, right?"

Both Alphas grumbled.

"Yes, that is bad-wrong-thought-twisted of it!" she barked.

"Won't argue with you there."

Flame-In-The-Night stepped closer to him and sat down.

"How do you want to learn if we have this... thought-rot?"

"You both come up to the Golden Hall with me. King Theoden will bring us some of his gold to see. You both look at the gold and then tell us if you feel any... twisted thoughts."

The Alphas glanced over their shoulders to the cubs who were being watched over by others in the pack. Free-Flight was busy at play.

"We can do that. We want to learn this too. Is now good?" Snowfall asked.

"Yes, now is perfect."

He led them both up to the Golden Hall where Theoden was probably ready for them. The plan was simple, and there would only be six people inside the Hall for this test. He, Gandalf, and Theoden would be there alongside Toothless, with his starlight pendant, and both Alphas. Theoden would bring out a chest of gold or other valuables for the Alphas to see. Then they would hopefully be able to relate if they felt any desire to hoard the gold. It was a carefully designed plan so that there was minimal chance of anything going seriously wrong.

Theoden greeted them at the main entrance to the Hall.

"Are you all ready?" the King asked.

"Yes, we are," Hiccup answered.

They all entered. The inside of the Golden Hall, the same place where a massive festival had been held only days before, was now cleared of tables. Gandalf stood next to Toothless beside a wooden chest. Toothless was wearing his Lorien pendant around his neck.

"Welcome, Alphas. Are you ready?" Toothless asked.

They walked before him and then sat down.

"Yes, let us see the gold," Flame-In-The-Night said.

Theoden opened the chest for them to see what was inside. Hiccup followed their gazes as they all stared at the small piles of gold and silver coins inside. It was not much for a treasury, but it was enough for this purpose.

Toothless was the first to look away and then lope over to his side. Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall remained staring down into the chest. They were not growling or doing anything openly strange, but they appeared interested by what they saw.

"So?" Hiccup warily began.

Both Alphas stepped back, blinking rapidly and shaking their heads as they faced him.

"That is... twisted..." Snowfall muttered.

"So what do you two think about it?"

Flame-In-The-Night nuzzled Snowfall's neck while glaring at the chest.

"The rocks... feel like they have a whispering voice that is bad-twisted!" he growled.

"I do not like the rocks!" Snowfall whispered.

Gandalf started pacing after slamming the chest closed using his staff.

"This is curious. The rest of you feel some allure, but it is not strong at all... at least it is not as strong as what you, Toothless, felt."

"Can you make us not feel that... twisted-voice?" Flame-In-The-Night asked.

Gandalf shook his head.

"No, good dragon, I cannot do anything for you about that. It is important for you all to know about this... temptation... you have. Knowing about it is most of the battle, as I told another."

Gandalf glanced at Toothless as he said this.

"Very true," Toothless sighed.

"Does this twistedness grow stronger?" Snowfall warily asked.

"I do not know beyond any doubt. It might only get stronger if you see very big hoards or, what is more likely, if you meet an evil that Toothless has met," Gandalf explained.

The Alphas turned to Toothless, demanding some explanation.

"It is the twisted soul-fire I and Hiccup told you and the pack about. The humans are fighting against that bad thing and want to be free of it," he said.

Gandalf nodded and addressed Theoden.

"If you would heed my council, I believe this will not be a problem. Yes, they will feel some temptation, but they have shown their quality already. They are no different from humans, Elves, and Dwarves in being imperfect, especially concerning gold and other precious things."

Theoden nodded.

"True, we People of the Mark have never been greatly interested in treasure and gold. Honor, loyalty, peace, and freedom to live on our own have always been more important."

Gandalf resumed his pacing while speaking.

"And... if the Enemy is destroyed as we hope for, that great victory might free the dragons even further from that temptation, though I cannot be certain of that."

Theoden met the gazes of all in the Hall.

"I understand. I would have us keep this discussion and what we learned between ourselves, at least as it concerns my people. It could be problematic if the common folk hear that the dragons might covet gold at all."

Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall nodded.

"We will speak with the pairs in the pack and let them know of this... thought-twistedness to not be prey to," Snowfall answered.

"We agree that knowing about the danger is better than not knowing," Flame-In-The-Night added.

The Alphas then bent their heads to Theoden and left the Hall. The King watched them go and then turned to Gandalf.

"I believe them," Theoden calmly said.

Toothless huffed.

"They are less twisted than me, and I survived seeing a hoard in the wild and the golden floor in Erebor!"

"You were in Erebor?" Gandalf exclaimed.

"Yes, King Dain wanted to test me by having me walk out onto their golden floor."

Gandalf's impressive eyebrows lifted.

"Did he indeed? How did that go?"

Hiccup chuckled.

"He let all of Erebor hear that he is not Smaug. His roar might still be echoing underground."

Toothless rolled his eyes and tapped his tail on the floor.

"And I left a mark in the floor. The Dwarves believed me in the end."

Gandalf nodded and then faced Hiccup, seeing his thoughtfulness.

"What are you wondering, Master Haddock?"

"I... I'm not sure what to think. I hoped that the rest of the Furies couldn't feel that temptation and that Toothless was an... unlucky case because of the Ring. I wish that they didn't have that... evil in their hearts."

Oddly, Gandalf frowned at something he said.

"That is not precise, Master Haddock. There is no evil in feeling temptation. What matters is how one responds to that temptation. It may be that all dragons, just like humans, Elves, and Dwarves, have a natural desire to hoard wealth and power. The Ring only strengthened that in Toothless because he was closer to it."

Gandalf paused and leaned on his staff.

"It would not be the first time a great relic caused harm simply by being. Not even the Elves were above temptation," he gruffly muttered.

"Elves? They can be tempted?" Hiccup wondered.

"Indeed they can! They even fought against each other in terrible Kinslayings. Two of the three Silmarils were lost long ago because of Elven greed."

Toothless still looked disturbed as he stared down at his paws. Gandalf noticed that.

"What is bothering you, good dragon?" Gandalf kindly asked.

"I wish that my kind did not have those temptations. We might be strong enough to fight the twisted wants now, but what if that changes in the future?"

Gandalf looked between him and Hiccup.

"It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but rather we ought do what we can to make better the world we know. Uproot the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have cleaner earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to worry about. Fearing what might happen is good if it moves you to action now. Be aware of the temptation, resist it, grow stronger against it, and endure. None can do more than that."

Toothless purred, thinking over that advice.

"I understand that very well."

Gandalf stroked his beard.

"And keep Galadriel's gift close to you. I have no doubt it offers you special protection, as befits your special situation."

Toothless brushed his pendant with a forepaw.

"I will. It is... my hoard."

A moment of silence followed until everyone grinned and laughed in wry amusement.

* * *

Hiccup left the Golden Hall after finishing a quick meal of bread and soup. It had been another long day of work in the forge on his secret project, and he was eager for some rest.

While the Furies were perfectly content to sleep outside under the open sky, he had been given a very simple house that was his to use if he wished. He had no great interest in doing so unless there was bad weather expected. This was going to be another clear night, and he also needed to be ready to help Lightning at any moment. That is why he was going to spend the night with the pack. His being outside made it easier for him to be found and summoned at short notice.

It was also just habit since he had more or less done this for months on end.

However, there was another topic he wanted to talk to the entire pack about as soon as possible. Specifically, there was a very important aspect of the human-Fury interactions which was inevitably going to come up eventually, especially since the Rohirrim rode horses. This was also probably on his mind because of the several conversations he had with people who wanted pet dragons or dragon-warriors to train.

He scooted down the slope toward all the other present resting Furies, most of whom looked ready to turn in, curling up together or stretching. A few were not here now, but they would hear about this from others in the pack.

"Pack! I must speak!"

Many of them bounded down from their rocks and approached him or otherwise gave him their attention from where they lay.

Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall crept up to the front of the assembly next to Toothless, Breath-Of-Sky, Moonbeam, and Mystery.

"Hiccup! What would you speak about?" Flame-In-The-Night asked.

"Yes, what is twisting your tail?" Snowfall chuckled.

"I wanted to talk about the humans and... them flying with you..."

Everyone started in surprise, tilting their head or tapping their tail on the ground.

"What about it?" Snowfall asked.

He bit his lips, feeling more unsure about this topic. It was a talk that had to happen, but he didn't want to leave anyone with the wrong impression.

"I heard that some of the humans want to fly with some of you. Have any of them talked to you about that?"

Snowflame, Windripper, Breath-Of-Sky, and Mystery nodded or otherwise had very interested looks. He knew about Snowflame and Eowyn already, though they hadn't flown yet.

"Okay, I just wanted to tell you all that letting a human fly with you is special, and it is not something you must do. If you care for a human as a friend and if you want them to touch the sky, then think about letting them fly with you. But never let them use you for flying. Understand?"

"Yes, why are you telling us?" Flame-In-The-Night asked.

"Because many humans have stubbornness issues, and they might fall into thinking about you like their horses that they use to do work or carry them."

Faint growls and snorts of amusement went through the pack.

"Yeah, really silly of them! So I wanted to remind you that humans can be twisted, even if they don't mean any true hurt. That is all."

The pack dispersed rather quickly after that. They broke into their family groups and reclaimed their preferred rocks. The Alphas, Snowflame, Free-Flight, Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, Toothless, and Breath-Of-Sky remained behind.

"How has the talking gone with the pairs?" Hiccup asked the Alphas.

"Well, so far. We have more pairs to talk to next sun, and we shared the danger without being too twisting about it," Snowfall answered.

"Good. Have you thought more about the different flights everyone in the pack could fly?"

He had explained more of the various ideas for how the Furies could contribute more to Rohan through guarding the borders, scouting, herding and protecting cattle, hunting the wilds, and doing heavy labor as needed.

"They have lift. It is good for the two packs to work together," Flame-In-The-Night answered.

"I agree. We will ask all in the pack what work they want to do," Snowfall purred, "And it was good of you to remind the young that riding and carrying can be a trap."

Hiccup winced at the word trap.

"It can be a trap if the human has bad reasons for wanting to fly with us. Not all humans will be twisted though," Toothless explained.

Hiccup nodded in agreement; he couldn't have said it better himself.

"And I'll help make sure that any flying that does happen goes well and for good reasons."

Everyone else turned to depart.

"Snowflame?"

"Hiccup?" she paused and glanced over at him.

"How are your wings?"

"Better. I am not stretching them yet, but they do not hurt now."

"Good, I'll tell Eowyn. She'll be glad to hear it."

Snowflame purred softly.

"I already told her."

"You did? And did you tell her what you told me: that you want her to fly with you?"

"Yes, she was a little twisted, but she also liked it," she purred.

"I thought she would."

The Alphas, Snowflame, and Free-Flight left to return to their rock.

Sky-Dancer stepped over to him and gently nudged him to get his attention. He and all in the family started walking together.

"I did not think you would talk to the pack about riding and carrying," she hummed.

"Why would a human... use one of us?" Breath-Of-Sky innocently asked.

"There are plenty of reasons that are not good. One is to make you into fighters for them," he grumbled after a moment of thought.

There were other, more unpleasant reasons, which Breath-Of-Sky simply didn't need to hear about.

Sky-Dancer hopped up on the rock and made space for Breath-Of-Sky under a wing. Breath-Of-Sky and Far-Flight both joined her up there.

He and Toothless were about to do the same when Moonbeam trotted up to them.

"Hello Moonbeam!" he said.

"Hiccup, Burning-Star," she purred in greeting as she sat down.

"What's up?"

"I just wanted to say I approve of what you said. I... would not want to carry a human, but if others do... that is good for them," she said.

"Fair enough. I agree entirely."

She purred and faced Toothless.

"Burning-Star, thank you for today."

"You are welcome, Moonbeam."

She trotted away. Toothless stared after her until she hopped up on her rock beside Mystery.

"Bud, what was that about?"

Toothless huffed and loped away, probably to speak on their own, so he followed him a short distance from the family rock. He leaned against another rock while Toothless lay flat on the ground.

"I walked a lot with Moonbeam, and we talked much about life."

Hiccup faced Toothless, curious what he and Moonbeam had talked about.

"Did you two talk about... her past?"

Toothless sighed and nodded.

"We did. She went to be alone yesterday to think more about what you said. She was blaming herself for her sire and dam being dead. That was making her angry at... all humans."

"And how is she now? I haven't talked to her since the party."

Toothless purred.

"She... feels much warmer now. Yes, she still flies on her own and keeps away from the humans here, but I believe she is different. It will take time before she is like... us."

Hiccup nodded, understanding that. Change and healing was not immediate, and it would take time before she felt truly comfortable. What was important was that she was going in the right direction. She accepted her past, learned from it, and listened when someone else wanted to help her move on.

"Good for her."

Toothless then faced him.

"What about you? Did you do anything today?"

"Yeah, I figured how to make arrows I can set on fire."

Toothless chuffed.

"That is good. You are more like a dragon now!"

Hiccup grinned.

"Yeah, I'm still working on that."

"What do you mean?"

"That is a surprise! It'll be amazing when it's done."

Toothless grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Is this another of your crazy-Hiccup maybe get yourself killed unless I am there to save you ideas?"

"Hey!"

"Yes, it is..."

"Maybe..."

"Great..." Toothless groaned.

"It'll be fine! I won't... can't try this without you there to keep me safe."

"Very reassuring..."

"It should be."

Toothless snorted and turned away, visibly pouting.

"Hatchling... no, cub..." he barked.

"Nope, fledgling..." Hiccup grinned.

"What?"

"You'll see, bud. You'll see."


	45. Truths

Truths

* * *

"Hiccup!" a muffled voice cried out.

Hiccup groaned and rolled out from under the warm wing as Toothless similarly shifted. It was the middle of the night. Who would wake him and Toothless up right now?

He blinked, yawned, and looked up into concerned yellow eyes. There was only one Fury adult who had such eyes.

"Hunts-In-Deep-Waters, what is it?" he asked, yawning again.

"The cub is coming!"

_Huh? What? Oh..._

All his weariness and confusion was instantly gone as he jumped to his feet.

"Oh, okay... I will get Haerfara!"

He ran up the slope with Toothless scrambling along behind him. There was no time to waste. It felt like only seconds later that he started pounding on the door to her house. The elderly woman immediately answered the door, as though she had been awake anyway. She probably had been, given the chair by the lit fireplace and the knitting supplies on the ground by the chair.

"It's time?" she simply asked.

"Yes."

"Alright, get the stuff on the table."

He grabbed the blankets, bucket of water, and a small knife which he pocketed. Then he followed her hobbling steps outside toward the stable. Toothless fell in beside him.

"Ready?" Toothless whispered.

"Nope."

"Just like our flying the first time?"

"Not helpful, bud..." he grumbled.

Toothless snorted and gently shoved his shoulder.

"What I meant was that you were fine when you trusted yourself."

"Fair enough. Thanks."

He said nothing else as he continued to the stable. As he expected, Hunts-In-Deep-Waters was pacing outside the stable, alert for anyone approaching. The Fury saw them and growled softly before realizing who it was.

"Sorry," Hunts-In-Deep-Waters mumbled, "I am worried for her..."

A whine of pain came from inside the stable. Hiccup stepped over to him and put his free hand on the Fury's nose.

"Don't worry. She'll be fine."

Hunts-In-Deep-Waters nodded once, glanced at Haerfara, and then glared at Toothless.

"Burning-Star, you should not be around her now..." he softly growled.

Toothless grumbled.

"I want to be here."

"And I do not want you here..." Hunts-In-Deep-Waters growled.

"What's going on?" Hiccup asked.

Hunts-In-Deep-Waters grumbled and looked down to his paws.

"I... it... is twisted thinking, yes, but my mate is hurting... and I do not want... other males around her."

Hiccup nodded, understanding that reluctance. It was entirely fair to not want anyone not in the family around her now, so he faced Toothless.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. You just stay out here and keep everyone else away."

"Fine. I will," Toothless groaned and lay down.

Satisfied, Hunts-In-Deep-Waters then spun around and bounded into the stable.

"Let's go," Haerfara groaned and fearlessly followed the Fury inside.

Another whine of pain followed from within, and Hiccup stood still, rooted in place out of worry. What if anything went wrong? What if he screwed up? What if the baby didn't make it? What if...

"Go..." Toothless purred.

Hiccup took a deep breath, drew some encouragement from that reassurance, and followed Haerfara into the stable. It was easily one of the strangest and most awkward things he had ever seen inside.

Lightning was on her side in the straw while whining and trembling, clearly in great pain already. Hunts-In-Deep-Waters was sitting by her shoulders and was nuzzling her head while whispering to her. Haerfara was kneeling by her hindquarters and gently feeling her lower belly.

He took another very deep breath to steady himself, squared his shoulders, and went to stand by her. It was so awkward to be involved in this, but he had agreed to do this for the good of the pack, for Lightning, and for the baby.

Lightning groaned again in pain.

"How long will it take?" he nervously asked.

"A few minutes or hours, who knows?" Haerfara shrugged.

_Great..._

* * *

Toothless winced at another yelp of pain from Lightning within the den. Birthing sounded like the most painful thing possible in life. His own losing a tailfin hurt much for a few wingbeats, but even that pain was gone and over quickly as he rolled to a stop in his fall. It had not even hurt after he woke up.

He was going to tell his dam that he was sorry for hurting her when she birthed him long ago.

Birthing did not seem to happen quickly, and the dams all endured it. They knew that it would hurt, but they became dams anyway. The life-warmth of having cubs was greater than the temporary pain the dams felt.

He could not think of anything braver.

Despite that, he wanted to be anywhere other than where he was. Somewhere he could not hear the yelps or growls of pain would be much, much better than being here.

But he had agreed to watch the den and keep anyone else out. The sounds had already awakened some of the humans or brought over interested guards who had wondered what was happening. He had explained the situation, and they had departed, not wanting to involve themselves. That was probably for their own good.

More than them though, he was also worried about Hiccup. True, Hunts-In-Deep-Waters had said that he would help to keep Hiccup safe if Lightning were to do something she did not mean to do. But that was not a reassurance he truly trusted. It was not as though he dared dashing into the birthing den himself. No, doing that would have been a very bad and twisted thing to do, since doing that would probably would result in biting or flaming.

The problem was that he was unable to protect Hiccup right now. He had protected Hiccup from so many dangers already that not doing so now was a change. It felt like a duty of his to be there for Hiccup after having done that so many times before.

Then he heard wings in the sky above as Snowfall dove in and touched down. She looked toward the den and then glanced to him after she heard the sounds of pain from within. She knew what was happening without needing to ask.

"I will bring the pack!" she barked and bounded away into the night.

_Bring the pack? What?_

That was twisted. Was it not better to leave the pair alone for this? Perhaps this was a ceremony he did not know about. Now that he thought about it, there was a comfort ceremony he had heard someone talking about. Perhaps that ceremony is what she meant.

The rest of the pack, everyone who was present anyway, started arriving later. They touched down or scrambled up the hill, adults, fledglings, and cubs, and packed in together a short distance from the occupied den. Even Jumps-At-Fire was present a short distance away on her own.

They started purring very loudly in all their slightly different voices. The united purring filled the night with comfort, presence, and strength. His own purring joined with theirs as he lost his own awareness of time. They were together as a pack to comfort one of their own in a time of need.

It felt like someone was looking at him, so he glanced around. Then he saw Moonbeam's purple eyes as she stared back at him. Neither he nor she looked away or blinked.

There was what looked like a very different feeling in her gaze now, here in this fragile and timeless moment. There had once been cold, subtle condemnation, and lack of trust. Was she truly different, or did he just see what he wanted to see?

He knew what he wanted.

What did she want and could she accept him as he was? He and she had talked much the last few days, but they had not talked about each other as possible mates. He had not yet openly asked her about that so important question burning in his soul-fire.

Maybe he was just afraid of getting an answer he did not want to hear.

Motion up at the den got his attention. The old female, Haerfara, left the den and slowly walked off while carrying the bucket and furs which Hiccup had grabbed from her den.

Hiccup appeared in her place in the door to the den. Hiccup looked very tired, and his furs had a dark stain as though he had been in very bad fighting.

_Great skies, what happened?_

Hiccup then beckoned with a wave of his paw.

He, Wings-Of-Ice, and the Alphas slowly approached the den as silence fell over all. What had happened? There was no more yelping of pain, nor was there a wail of loss. He glanced inside and saw Lightning on her belly with Hunts-In-Deep-Waters coiled around her far side and with a wing over her back.

Hiccup slowly knelt at her head and stroked it.

"Lightning," Hiccup whispered, "do you want to show them?"

The very weary Lightning shifted the wing at her side without even opening her eyes or moving.

His purring resumed when he saw the little female cub resting at Lightning's side and partly hidden under Lightning's tailfins. It was the first time he had ever seen a newborn cub, so small and precious. Her head rested on her forearms as her chest and back rose and fell with every breath. Her tail curled around her side, showing off very tiny fins. She had been wiped or licked clean and was now deeply asleep. The only strange thing about her was that she had no wings, probably because they would grow out eventually.

One more thing to ask his dam about later.

Then Lightning's wing went back in place and hid the sleeping cub from view. Hunts-In-Deep-Waters hummed at them and then nodded toward the door in a clear dismissal.

Hiccup got up and came outside to meet them.

"So?" Snowfall softly asked.

"They are both well. No problems," Hiccup whispered.

"Good. Did they name the cub?" she continued.

Hiccup looked up toward the large golden den that held the bonding-ceremony.

"Yes, she is Hunts-Golden-Light."

The name spread through the pack to much purring of approval. Everyone else, except Wings-Of-Ice who probably wanted to see his sister's new cub more closely or just be around her now, started wandering off to return to rest after hearing that both dam and cub were well.

He remained with Hiccup and gently nudged him with a silent question.

"I don't know..." Hiccup breathed.

"It sounded like it hurt a lot."

"Yeah, it did, but she was so happy when she saw her cub."

Hiccup looked at his bloody furs.

"Haerfara did most of the... involved work this time, but I think I can learn what I need to know... if I'm needed to help anyone else."

He purred and joined Hiccup in staring toward the den. Wings-Of-Ice was sitting just outside the door and gazing within.

"I still do not understand what you think is awkward about it. Helping the dam and the cub is good."

"I agree," Moonbeam hummed as she padded up next to them.

They both jumped in surprise at her sudden appearance.

"Moonbeam, what are you doing here?" Hiccup asked.

She purred softly, gazing toward the den.

"I wanted to see a good thing. Something I... hope can be..."

He and Hiccup glanced at each other and at her. She then loped a short distance away to Mystery. Hiccup then shrugged and wiped his paws on his furs.

"Well, I'm going to get cleaned up and then go back to sleep. See you back there, bud?" Hiccup asked.

"Sure. See you at our family's rock."

Hiccup then walked off into the night, leaving them alone.

He faced Moonbeam again, seeing her gazing at the den as Mystery trotted away toward the rest of the pack. Moonbeam's purring was so beautiful and soul-fire warming but also a little sad. Her fallen ears were a further sign of some inner chill.

Was he so sure what she wanted? It was a little unclear what she meant only a few wingbeats ago. Did she hope to see Hiccup help with a newborn cub? Did she hope to have a cub of her own?

He did not know, so he trotted to her.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"About what?"

"About what just happened: the new cub."

She purred deeply.

"I am glad she and her dam are well. Lightning and her mate deserve that after... what happened before."

"What happened?" he asked, curious.

She huffed and shook her head.

"That is not for me to say."

She then spun around and stared out into the dark plains.

"I want to play in the morning. Running in the grass and up the hills out there would be fun."

"Do you want... me to play with you?" he warily asked.

She chuckled deeply and leaped past him, gently smacking him in the face with her tail.

"What was that for?" he barked.

More of her beautiful laughter followed.

"That is for you twisting your tail! Yes, I want you to play with me!"

Then she hopped into the sky and glided off toward the slope where the pack rested. He so wanted to leap after her and fly for her. Chase her into the sky, up in the moonlight, and...

He thought about that good flight as he walked alone through the night back to the rock with the rest of his family. He remained awake even after Hiccup returned from cleaning himself up and lay down at his side.

The sound of his entire pack humming as one in comfort had long since faded from the skies, but that warming sound had not faded from memory. Far more important for him than the comfort-ceremony was the very brief time he had alone with Moonbeam.

She had just showed him some wanting, some interest in bonding with him through play. That was a good warmth which Jumps-At-Fire had never shown him, not without any prompting anyway.

Between the anticipation of time with Moonbeam and the excitement from the new cub, it was very difficult to go back to sleep.

* * *

Moonbeam was waiting for him when he woke up just after sunrise. He got to his paws, stepped away from his brothers, and stretched everything in the cool morning air and soft wind. Without needing to say anything, he followed her down to the Edoras wall, hopped onto it, and glided down outside onto the plains.

She walked with him and flicked her head toward a distant slope where he knew that a small stream flowed. He followed at her side, neither of them saying anything as they walked through the long grass covered in morning dew. The air was filled with a good chill.

He knew that his thinking was being very twisted just by being around her. Was this anything like how his sire must have felt when being around dam before they became a pair?

They walked down the slope on which were growing several small, woody bushes, and then hopped out onto the sand around the stream. Everything was very peaceful out here on their own.

She bent down to drink from the clear water. He was entirely happy to watch her lapping at the stream.

_She is so beautiful. I..._

Then she lifted her head and turned to him, shaking her head of the water. She sat there staring back at him, ears lifted and with a soft hum.

But he had no idea what to do. Jump at her and pin her? Dance in a spin? Ask her to be his mate if she could accept him?

None of those felt like they had lift alone. Giving in to eagerness had not worked out well with him and Jumps-At-Fire, and that was a life-lesson deeply learned. But he knew he needed to show her some of his wanting and let her know that she was important to him.

She asked him to play with her this morning, so he would!

He lunged and nipped at her tail which she flicked out of the way. Her ears flew up as she spun toward him.

"What is this?" she purred.

"Have you never played before?" he barked.

"Yes! I have! Not... recently..."

He briefly recalled that Breath-Of-Sky had mentioned: that Moonbeam played with the cubs but not with any adults.

"Why not? I want to play!"

She looked away and said nothing immediately. Was she upset or sad about something?

Then she looked back at him, growled with warmth, and crouched down, her tail swaying. She was ready to play. Good.

"Run!" she shouted and leaped at him.

_Great skies!_

He spun and ran away as she chased his tail, running and leaping through the grass, and up and down hills. As fun as it was to be chased by her, chasing her would be better! He pounced on a large boulder, spun around, and started chasing after her; she barked in surprise and dashed away from him.

Chasing her was so soul-fire warming. He had done this before with Jumps-At-Fire, but that had been so different and... less. She had not truly wanted to play with him or bond. Moonbeam did, but did she want more?

Play was good, but... it did not truly help him know if they could fly the winds of life together.

They arrived at the bottom of a valley in which there was a small stream with a sandy bank. She hopped across the stream and then spun to face him as he settled down on his side of the stream.

"You cannot catch me!" she shouted.

He rolled his eyes.

"I let you escape! If I were truly trying to catch you... I would have!"

She snorted and laughed freely. He was very happy to listen to her teasing laughter. But was there more they could do?

Playing roughly with her, play-wrestling, would be very fun, but... she might not be comfortable with that. That kind of play might only be good for a pair of mates or those like mates, since the play could easily become... more.

Something else would be better to show her his wanting and let her feel his soul-fire. What could he do?

Then he noticed a small branch. There was a lot of sand around the stream. There was something she had surely never seen before!

_I know!_

He spun away from her, bounded over to the branch, and brought it back in his jaws.

She looked very confused but also interested in what he was doing.

Then he got to work, carefully dragging the stick through the sand. His tail smoothed his pawprints wherever he stepped.

Spinning. Purring. Lines and curves. A couple dots. A dance of creating and making be.

_Done!_

He bounded away from his creation, tossed away the stick, and sat down, holding his head and shoulders proudly.

She stared at the picture; her jaws were open and eyes wide in amazement. The head, ears, eyes, and wings were very clear in the sand-picture of a Light Fury.

His ability to draw was much better now than it was the first time Hiccup had shown him image-making in dirt.

But did she know what this meant? Hiccup had once said something like a picture was the same as a thousand words, which was very many.

"Burning-Star?" she whispered.

"Moonbeam..."

"What is this?"

"It is you," he purred.

She looked away and hummed, not even her tail moving.

"Not what I meant."

"You know what it means. I want you."

She glanced at him and then stared at the picture again.

"I thought you did," she softly said.

He cautiously walked alongside her, sat down, and was very pleased that she did not move away.

"Yes, I do. You are so beautiful, strong in your soul-fire, and good to your kin. What you did for Mystery all those winters ago... amazing of you."

She purred and looked down to his paws.

"And you are brave, strong, and know more about humans than I do. You have a good, warm soul-fire to your kin also."

She glanced at the picture and then sighed.

"I do not know..."

"What?" he whispered.

She stepped away from him, threw out her wings, and jumped for the sky, settling into a hover above the slope. Then she dove for the top of the ridge.

He got to his paws and started up the ridge on the ground, leaping and bounding after her.

So what if he could not fly!

He arrived at the top of the slope where she was waiting for him. She sat down and curled her tail to her front paws when he sat down beside her.

"What do you not know?" he asked.

She stared off toward Edoras without saying anything for several wingbeats.

"Life is very confusing. How different all might have been."

He was unsure what she meant by that, but it was probably that she wanted to hear more clearly from him what he wanted.

"Moonbeam?"

"What do you want me to say?" she whispered.

"That you will be my life-mate. I want you."

She purred and hung her head.

"I do want that. You want that. But what about... flight?"

"What about it?" he winced.

She sighed.

"We already talked about this. I will not have Hiccup help you... do that for me, for us. What if you need to fly to help me and a cub, but Hiccup is not there? Would you forgive yourself for that when we got hurt?"

He bit down the growl of anger and despair. This same nibbling problem would never leave him alone!

"What if that never happens? Life of peace with humans might be that different. What if I can be a good mate and sire even without flying on my own?" he explained.

Her tail tapped on the ground.

"Maybe," she admitted, "but that is hard for me to think is true. It is so different from our ceremonies and ways."

"But so much of life with humans is different and better. We will never be hungry from bad hunting or very cold."

She looked away toward the mountains.

"Yes, together-life does have warmth. I can see that. Still, what if they are not always with us? What if the peace does not live?"

He did not want to think about that possibility. There was no reason for the pack to ever leave the world with humans, Elves, and everyone else.

"We... would still have the pack. All could help some with the hunting, and I would help more with the cubs. You could fly and hunt more in my place."

"True, but what if the pack breaks up also? What if life is only you and me, living on some distant range on our own? How would you provide then when I could not?"

He could not think of an answer to that. She was correct that he was... not like the other male Night Furies. Even so, her questions were very frustrating, as if she was... fighting even the possibility of them being together... even after she admitted that she wanted him too!

"Are you... trying to find reasons to say no to me?" he sighed, looking away from her.

She whined and stepped away from him.

"Burning-Star, I am not saying no, but I... need to think more about this."

She threw wide her white wings and jumped for the sky. He had to chase after her! He could not let her escape! Chasing after her would show her how important she was! So he bounded after her, gaining lift as he desperately followed her into the sky.

So near and so far.

But his flight was fouled, just as every flight was now.

The false-tailfin was not alive and did not answer him as he tumbled in an unsteady glide while she soared freely toward the clouds.

He crashed down and rolled head over tail to a stop in the long grass. Then he quickly righted himself and stared up at her with a weak whine of longing as she flew away.

Nothing was hurt on the outside. His wings, limbs, and tail were all unharmed from the small fall.

But his soul-fire was so cold.

He could not hate her or be angry with her. Her fear was not unreasonable at all.

It was also not total and permanent rejection. She implied that she might change her mind in the future. She had already changed so much in the moon-cycles he and Hiccup had known her.

He could and would wait for her. She was worth it.

But he still lay down alone in the long, swaying grass, and whined at the cold inside his soul-fire. The cold was not just from his own lacking a mate. Having one would be very good and would make life much warmer, as if that could ever happen. There was nothing he could do about this problem. Maybe Jumps-At-Fire was right about him when she said that no other female would do for him what she had. It was entirely possible that he could not be wanted at all.

The terrible truth had never been clearer: he was a lesser dragon.

* * *

Hiccup stood on the Golden Hall's slope from where he had the best possible view of the surrounding countryside and the sunrise. He had been awake since he heard Toothless and Moonbeam run off together very early. The two Furies were now up on a distant ridge far outside the Edoras wall. They were visibly playing with each other, chasing after one another like fledglings... like Windripper and Snowflame sometimes did.

It was not truly his business what his best friend did, but he was naturally curious since it would impact his life also. The two Furies had been spending more time together and talking more openly about what they wanted from life.

Some part of seeing them spending time together had been slightly bothering him. That was probably because it was change, and change was never easy for anyone. He also thought Toothless was being too obsessed by females. First his being with Jumps-At-Fire and now his interest in Moonbeam? What was wrong with him? There was far more to life than just that!

He had in the past asked Sky-Dancer and Far-Flight to explain Night Fury wooing ceremonies, and they had explained what was customary. Moonbeam apparently adopted many of the pack's ways as her own, in addition to Light Furies and Night Furies being similar in that part of life. There were no surprises as far as he was concerned. Both kinds searched for a life partner once they came of age, and that desire was a very strong one... not so differently from how humans wanted that also. So... Toothless's desire was normal and natural, probably also strengthened by now being part of a pack in which he saw several mostly happy families.

He noticed that Toothless and Moonbeam were visibly talking about something, neither of them moving from where they sat facing each other. He greatly respected Moonbeam for having endured so much in her life and still turned out well. Everyone had problems, and she was no different. Even better, he had helped her figure out one of the root causes of much of what troubled her. She had become much happier and calmer since the night of the festival.

The only ongoing problem for them was that she could not seem to truly accept Toothless, just because he was grounded. That was frustrating, her not being able to accept Toothless as he is, but it was also understandable of her. It was entirely fair of her to want a mate who was capable of providing, protecting, and contributing at least equally to the relationship.

Was that even possible for Toothless? Maybe so. Moonbeam just needed to be more understanding and accepting of the new world they all lived in. Their not being together was her fault.

His thoughts went back to everything that happened last night with helping Lightning as a midwife, which was a strange term to apply to himself. It was still hard to believe that all happened, but it had. He had held the messy, blood-covered newborn Hunts-Golden-Light as she squirmed in his arms. Then he got to hand her off to her weary mother after helping clean the baby. After leaving and getting cleaned up, he had not really been able to get back to sleep, which left him weary and drained even now after waking up.

The longer it took before he was asked to do anything like that again... the better. But... as a way of helping protect life, it was a duty he could... maybe get used to, if that was needed.

His musing was broken when Moonbeam took to the sky. Toothless jumped after her and tried to fly after her.

"Bud... you know that won't..."

Toothless stumbled in the sky and then fell to the ground in a distant crash. Toothless immediately scrambled to his paws and stared at her as she flew off toward the clouds.

Hiccup looked away from that, feeling a stab like a dagger in his own heart. It was as though his best friend's apparent rejection was also his own.

But why was he short of breath also? He wasn't the one who was just rejected.

Disturbed, he left the ledge and walked toward the Golden Hall. There would be soup and oatmeal available for breakfast, but he didn't feel hungry once he got to the Hall. Instead, he aimlessly wandered, lost in his troubled thoughts. He strolled alone into the part of Edoras where most of the common folk lived and worked at their various tasks, at least for those who worked in Edoras itself.

He continued past the stables where the people of Edoras sometimes kept their horses. There were entire herds of horses that ran and grazed freely around Edoras; they were not trapped because the Rohirrim respected and trusted them.

A shadow passed overhead. He held up a hand to block the sun, and he saw one of his packmates, he could not tell who it was, gliding on the morning breeze flowing across the plain. Someone had gotten an early start to their day.

More idle, aimless strolling followed until he found himself inside the forge set aside for him. Being in a forge had always been one of his safe spaces; it was familiar and known... somewhere he could do something useful and be productive for others.

All the supplies that he had gathered to begin working on his wingsuit were still there: the leather, straps, steel balls, joints, string, everything he needed was on the table. He had everything he needed to make the wingsuit, so he grabbed the leather and considered starting some of the work. Losing himself in crafting had always helped whenever he was upset in the past.

But something stopped him this time. He just held the leather, stared at it, and was unable to start. His thoughts were frozen, fixed on... something. Why was he so weak, his arms trembling as he braced himself against the table?

"Gods, what's wrong with me?"

It had to do with Toothless, that much was certain. Specifically with Toothless being grounded. But there was nothing more to learn about that sad fact. He had already apologized for that old injury, and Toothless told him several times that there were no hard feelings.

He was short of breath, so he took a deep breath. Was there frost creeping on the ground? No, there was nothing there. It was not that cold of a morning.

_'Yourr... frriend... iss holding you back even now... you arre nothing but a tool to him...'_

Old words spoken out of malice by an ice dragon slithered from the shadows of memory.

_'A thing he ussess to feel ssaferr and morre powerrful...'_

"No..."

Those false, vile, and cruel words were just meant to hurt him and Toothless and to drive them apart! Do not think about that. Just stay as he was now in his safe space with nothing changing. Just lose himself in forging his wingsuit.

There is nothing true in Vorunturth's words to see or learn.

He already knew everything he needed to know about his life!

Or did he?

It almost felt like an important truth was hidden from him... or was hiding from him.

He had always been interested in how things worked, which was why he had been so accomplished in the forge and at inventing stuff. Learning more was always necessary to find when a machine or tool had a flaw or problem.

What was that whispering in his thoughts or heart? Was it conscience? Why was that whispering nudging him toward those memories in the same way as he had to look into the downed Night Fury's eyes before he killed it?

He had looked and had learned something very important. He had learned that he was not who he thought he was, and that the Night Fury was not what he thought it was. Together, those truths had changed his life for the better in ways he had not imagined possible.

Was this any different? Maybe not. Critical examining of the past, not sparing feelings at all, had helped someone else learn an important truth very recently.

So he looked more closely and thought about his life, trying to hide nothing from himself.

He had been nothing before Toothless, back on Berk and in his life as a Viking. He had been a useless failure, unable to be what they wanted him to be. Never having what it took to truly be one of them. But he was always stubborn just like them, and that stubbornness came from himself. He was never one to give up.

However, despite how much everyone on Berk joked about their stubbornness issues, willpower alone was impotent. Ideas needed a means to be made real. He was not strong on his own, not compared to everyone else on Berk anyway. It felt like he was almost powerless without Toothless.

Almost like he was nothing without Toothless.

That hurt to admit, but it was true... almost. His knowing Toothless gave him power and a way to change the world for the better by mitigating his own weaknesses and limitations.

It felt... good to adjust the tailfin's position and influence... and control the dragon's flight as his own.

_'I see his broken tail and I... wish it were not.'_

Moonbeam wished things were different.

Toothless was his wings.

His own wings.

_'Do you think you could heal my tail?'_

Toothless wished things were different.

No other's wings.

Not even Toothless's.

Eyes lit by starlight flashed in his memory as Galadriel walked away months ago.

_'Hiccup Haddock, you must learn to trust yourself and him...'_

He dropped the leather and stepped back from the table, completely struck numb as the truth, so terrible, crashed down on him and shattered his blindness.

How easy would it have been to do before now? He had known for months that he could make it for Toothless, but he had avoided doing so. He could have given Toothless back his flight when they were living in the Shire or in Rivendell. There were enough supplies and simple forges there and since then that he could have used.

To make an automatic tailfin.

It was so clear now.

Some part of him wanted to hold on and not let Toothless fly on his own. Giving the Fury his freedom again would mean letting go of control. It would mean giving Toothless full control of his own life. It would be an act of trust.

Toothless needing him for flight was a way of forcing Toothless to stay around with him, thus limiting his potential. It forced their friendship to be partly one of need and usefulness instead of true respect and love.

Toothless not being able to fly kept him from being with Moonbeam. His being grounded was probably the only obstacle to them both now.

How many times had Toothless rolled his eyes or huffed in joking annoyance after asking to be taken on a flight just to properly relieve himself or get a drink of water?

_'And what of yourr human massterr?'_

Vorunturth, that malicious and perceptive ice dragon, had been right about him. Keeping Toothless grounded was a way of hoarding him, just like a true Middle-earth dragon would with what was precious to it.

He fell to his knees, covered his eyes, and wept freely, thinking and feeling nothing except shame as his own motivations were laid bare at last.

What a terrible friend he had been, to so limit his best friend's life for his own personal gain. No, it was not even gain; it was just greedy and needy of him.

All from what? How had he gone so wrong? At some point Toothless had started becoming something he needed to keep around.

Why had he been so worried about other people using the Furies or wanting to fly for the wrong reasons? Had he only been seeing some of himself in them and therefore been condemning part of himself through what he said? Was he seeing his own problems in other people and then being quick to blame them... out of hidden shame or hypocrisy?

Finally, weak and weary, he wiped his cheeks dry with his sleeve, steadied his breath, and rose to his unsteady feet.

He held his head and tried to not think about anything, but he completely failed at that. He glanced at the table and immediately realized the obvious: everything he needed was right there on the table.

He knew how to make the automatic tailfin right now; the design was a modification of the original new tailfin. Lacking the other lines and wires that led from the foot-pedal to the tailfin, the gears, levers, pulleys, and straps would roll with and respond to the slightest change in the natural tailfin. He could probably even have a first draft of an automatic tailfin finished by the end of the day if he worked tirelessly without stopping.

It would be imperfect flight only. Nothing he could build would ever perfectly replicate the natural tailfin Toothless had been born with and lost.

But it would give Toothless freedom to fly on his own and to come and go as he wished. Toothless deserved that at a minimum.

Truly, Toothless did not deserve him. No, the Fury deserved far better.

"I... am... so... so sorry. I... wish I had been a better friend for you, bud..."

He blinked, wincing at his own words.

"Bud. Bud? Oh gods..."

Had he always been talking down to him... like someone would with a steed or beast of burden? Some of the Rohirrim affectionately called their horses by that endearing term. Maybe calling Toothless his bud was fine initially, but it was slightly belittling. Just one more small way he had not been respecting Toothless as he should have.

He exhaled, closed his eyes, and heard only the random noises of other people outside the forge. Everyone else was going about their tasks as they started the day. Pushing carts, leading cows or horses, working on metal in distant smithies, carrying various supplies...

_'All you have to decide is what you will do with the time that is given to you...'_

Gandalf's words spoken to Toothless after Helm's Deep echoed foremost in his thoughts.

He knew that he had screwed up so much out of simple fear and lack of trust in Toothless and in himself. Sitting here in the forge, spiting himself and being miserable at how terrible and ignorant he had been, would change nothing and would not help Toothless's problem.

So what was he going to do about it?

Gaining trust in himself and forgiving himself for being so faithless would certainly take time, but this... giving Toothless back his flight... he could do now if only he could let go.

He took a very deep breath to steady himself as he looked around the forge. The shame, the grief, the failure, all of that could wait for later, so it must. He had to apologize to Toothless for all of this, no matter what telling him the truth meant for their friendship, but he had work to do right now.

He stuck a fire in the furnace, and then he grabbed a knife and the leather. All the other supplies were frantically gathered on the table as he began organizing them. There was no need for a design on paper; he knew it already by heart.

Nothing else mattered for now. Not rest, not food, not the Fellowship, not even the war against Sauron. It might take all day to make the automatic tailfin, but he would not stop until it was done.

He was going to fix this and then...

Toothless would be free again.

* * *

_**Author's Note – So I guess that neither of our protagonists are perfect people. A development like this one is an aspect of the final film which I approve of and think fits Hiccup's canon character arc.**_


	46. Gifts Of The Furies

_**Author's Note – This should be the lengthiest chapter for a while. Enjoy the drama.**_

* * *

Gifts Of The Furies

* * *

Toothless had eventually walked back to Edoras and jumped the wall with a short hop-flight. That was something he could do on his own. Where Moonbeam had flown off to he was not sure and did not care to know.

He walked alone, head hung and tail dragging, up to the high ledge above where the pack rested every night. Once there, he lay down and closed his eyes since he had nothing better to do and nothing he really wanted to do either. He did not seriously consider bothering Hiccup, wherever he had gone off to, about a flight or doing anything at all. Sitting up on the ledge, his head under his tailfin, and staring out toward the horizon was all he felt like doing to pass the day in peace.

Despite having eaten nothing, he was not hungry enough to get off his belly. Sleep was the best option.

But he could not even do that. His thoughts were too twisted and confused to let him peacefully fall asleep.

Her objections were entirely fair and true, and there was nothing he could do about the problem. He was a lesser dragon compared to all the other male Night Furies. It was not a matter of just trying more, being stronger in his soul-fire, or learning something new. Wanting alone and having a strong will would not make a lost tailfin grow back.

On the other paw, she did not reject him completely. She admitted that she did want him as her mate. Maybe she could eventually accept him even with his... limitations. All the power to choose was hers now, which left him powerless.

Well, there was one option he still had, even if it was not his first choice or what he wanted. He could go back to Jumps-At-Fire and... be with her if she would want that.

But that option felt very wrong and twisted because doing that would not give him what he truly wanted. Pleasure was not enough at all.

What did he truly want? Not just pleasure. Love and respect, such as he saw between his sire and dam, were more than only that simple want and neediness to act.

Why were his thoughts so easily grabbed by females? Was wanting someone with whom he could share all of life a bad thing or a sign of weakness? Probably not, but it was not warming to his soul-fire right now.

* * *

Toothless yawned and stretched before curling up again where he had lain and slept for part of the day. The rest of his packmates had been gradually returning throughout the day. A pawful of them were already helping with different types of work, such as keeping watch for any Uruks or other dangers. Those who were flying far away were not back every night. Everyone was settling into their routines without any serious problems so far.

Finally, the sun flew low over the western mountains as night approached. Then he heard approaching wings as his family returned.

"Found you!" Breath-Of-Sky bellowed.

He groaned and got to his paws as his little brother dove from the sky and landed next to him.

"Brother, where were you?" he yawned.

"I, sire, dam, and Mystery flew to the river with to hunt fish!"

He glanced aside and saw his parents glided down the slope to their chosen rock.

"Catch any?"

"A pawful. We also splashed in the water for fun!

"Not surprising."

"Then we had a long food-nap together!"

He forced a purr.

"Good for you all."

"It was. Hiccup wants to see you!"

"Does he?"

"Yes," Breath-Of-Sky eagerly nodded, "we saw him when we got back. He has a surprise for you!"

"A surprise? What is it?"

Breath-Of-Sky paused and grumbled, suddenly confused.

"I do not know, and it would not be a surprise if I knew and told you!" Breath-Of-Sky stuck out his tongue.

He huffed at how his brother could be very silly. But that was understandable since Breath-Of-Sky had not seen or felt any cruelty from life. That better fledgling-life probably contributed to why he was so silly, happy, trusting of humans, and warmed in his soul-fire. His little brother had lived a very different life than the one he had. On the other paw, it also meant that Breath-Of-Sky had not needed to learn the same strength he had... not through living it himself anyway.

"Alright, I will find him."

He stretched and then turned for the lower level of Edoras since Hiccup was probably in the forge or in his small den. Those were the first places to look for him.

But his brother hopped in his way and held a paw in his face.

"Hiccup is behind the golden-hall-den! He asked for you to go there!"

"Why is he over there?"

"Maybe it is part of the surprise!"

Breath-Of-Sky then bounded off to join their sire and dam, both of whom looked like they were planning on being back here for the night instead of off on their own.

He huffed in amusement at the reminder of what his sire and dam were doing: trying to make another cub. It would be very twisted to see his dam with a new cub and for him to eventually have another brother or sister. But those would only happen many moon-cycles from now.

Further, thinking about cubs was... slightly chilling and frustrating.

He walked around the golden-hall-den onto the far, isolated corner of the high ridge. There were no human dens over there.

Hiccup was sitting on the edge of the ledge, doing nothing except staring off into the distance. His furs-coat was on the ground behind him.

"Found you. How was your day?" he asked, sitting down beside Hiccup.

Hiccup, visibly very tired, groaned and slumped without looking over at him.

"Busy and tiring. I was... in the forge all day."

"Mine was busy also. I did a lot of... playing... feeling much... and trying to sleep..."

Hiccup slumped in place.

"I know. I saw you and Moonbeam... talking this morning."

"Yes, we had a lot of fun and... wait, you were watching us?"

"You kind of woke me up when you left. I was curious and didn't feel like sleeping."

"So you saw..."

"Yeah, you don't need to say anything. I know what happened."

At least Hiccup understood the truth. That much was obvious.

Hiccup then stood up and put his paws behind his head. The warm wind gently whipped his robe-furs around him.

"I almost wish this moment right now would never end," Hiccup whispered.

"Why?"

"Because... because..." Hiccup stuttered, "Because I have a surprise for you."

His ears lifted, and he softly hummed in wonder.

"Breath-Of-Sky said something about that. Do I have to guess the surprise? Wait, did you find a mate?"

Hiccup chuckled.

"No, but it's ironic you'd guess that. Alright, there's no waiting around for it anymore."

Hiccup took a deep breath and then started walking toward his tail. He knelt down and began working at the false-tailfin, wiggling it back and forth until it came loose.

Hiccup took off every piece of riding equipment, leaving his back and the length of his tail bare, and dropped all the riding-with stuff on the ground.

"What are you doing?"

"This is the surprise. You're going to like it..."

Oddly, there was a tear on Hiccup's cheek as he said this. Something very twisted was happening.

Hiccup lifted the coat-furs and grabbed another false-tailfin which he held like a cub in his arms. This false-tailfin was mostly black.

"What is it?"

"It's a new tailfin... that... doesn't need me... to work it for you."

His wings fell to the ground as he stared at the new tailfin.

No words came.

Only shock.

He remembered in the cove when he had felt balance return to his tail after his human did something to him. His desire to fly had been too much to resist, which had caused them to crash into the pond together. It was after that crash that he understood how shared-flight was the only way he would ever fly again.

He had asked the powerful Elves if they could use magic to heal his tail. Elrond and Galadriel had both explained that it was beyond their power. No magic could do that.

His friend-brother said that he had done the impossible, given him a way to fly on his own, so he must have done it without magic.

"What?" he gasped, wings and tail forgotten.

"Yeah, it won't be as good as the real tailfin you lost, but this will work."

"Are you sure?" he whined.

"Yes. Very sure."

Hiccup held out the new false-tailfin.

"Are you ready... to fly on your own?"

This would be so different from the flight he had known for moon-cycles. And Moonbeam...

All her remaining objections to him were because of his being grounded, not that she did not want him as a person. But now, with flight of his own restored...

This would fix everything!

He swept his tail over to Hiccup's side and left the tail there. Hiccup knelt down to the tail and put the new tailfin on him, tightening it to his tail with its holding-straps. The new tailfin felt a little heavier than the old one, though this one was smaller and had far fewer ropes on the outside. How it was supposed to work he did not know or truly need to know.

Hiccup tightened it one more time and then stepped back.

"What should I do?"

"Just use the real fin as if you were flying with me. This one should respond," Hiccup softly explained.

He unfurled the real tailfin, but nothing happened at first with the new one. Then he shook his tail slightly, impatient with it not moving.

"Maybe it's stuck. Let me..." Hiccup began.

The false-tailfin opened with a click and then unfurled.

He fanned both fins opened and closed, open and closed several times in succession. The new tailfin was a little slower than his remaining one.

But it listened as if it was alive also!

A different kind of true tailfin!

He slowly turned around to stare at Hiccup in total life-changing surprise and awe.

"Go on, give it a try," Hiccup whispered and gestured with a paw off the ledge.

He nervously turned away and perched on the slope, his wings spread wide to feel the flowing wind.

Why was he afraid of flight now? He had not done anything like this without Hiccup on his back in many, many moon-cycles. It almost felt like he was not supposed to fly without Hiccup.

Change was hard. Shedding old scales itched.

He had a very good reason to want such flight now: a reason beyond simply that dragons should be free to fly on their own.

He flicked his tailfin open and heard as the new one clicked to life and rolled, listening to and mimicking his remaining fin.

Hope flared to life in his soul-fire.

Then came a deep breath.

And he jumped for freedom.

Floating and soaring above the ground, up in the sky where dragons belonged!

A level glide and then a wide turn in a loop. It was so strange how different flight felt now. There was no weight on his back or holding him down at all. There were no silent signals needed for Hiccup to know to change the flight.

He rolled his tail and watched in awe as the new tailfin twisted and moved. His backfins split and helped to steady his flight as the wind flowed over his wings with their every beat.

With lift!

Flight and freedom!

And some wobbling...

It was not perfect, and his flight would need much practice before it was fast and smooth again. But it would happen!

Higher and higher into the sky!

He was free!

The roar of joy tore from his jaws and filled the sky as he spun up beyond the clouds!

Wild joy and freedom again!

All because of his amazing human brother!

_Hiccup... you never stop amazing me._

He tucked his wings into a steep dive down for the golden-hall-den far below. The hill on which Edoras was built was now swimming in the red light at the end of the day.

Down with joyful spins until he threw his wings wide and glided in to where Hiccup was still standing.

He touched down and bounded over to Hiccup, dancing around his human brother with his soul-fire burning happily.

"Hiccup! I can fly! I can fly!"

He eagerly nuzzled Hiccup's head, settled down before him, beheld his gaze, and...

Hiccup looked chilled and twisted. That felt so wrong.

"Hiccup?"

"Oh Toothless..."

"What is twisting your tail?" he huffed.

"I..."

Hiccup closed his eyes and looked away from him.

"I'm so sorry..."

His tail stopped swaying.

_What?_

"Hiccup, what is wrong?"

"I... I've been so bad to you... brother."

His jaw fell open in total confusion.

"Bad? No, you are not bad to me!"

"I... can you... forgive me?"

"What for? I do not blame you for my tailfin. And you just fixed that now!"

"No, it's not that... I..."

Hiccup held his own head with his little paws.

"I knew how to make it... before now..."

_What..._

"I do not understand," he grumbled.

Hiccup, with tears dripping from his eyes, looked up at him.

"I knew how to make a tailfin that would let you fly on your own, but I didn't do it before..."

He blinked and grumbled while considering what Hiccup was saying.

The words had no lift. Hiccup knew how to make one of these tailfins, but he did not do it before now?

"What? Why not?"

"I was... am... afraid of losing you. Because... I'm nothing without you..."

He could not even growl at those twisted words of nothingness. The rest of what Hiccup said was so twisted and cold and...

"You were grounded, and I was..." Hiccup sniffled, "keeping you grounded because I didn't want you free..."

A creeping cold was stalking around his soul-fire. Something twisted was...

How could Hiccup say something so bad?

"What?" he barked in alarm.

Hiccup looked away from him, and a long, cold, and painful silence followed.

"You... did not want... me free to fly?"

Hiccup hung his head.

"Part of me did not. I... wanted to keep you needing me because... it felt safer for me."

_'Iss it norrmal forr a human to ensslave one they call a frriend?'_

"I wasn't needed by Berk, and I wanted to be needed by you."

_'A thing he ussess to feel ssaferr and morre powerrful.'_

The old, hissing, and chilling words spoken by an ice dragon were painful to recall. Surely not...

"Why would you think that?" he weakly growled.

Hiccup looked over at him with weary, pained eyes that dripped tears.

"Because I was afraid that... we were only friends... out of need."

A cold wind poured into his soul-fire.

He stepped back from Hiccup in alarm and... betrayal.

Was this the real Hiccup all along?

Clinging to him with clever claws that he could never see? Not giving him free flight for many moon-cycles? Was it all a lie?

Were they a lie?

"Why!"

"I... screwed up. I'm... so... sorry."

Sorry.

Sorry?

As if words could so simply unmake moon-cycles of being wronged!

But...

Hiccup had wept before after they first started talking and were able to give words. That was when Hiccup had shown true sadness and pain for grounding him. Maybe those were false-tears, all a trick!

Was Hiccup just his master?

This foul-twistedness had some lift, now that he thought about it. Hiccup was small for a human, not a true fighter. Having a dragon always at his side to fight fights for him, to fly him places, and to protect him was understandable, especially after Hiccup had lost so much in his life. He lost his sire being in his life and turned his tail on his old pack.

He might be all that Hiccup had left.

Turn tail and fly away to freedom. Part of his soul-fire wanted to do it out of spite even though the pack was here.

But...

Hiccup freely gave him freedom again. Hiccup made a new tailfin that did not need Hiccup to fly it, to fly him. Hiccup saw the foul-twistedness of his thinking and tried to fix it.

"Can you... forgive me?" Hiccup whispered.

Losing the tailfin in fighting was understandable and without malice. That had been easy to forgive despite how frustrating being grounded had been at first.

This, however, was done for a long time, knowing fully what the other was. This hurt more. Far more.

But...

He met Hiccup's solemn, weary gaze and then looked away out over the plain.

"I cannot... will not hate you, but I do not..."

He sighed.

"I want to be alone for now..."

He flung out his wings and jumped from the slope without looking back. Looking back at him would have been too painful. He settled into a glide that carried him away toward the distant mountains on the twilight horizon.

The tailfin did not fail him or foul his calm flight except for a very small wobble.

His first free flight earlier had been filled with warmth, joy, and a burning soul-fire. This one was cold and filled with confusion. So much was uncertain now, drifting on the winds of life.

Onward he flew over the flowing ocean of grass as the orange glow of twilight filled the sky and as the stars appeared high above between the clouds. Edoras looked very small, the golden-hall-den only a tiny speck of light, when he finally looked back over his tail.

Then he arrived at a tiny stream in a small valley. It looked like as good a place to stop as any.

He landed there and smelled the water. It was clear and good for drinking, so he drank while trying to not think about anything. Then he sat down and closed his eyes, listening to the sound of silence around him while trying to not think about anything.

There was no distant clamor of humans working or talking. No shouting of play or roars of fellow Furies filled the sky.

There was nothing except the faint sway of the grass in the wind and the murmur of the small stream.

And the beat of wings.

He opened his eyes and looked up at the sky as the fellow Fury, shimmering as it appeared from empty air, dove into the valley, landed, and pranced up to him.

Her purple eyes were wide with awe and shock as the dear Light Fury dashed to him.

"Moonbeam..." he glumly muttered.

"Burning-Star, what was... you were flying on your own!"

"You saw me?"

She sat down and curled her tail around her front paws.

"Yes, but I did not think it was you. Where is Hiccup?"

His ears fell along with a sigh.

"Not here."

"Not here? I do not understand. How were you flying?"

He swept out his tail and wiggled both fins, rolling and flexing them in all directions.

"Hiccup made me a new tailfin that does not need him."

"He can do that?" her jaw fell open.

"Yes, I can fly on my own now. It is not very fast and quick-turning flight, but it is true flight."

She bent down and gently nosed at the new tailfin, touching it with a paw, lifting it up on her nose, and sniffing it.

Then she sneezed and stepped back.

He almost laughed at that.

She leapt in front of him and then settled down. Far from being very joyful, she looked solemn and wondering.

"You can fly again. Why are you so chilled? You should be flying, happy, and not... alone."

Her eyes were a little narrowed at him as she said this. He thought he knew why, but that reason felt very distant to him right now. That... was not important compared to...

"I had a fight with Hiccup."

Her ears went back, and her swaying tail froze.

"A fight? What?"

"I learned something about him. Something bad and rotted."

"Bad? What? There is no rot in his thinking."

"Yes, there is... was... I do not know anymore..."

She stepped closer and leaned in.

"Talk to me. What is the bad?"

"He knew how to make this new tailfin for me many moon-cycles ago, but he did not. He did not want me to fly on my own."

She gasped and growled.

"What? That... does not sound like... him..."

"He wanted me to be..." he growled, "trapped to him. He was using me to feel stronger and safer..."

"How do you know that?" she hissed.

"He told me."

She blinked and stepped back in surprise.

"He... told you that?"

"Yes, he saw us playing after dawn. After seeing us... he made me this new tailfin so I could be free and... do what I want with life. He gave this to me and told me what he did... before."

She stared at him for many wingbeats.

"He told you that he was being bad before? And he fixed the bad he was doing? That is..." she mumbled and stared at her paws.

"Twisted... rotted... sad..." he grumbled.

"Brave of him," she whispered.

He blinked in surprise as she got to her paws and glared at him.

"Hiccup made a mistake. He saw the rot in his thinking and then he bit out that rot," she said.

"Maybe he did..."

She purred.

"And he gave you your freedom. He knows that you could fly away or be angry with him, and he still did this for you."

"So what?"

She walked up before him and snorted in his face.

"So why are you being tail-twisted?"

The way she said that sparked to life his cold soul-fire. How could she understand what this meant! He growled freely in her face.

"Because I learned that my friend was lying to me! He grounded me! Kept me on the ground! Kept me from you!"

He breathed heavily to catch his breath.

"I do not know him. He did not trust me..."

She also growled in his face.

"Burning-Star... Toothless, you know your words are twisted! He does trust you. He gave you your flight and told you the truth! That is great trust! So what if he had some rotted thinking? We both know you have problems also!"

"I... I..."

"Problems with gold and twisted hoarding-wants!"

"What would you know! You do not feel that like I do! You are not fouled! You do not have a twisted soul-fire! You are not unwanted! You..."

She licked his face and silenced him. All his anger paused as the fight with Hiccup did not matter.

There was only her. Jump at her. Pin her. Take her now! Add her to his hoard!

But...

That was not him.

That wild wanting was strong, but it was not him. That whispering and nudging to give in was... foreign and not what he truly desired. He could ignore it and say no.

"Did Hiccup do anything to help you with gold and hoarding-wants? Anything at all?" she hissed.

He froze, staring up at the clouds high above.

_'You should know that I'll always be there to help you. That is what family does.'_

_'Until then, just remember that I trust you always. You're my brother.'_

_'I'm sorry, brother, I shouldn't have... doubted you. I don't know... what I was thinking.'_

_'Can you... forgive me?'_

He fell to the ground and weakly sobbed. All his anger and twisted-thinking toward Hiccup had withered in a single wingbeat.

Hiccup was patient with his faults and struggles and especially with his twistedness around gold. Hiccup trusted him even when he was afraid that a Night Fury might have thought-control over humans. Hiccup did not turn tail on him after learning about his mistakes with Jumps-At-Fire.

It was only fair to do the same for Hiccup's problems, whatever was the cause of those problems.

Neither of them were perfect, but their growing out of their problems did not mean losing everything else that was good about what they were.

He did not move when he felt Moonbeam's chin on his head as she purred peace to him. He very much liked her being with him like that.

"So? Will you forgive him?" she hummed and whispered.

"Yes... he is... part of my family."

She huffed and stepped back from him.

"Good. I would not want you to have rotted thinking toward one who is your family," she said.

Then she started walking in a circle around him; her gaze was narrowed on him almost in challenge. He hopped to his paws and fell into the slow dance without thinking about it. Theirs was a slow spin in the long grass, neither looking away. Narrowed green eyes gazed into narrowed purple eyes as he thought about her.

She had been hurt much in her past life and had to do things that no fledgling should have needed to do, but she had accepted that responsibility. She had also carried much hate for humans, but that hate was gone now. She bit that rot out of her thinking. She changed because she learned about herself and what was pushing her life-flight.

He wanted her, not only because she was female and strong but far more because of who she was and because he wanted to make her life happier. He had no doubt that she would do the same for him.

"What happens now, Burning-Star? What do you want?" she teased.

He growled with warmth as his eyes followed hers.

"You know what I want. I want to fly the winds of life with you. I want you to be the dam of my cubs. I want you, Moonbeam."

She stopped in the dance and sat down with her tail curled to her paws. He stopped moving also, leaving them a length apart from each other.

"Do you? How can you show me?" she chuckled.

She was probably being teasing, but he thought she deserved to know a truth he had not told her yet. It was only fair that she should know an important detail about his recent past.

"By telling you a truth that might hurt me."

"What?" she blinked.

"Jumps-At-Fire and I were seeing each other in the cold range. We were... false-mates..."

"I knew you were," she answered without pause.  
He started in surprise.

"You knew? How?"  
"I saw you leaving the pack at night. I followed you from above one time and saw you go to her."

He knew not to ask if she had stayed around to watch. Knowing her as he did, she probably had not after she realized what was happening.

"What I want to know is why you stopped being with her. I know that you stopped," she continued.

"She and I could not be happy and warm in life. She has problems trusting and respecting any male, and she does not want any cubs. I want cubs and a warm life-mate who will respect me."

She purred.

"So do I."

He still ignored the flame in his soul-fire and the wanting to take her. As strong as that wanting was, there was something else he still wanted to do first.

"I can also... do a chase for you," he said.

She laughed while stretching her wings and flicking her tailfins.

"Do you remember what I told you about the sky dance? You cannot catch me!"

"I can try."

"Yes, you can. Is that a challenge? Do you wish to chase me?"

He looked up at the orange evening sky and the clouds that rolled above.

"The chase starts when you accept the challenge, yes?"

"True, that is the rule," she answered.

_Is that so..._

"Fine. Do you accept my challenge to catch you?" he asked.

"Yes," she crouched down, wings spread wide, to leap for the sky.

"Wait! There is one more ceremony I must do!" he cried.

She settled down and folded her wings away.

"What ceremony?"

"I heard that the male should show her his wings first."

He fanned his wings wide as he said this. This was probably a display meant to show how strong the male is or maybe to get some initial interest from the female. The display ceremony had some lift from when life was in the wild and a potential pair had just met for the first time.

None of which mattered to him now.

She hummed in confusion at why he was doing this.

"I already know that you can fly," she grumbled.

It had worked perfectly.

He jumped with a single sweep of his extended wings. He barely saw her eyes narrow in surprise as he crashed into her and tackled her. They tangled, rolling heads over tails until he pinned her fully on her back.

"What!" she barked in shock.

"I caught you..."

She snarled.

"You did not! We never flew!"

He dodged the toothy snap at his neck. She whipped her tail wildly, but his held hers down. She was truly pinned and helpless. Then he hopped off her, letting her roll onto her paws and spin to glare at him.

"What was that!" she barked.

He smugly purred.

"You said the chase starts when you accept. You accepted, and I caught you... on the ground."

"No! You! You. You..."

Shock and realization appeared in her now-wide eyes. She saw his trick, and words failed her.

He knew he could never catch her in the sky. If other males with both tailfins could not catch their mate then he certainly could not. So he had not let it become a chase in the sky. There was no rule that the catch could not be on the ground.

He nuzzled her head, breathed in her scent, and gave her many affectionate licks. Familiar in many ways to the first times he had done this with another, but so different this time. She returned the attention, licking his cheek while purring deeply and nuzzling him.

Taking her right now would be good, and they both wanted it. But wanting alone was not enough. Everything that had happened between him and Jumps-At-Fire had taught him that. There was a way he could completely give in to that wanting in the most warming way possible for them both.

So he stepped back from her.

"I want you now and always. What do you want?" he whispered.

He spread his wings and looked to the clouds high above.

A free choice. No trickery or test of strength or speed, none of which was a measure of who he was.

She flung out her wings and crouched down.

"I want you," she growled.

He jumped, beat his wings, and raced up into the dimming sky. She caught up to him and ascended at his side toward the clouds filled with an orange glow. Spinning higher, touching wingtips, tagging tails, and soaring through small clouds of fire which did not make her fade.

Their first time freely flying together.

Up into the clouds and then soaring up around them higher on the winds that flowed above. A burning fire poured unfading strength into his wings. This was the first day he had soared so high on his own in many, many moon-cycles.

Beyond the clouds that rolled and flowed as an ocean below. Toward the stars and the moon, all shining brighter as the sun's light faded. Higher and higher into the air filled with a chill that he could barely feel.

A deep knowing from inside his soul-fire. This was a ceremony that his kind had flown for countless winters. But it was different for him because there was no chase or uncertainty, and she had already decided.

He leveled off and started gliding, circling across from her a short dash away. The distance separating them faded as they circled closer, staring hungrily at each other as the fire burned hotter. Then he dashed for her as she raced for him. He caught her, embraced her, and let the fire burn away all thought as they fell from the sky under a bright moon.

* * *

Toothless woke up shortly after dawn, down in a valley far outside Edoras. A small stream flowed nearby, and the grass was warm on his side. But he did not want to move a paw, now or ever.

Everything was perfect as he curled around Moonbeam with their tails woven together. Her head nestled under his chin as she purred softly in peaceful sleep under his wing.

He was not sure when they had fallen asleep, and it did not matter anyway.

She was his now.

Just as he was hers.

Two, but also one life. It was a twisted thought, but no less true.

He yawned.

_We really should go back and tell Hiccup, my sire and dam, the pack, and..._

Then he held in the chuckle when he knew how twisted life might easily become. His sire and dam might have a new cub when he and Moonbeam do also.

She was so playful with cubs, and that was part of what he most liked about her, along with her sharp thinking and lack of fear. Maybe her kindness to the young had always been because she deeply wanted one, no... a pawful, of her own, but she knew that there was no one in the pack for her, at least until him. He hoped that he would eventually be a sire, a good part of life which he had long thought would never happen.

It was scary.

He would need to protect her and provide for her and the cub while she could not. However, providing would be much easier in life with humans. There was no desperation and emptiness of the wild in the world that the humans made. Their ability to make food be instead of just find food was one of the smartest things humans did.

She would not go hungry. Nor would their cubs. None of the pack ever would go hungry again. They would not face dangers alone; rather, they would have others fighting for them.

He gently nuzzled her exposed ear.

It would be so good to lay there with her all day, just feeling her breaths, the rise and fall of her back under his wing, and her tail around his. Everything was perfect.

But he was hungry after a full day of not eating anything and a night of not resting much.

He nuzzled her forehead until she woke up and faced him. They stared long into each other's eyes before either of them spoke.

"Burning-Star..." she purred.

"Moonbeam, my life-mate, I like that."

"So do I," she softly chuckled.

Then she blinked and barely tilted her head, as if considering what to say.

"I want you to know that you are my first."

He nuzzled her nose.

"And you are the only one I will ever have from now on."

Nothing else needed to be said about that part of the past.

"As warming as it is to be here with you, we should start this day," he whispered.

"Yes, we should. Our kin should know about us!" she agreed.

He reluctantly stepped away from her, got to his paws, and waited as she did the same. They walked together to the stream and drank their fill of the cool water. He kept glancing at her as they drank. Her eyes were closed in peace.

She looked happy, warm, and unsuspecting, so he sprayed a mouthful of water at her face.

Her bellow of false-alarm and surprise was very soul-fire warming as she hopped back from the water.

"You... you... you!"

He toothlessly grinned.

"You said that before, my mate..."

She huffed and crouched low to pounce, tail swaying and her ears swept back.

_Great skies..._

She pounced with a roar, beating at his head with a paw and nipping at his nose and neck. He had never played like this with any of his kin. He had played much with the cubs, Breath-Of-Sky, and his sire plenty of times. But none of them played as she did with a mix of fun, teasing, a little violence and biting, and tenderness that he suspected only mates share.

He fell when her jaws closed around his neck. Though, he had not been truly resisting in the fight. Letting her win felt like a good thing to do.

"I am grounded!"

She chuckled deeply and let him go. Her gaze was filled with warmth and teasing.

"No, my mate, you are not grounded. You were grounded."

Then she lifted her head and laughed openly.

"Should we make your name Was-Grounded?"

He snorted and curled his tail around to his front paws, gently rolling and flicking both tailfins.

"No, I am Toothless to Hiccup, and you may call me Burning-Star, or Toothless, or my dear mate..."

She snorted, stepped up before him, and nuzzled his neck.

"I can do that, Burning-Star, my toothless dear mate."

He laughed at her wit. It was not a surprise that she had clever-thinking also.

"As much as I want to stay here with you, I am hungry."

"I am also," she agreed.

They jumped as one and flew from the valley together into the sunlight. Their calm flight carried them up into the eastern wind flowing across the golden plain of grass and toward the distant city of Edoras. She flew close to his tail and watched the new false-tailfin as it listened to him. Her eyes were wide in awe at the amazing thing that almost had life of its own. She had probably been too interested in everything else last night to give much attention to how it worked, which he also did not know. It was enough for now that the false-tailfin worked for him, though Hiccup might be able to explain it eventually.

He decided to show off just for the warmth of it, so he flipped in a loop and a spin with tucked wings. Her joyful roar joined his as they flew slightly higher.

But, his flying was not perfect with the false-tailfin. His turns were not as tight and fast as they should be. The difference was probably too small for Moonbeam to notice. Hiccup could probably help with even that slight flight-fouling which remained.

His soul-fire burned with warmth for her and for his human brother. Hiccup had given him this new tailfin, which was his very freedom, and that freedom had helped him and Moonbeam become one.

There were still words that needed to be said and maybe some tears to be shed, but neither he nor Hiccup were perfect people. Moving on and letting go of past wrongs and hurts was not easy, but if both Moonbeam and Hiccup could do so, he certainly could also.

* * *

Hiccup rolled over in bed, remaining under the rough wool blanket and not really having any desire to go anywhere or do anything. He had decided to rest on his own in a proper house and bed that he had been given to store his few supplies in. Being around any of the other Furies or even the Fellowship, faithful to each other and valuing loyalty as they did, would have been too much. Too shameful.

It had been the longest, most fitful night of sleep he could remember.

_I screwed up... such a failure..._

There had been no tears after Toothless flew off across the plain, wanting time to himself to think. That was completely fair of the Fury. He himself would probably have wanted to be alone also if Toothless had come to him with some terrible revelation about his past actions.

He had turned away, numb to all feeling and remembering nothing but the look of shocked betrayal on his best friend's face.

_Maybe I shouldn't have told him the truth... just let it be hidden forever and... no, that's so wrong of me..._

He briefly considered wandering up to the Golden Hall for breakfast. He wasn't really hungry though, so he stayed in bed. Having a possibly friendship-breaking fight was not good for the appetite, little that his was anyway.

Would Toothless even come back now? Probably.

Life probably would never go back to how everything was before. On the one hand, life should not go back to how it was... but still...

What would happen next? Just how badly had he screwed up?

Maybe another one of the Furies would be willing to let him fly with them, if they never found out the truth of what he had done. Could he bear that himself? Never flying again with Toothless?

Settle back into a normal life on the ground, doing whatever it was that people did here? Riding horses, herding, and a simple, menial life, probably.

Find a woman and have some kids to distract himself and keep himself busy, maybe?

_As if anyone would want pathetic me..._

Bang. Bang.

Something heavy crashed against the front door.

"Yes?" he yawned and stretched.

There was no answer except more crashing on the door.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming!"

_Great, what went wrong now?_

It was just after dawn, and he didn't really expect to be having guests. Maybe Gandalf, Aragorn, Theoden, one of the Hobbits, or someone else? He threw on his robes and shoes, and then opened the door.

Wide purple eyes, a bright white shape, and a soft purring greeted him as Moonbeam sat on her rear just outside the front door.

"Moonbeam! Uh, hi there! Wasn't expecting you..."

She leaned closer and nuzzled his head. That still struck him as a strange display of affection from her, though she had been thawing a lot in her time in Edoras and tended to show him a lot more affection now.

"Hiccup! I am glad I found you."

"Yeah, sure did. Where were you last night? I checked in the pack, but you weren't there."

She growled softly and stepped back from him. Her eyes looked very devious or amused.

"I was busy. Follow me!"

He followed her as she trotted through Edoras. They walked through the streets and past the thatched homes and barns, all without her showing any concern at all. She never stopped purring.

She looked and sounded very happy.

"Where are we going?"

"To a surprise!" she hummed and playfully whipped him with her tail.

_A surprise? Great, like my last surprise worked out so well._

He didn't even pay much attention to where they were going.

At least, not until they passed the Golden Hall. Then he realized where they were going: to the same ledge where he had given Toothless the new tailfin.

_Why there?_

He ran up the gentle slope with her, got to the top, and froze when he saw that Toothless was sitting there, staring out over the plain.

"I found him!" Moonbeam barked.

Toothless noticeably stiffened, his swaying tail going still as he turned around and stared at him.

Hiccup had no idea what to say or how to go about this.

Moonbeam then bounded over to Toothless's side, and she freely nuzzled his neck.

It was so obvious that something had happened between them.

Moonbeam whispered to Toothless, and they both started slowly walking toward him. Toothless refused to meet his eyes though, even after they stopped only a couple feet before him.

"Hiccup, we wanted to talk to you," Moonbeam said.

"What... what about?" he whispered.

"You gave Burning-Star his freedom again: freedom that you were not giving him before," she calmly said.

He winced and closed his eyes, again feeling the weight of guilt at what he hadn't done for so long. He didn't want to see her accusatory glare. She definitely had to hate him; she valued freedom very highly.

"Yes. That's right."

"You did a good thing for him. We are mates now," she said.

Despite the situation, he still stared in shock at the confirmation. She had a wing over Toothless's back, and their tails were wrapped together.

They looked very happy. At least she did. Toothless looked unsure and hesitant, though he was purring softly while nuzzling her neck.

"You are... mates?"

"Yes," she purred, "that is why I was away last night. We flew in the sky as one."

He really didn't want to think about that and what they had definitely done. On the other hand, there was something about the idea of such a flight in the sky that was... sweet. At least, it was a meaningful, important custom for them.

He took a deep breath and relaxed. There was no hiding from the truth, so all he could do was be honest and say what he felt.

Where before he had been afraid and clingy, he was now truly happy for them both. They could make each other happy in a good and natural way that they both deserved. Further, he was certain that this was very different from what Toothless and Jumps-At-Fire had been doing. This was far more.

"Well, Moonbeam... Toothless... I'm happy for you."

Toothless blinked and avoided looking at him while Moonbeam stepped forward and walked around him until he stood between the two Furies.

"I know that you are. Will you... help me with the cub as you did for Lightning?" she hummed.

Hiccup sighed.

_Toothless's mom, now Moonbeam, gods..._

"Are you sure that you'll need... no, ignore that... Sure. Why not? Why not help the whole pack with that..." he threw up his hands.

Moonbeam purred, visibly pleased.

"Good. Bond now!"

"Huh?"

She stepped forward and gently butted into his belly, knocking him back a couple steps toward Toothless.

"You and Burning-Star, bond! Do your thing!"

"What are saying?"

She huffed.

"What I am saying is that Burning-Star is my life-mate, yes, and you are family to him. That does not change. Bond!"

He warily turned from her and faced Toothless. The Fury had his head hung and a tear slowly falling down his muzzle.

"Toothless?"

Toothless stepped forward without saying anything and then grabbed him in a hug. He threw his arms around Toothless's neck and wept freely, unable to do anything except feel.

Toothless did not hate him.

Neither of them found any words for a very long time. They didn't even bother with the hand to nose of trust. It simply wasn't needed for this.

"I... I'm so sorry, Toothless..."

"Me too, Hiccup. I should not have gotten angry..."

"You don't have to apologize for anything! You did nothing wrong..."

Toothless let go of him and stepped back with a soft sigh. The Fury lay down and lifted a wing to let him rest at his side, which he gladly did.

"Yes, I did. I forgot that you trusted me and that you have been there to help me with my... problems. I want to know... why did you fear that I would fly away from you if I could fly on my own?"

Hiccup winced and stroked the wing's leading edge. Moonbeam padded over and lay next to him, purring softly. He glanced between the two Furies sitting around him and purring with encouragement.

He knew beyond any doubt that he could trust them both completely and that it was not worth hiding anything from them. They would surely be part of his life for the rest of his life. His own prior and very flawed motivations were also terribly clear now.

He still looked up at the morning sky above.

"I was useless for so long in my tribe. Helping them to fight dragons would have made me useful to them, but then I became useful to you in another way. You needing me for flight meant that you needed me at all. It was... safer for me to be needed. I wasn't truly... trusting."

He winced.

"And it's true that you are more powerful than me. I'm not a fighter because of my size, or a leader because I don't understand humans that well. I'd never have been a good chief."

Toothless nuzzled his head.

"I am not sure about that. You could have become a good chief-Alpha. You are good with us dragons and would have made an island-nest of peace."

"Only with dragons, with you, helping me. I... I'm not so strong without you. I am... not much on my own," he countered.

Moonbeam leaned in and gently poked his side with a paw.

"You are not nothing on your own. You are the bravest, warmest human I know."

"I'm the only one you really know..."

She huffed.

"That also. You are kind to cubs, you make good things be with your clever paws, and you help make peace for us in the world that you know. You want a better life for us dragons. That is all true now and would be even if Toothless was not in your life."

Her words brought his thoughts back to his mission, which was far more than only to bring the Fury pack out from the wild; it was to change the world into a better place for everyone.

"My place in the world? I guess so."

"You have the heart of a human and the soul-fire of a dragon. You will bring our kinds together; that is who you are, brother of my mate. And I name you my kin," she said.

"Oh Moonbeam..."

Toothless also purred in agreement.

"You will change the world, and I will always be there to help you do it."

"As will I," Moonbeam purred and nodded.

A cold or fear that had been in his heart, perhaps all along, melted and shattered under Toothless's and Moonbeam's reassurances. He felt like crying, but there were no tears, probably because he had no more to give.

They sat there together in a long silence, staring down at Edoras as the city came awake. Furies rose into the sky to fly off over the plains or get a drink of water from the wells and streams. The Rohirrim began to go about their duties or filter up into the Golden Hall or the city square for breakfast. The clang of hammers began sounding as the smiths started their labors.

Everything was peaceful.

Then he was struck with an awkward thought regarding how life would have to change now.

"Uh, now that you two are... together, how is that going to work for sleep? I mean, you've been sleeping with the rest of your families until now."

"I do not know," Toothless hummed.

Moonbeam reached over and gently batted Toothless's nose with a paw.

"We are a pair now, so we will get a rock of our own to sleep on. Neither of us would stay in piles with our old family-packs now."

Hiccup nodded, seeing what that meant.

"You will want to be on your own now."

"Who said that?" she barked and flicked an ear with confusion.

"Well, you don't want me there when you... you know..."

"No, I do not know. What?"

"When we are together as mates," Toothless explained.

Moonbeam burst out in laughter at that, stamping a paw on the ground and thrashing her tail.

"Uh, what's so funny?" Hiccup warily asked.

"We don't join as mates around the pack! That would be twisted of us!"

"True, my sire and dam are trying to make another cub, and they always fly away from here to be on their own," Toothless added.

"Yes," she nodded, "letting others see a pair together as one can make the others feel twisted wanting also."

Hiccup frowned, not understanding that at all but also being curious despite how awkward it all was.

"Sorry, I don't understand."

Her ears went back as she spoke.

"There are stories of males who attacked pairs to kill the male and take the female. Other stories say that females would kill other females to keep the males to themselves," she explained.

"What!" "What!"

Toothless growled softly as Hiccup stared in shock and horror. Moonbeam purred sadly.

"Yes, seeing that life-making can put rot in the soul-fires of those who are not strong in thinking or do not have a mate already. All of us in the pack trust each other much, but we avoid doing things that might make rot grow in our soul-fires."

Hiccup and Toothless gave each other a thoughtful, worried look. He was not sure if these stories she related were based on actual events, or if they were rather just stories with protective life lessons.

"Is that related to what Gandalf was talking about," Hiccup whispered.

"Maybe so," Toothless answered.

"What?" Moonbeam mumbled in confusion.

Another quiet look followed, and they both nodded in agreement. It was fair to tell Moonbeam more of the truth.

Toothless again wove his tail around Moonbeam's.

"Something happened to us dark wings and to you light wings when we flew into these skies. Do you remember the skies going... twisted?"

"Yes."

"Did you think it strange that we can speak with humans?"

She grumbled softly in thought.

"No. I never knew good humans, or any humans, up close until you, Hiccup."

"We could not talk with humans before. We learned how when we flew into these skies because... we were... touched by another soul-fire."

"Another soul-fire?" she whispered.

"A bad one that is part of the world. It gave us the knowing to speak as we are now, but it also gave us twisted wants, like the gold hoarding that I have..."

She blinked in confusion.

"I do not understand. Why did we not have those twisted wants before?"

"Maybe because we are not from this world at all. We were brought here from another world," Toothless explained.

"But that twisted fighting happened before we flew through the twisted skies," she objected.

"That..." Toothless went silent and glanced at Hiccup, "... now that you say that, there was much fighting for mates and territory in the Monster's nest too."

"I don't know," Hiccup frowned, "maybe dragons could be like that in the first world also. It doesn't make sense though. Maybe we have missed something."

"We were still changed when we were brought here," Toothless added.

"Do you know why we were brought here?" she asked.

Toothless snarled softly.

"The Enemy we are fighting against brought us here to be fighters for him. He wants us to hunt and kill humans and bend our wings to him as our new Alpha. His winning the fighting would let him control us and twist our thinking."

"And," Hiccup added, "that is part of why we wanted the pack to come back here to help with the fighting. It is truly for our own good to be free, even though I hate fighting."

"I think I understand, and I will help you however I can," Moonbeam whispered.

Hiccup then grinned.

"So, going back to what we were talking about before... you two don't mind me resting with you?"

Both Furies toothlessly grinned.

"You should! You are family!" Moonbeam nudged him in the shoulder.

"And we will go fly on our own when we want to. Because of you, brother," Toothless added.

"What about Mystery?"

"She..." Moonbeam paused and grumbled, "would stay with her sire and dam until she grew up or found a mate, but..."

A solemn, awkward silence followed.

"I have an idea..." Hiccup began.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Is it true that she and Breath-Of-Sky will probably be a pair?"

Moonbeam purred in thought.

"There is no other she could take when she is grown. She is not old enough to have any wanting for a mate, and she will not be old enough for several winters. But they like playing together much already and should have much trust when they are ready."

Hiccup nodded.

"Them trusting and knowing each other is good, but we wouldn't want them to be like siblings."

"True, that would be twisted," she agreed.

"Okay, I say that we let her stay with us. She is family also. I can stay in my house whenever I need to."

"I agree. She is my kin now," Toothless said.

Toothless then stood up and stretched his wings.

"I am hungry."

"Yep, same here," Hiccup agreed as he got up.

"Me also," Moonbeam purred.

"But there is something I need to do first," Toothless added.

"What is it?"

Toothless turned to the ledge, stretched his wings wide, crouched down, and then sharply nodded to his back.

"Get on."

"Toothless... you don't have to..."

Toothless huffed and rolled his eyes.

"You twisted human! You did not think that we would stop flying together just because I can fly on my own now, did you?"

Hiccup did not get a chance to refuse because Moonbeam gently headbutted him from behind.

"Alright, alright, if you insist..." he objected as he climbed into his familiar place, only this time without a saddle or any other equipment at all.

Moonbeam laughed and flung herself into the sky with a spin and joyful roar.

Toothless then crouched down to jump for the sky.

"Toothless..."

"Hiccup..."

"I love you, brother. Thank you for everything..."

Toothless glanced back at him over his shoulder and softly purred.

"I love you too, brother. You gave me a very good gift."

Hiccup grasped the base of Toothless's wings, being the best handholds available.

"You both gave me a pretty good gift too."

* * *

Toothless roared aloud with joy and leaped from the ledge to ascend on the morning winds sweeping across the bright, golden plain. Higher and higher until he leveled off in a steady glide with Moonbeam floating at his side and Hiccup on his back.

This felt perfect to him, flying freely with the two most important people in his life here with him.

It was not a wild flight, such as he and Hiccup flew much in the past. He knew that using a saddle for planned flights was probably best because that made flight safest and let them carry other things.

On the other paw, flying without a saddle or any human-made things on his back felt very freeing also. At the very least, it was faster flight without him needing to carry as much weight.

He glanced back over his shoulder. Hiccup was sitting there, arms stretched wide to embrace the wind, his hair whipping wildly, his robe-furs fluttering like wings, and his eyes closed in peace.

_If only he had wings of his own. That would make this even better!_

Hiccup's arms were flung wide to embrace the sky as his robe-furs flapped almost like wings in the wind.

Idle thoughts took the flight of possibility.

Hiccup made him a new tailfin.

Maybe Hiccup could make something else.

_This is crazy enough that it might be a Hiccup idea! We can talk about that later..._

Now was the time for peaceful flight as it should always have been: free to fly on his own.

That he could do so with his new life-mate and with his human brother made this a far warmer flight than it could possibly be alone.


	47. Official

_**Author's Note – I realized after I wrote this chapter that one aspect of the coming plot development is reminiscent of someone else's world building. Without mentioning who or what (since that would be a spoiler for their writing and since they know who they are) I tip my cap to them.**_

* * *

Official

* * *

Toothless grumbled as he looked around the slope down below. There were several people he needed to talk to as soon as he could to give them the good news.

_Where are they?_

Then he spotted his sire, dam, and little brother walking to get a drink of water.

He dove with a joyful roar and touched down beside them.

"Sire, dam, brother!"

They flicked their ears and tilted their heads in confusion.

"Is something twisted?" "Are you hungry?" "Silly brother!"

"I must tell you something!"

"What?" Sky-Dancer purred.

He smirked, amused that they had not noticed the truth yet.

"Hiccup made me a new tailfin! I can fly on my own now!"

That must have been when they realized that Hiccup was not on his back. His parents' wings fell to the ground as their jaws hung open. Breath-Of-Sky bounced on his paws while spinning in place.

"What?" "What?" "Amazing!"

He hopped up before them, turned aside, and wiggled his tail in their faces.

"Look at the new tailfin!" he shouted.

Both tailfins twisted and turned and rolled. His parents leaned closer to him and bent down to gently nose and paw at the new tailfin.

"And it... lets you fly now?" Far-Flight barked with amazement.

"Yes," he purred, "the flying is not truly fast or smooth, but I can fly on my own! Watch this!"

He roared aloud and jumped for the sky. He did not fly long at all, just doing a single wide loop above the nearest dens. Then he dove and landed before them again. They both bounded to him and nuzzled his head after seeing that short flight. Their soft whining and purring sparked his soul-fire even warmer than it already was.

"And there is more good!" he added.

"What is it?" "My dear cub..." "Big brother!"

"This," he stepped back from them and pointed with his tail down the slope.

Hiccup and Moonbeam were approaching, walking slowly up the slope while whispering to each other. Hiccup then went to wrestle with Breath-Of-Sky's head, and Moonbeam hopped over to his own side. She then put a wing over his back and turned to his parents.

"We are mates now," Moonbeam purred.

His parents blinked in surprise and started purring very deeply. Sky-Dancer bounded over before Moonbeam, chuffed, and then nuzzled her nose.

"I am happy for you. We hoped this would be. You will be good to each other," she hummed.

Far-Flight also hopped closer and then licked Moonbeam's nose. She snorted and pawed at her face after he did that.

"I am happy for you also, mate of my first cub."

Moonbeam hummed softly and hung her head, her tail going still.

"It is twisted to have a second sire and dam now," she whispered.

Far-Flight hummed solemnly.

"We will not take the memory-place of your lost sire and dam," he said.

"Just know that you are even more kin to us now," Sky-Dancer purred.

"And," Far-Flight barked in amusement, "you both might be dams together!"

"Might be? I hope you two do not have a problem with that..." Moonbeam smugly purred.

Toothless joined in their laughter while Breath-Of-Sky chuckled and Hiccup blushed.

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer then turned to Toothless.

"My cub..." Far-Flight began.

"Sire..." Toothless groaned.

"We are happy for you and glad that you are with her. I told you that she has a warm soul-fire."

"Yes, you did."

They then turned on Hiccup and slowly strode up to him while crooning.

"Hiccup, you gave our cub true flight..." Far-Flight said.

Toothless groaned again.

"Sire, I am not a cub!"

Sky-Dancer pressed her hung head into Hiccup's chest.

"You are so good to him," she whispered as he gently held her head.

Hiccup sighed at that and whispered to her.

"I don't know. I've hurt him before, but I'm trying to be better."

"Yes, you are," she hummed and lifted her head.

She gazed at him with an unknown look in her green eyes. Then she bounded over to Far-Flight's side and walked away with him, whispering to each other. Their ears lifted and tails started swaying as they spoke, eventually coming to some agreement. Then they both returned to him.

"We want to do something for you, if you want it," Far-Flight whispered.

"To show how much we thank you for being good to our son and to show you how close we hold you to our soul-fires," Sky-Dancer added.

"What is it?" he asked, curious.

Sky-Dancer purred, hesitated, and then answered.

"Sometimes a pair of mates will raise a cub that is not theirs if the blood sire and dam are... gone or cannot raise the cub."

Hiccup nodded, seeing the obvious kindness in such a custom, and then realized what they were about to do.

"We want to name you our cub," Far-Flight added as he crouched down next to her.

"I..." Hiccup gasped and glanced at Toothless who also looked amazed.

It was confusing to get an offer to be adopted into a dragon family.

His own father was not a bad man at all. Presumably, Stoick was still out there on Berk now and doing what he had been doing for decades: being a chief first and foremost. His being that was... what Berk needed. But that was in an entirely different world that he himself would probably never see again.

His mother was gone, killed long ago by a dragon in a raid that had almost killed him as a baby.

There was still the faintest, unreasonable hope inside that he might one day see Berk again.

But now, with Toothless and Moonbeam happy together, with the entire Fury pack settling in here in Rohan in Middle-earth, and with his own mission of being their representative, he could finally let go of that last tether to the past.

Accepting that he would not see any of them again, Stoick, Gobber, Gothi, Astrid, Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff, Fishlegs, and everyone else... hurt... but his place was not there anyway. While his relationship had not been the best with all of them, there was no reason to hate them or be spiteful. They all, in their various ways, tried the best they could in the harsh world they lived in.

Sky-Dancer and Far-Flight expectantly waited for his answer.

He didn't need a replacement father or mother. He didn't need new providers for him. Not really. After all, he was almost eighteen, which made him a grown man by the measure of most tribes and peoples.

On the other hand, Sky-Dancer and Far-Flight were patient with him, understanding, and didn't hate him for his past mistakes. They, Toothless, Breath-Of-Sky, and now Moonbeam and Mystery were family now and always. Accepting this offer would only make official what already was in practice.

"What does it mean? Are there any strange ceremonies I don't know about?"

"No," Sky-Dancer shook her head, "It means that you are kin to us as if we raised you, that you may always rest with us, and that we will protect each other even within the pack. Some ceremonies about choosing mates do not work with you..."

_I'm going to be adopted by a family of dragons. Why not? We have been family already for a long time._

So he smiled back at them and nodded.

"I accept, father, mother."

They smugly purred and licked his face one at a time. Breath-Of-Sky, Toothless, and Moonbeam took their turns afterwards and licked him while and purring deeply.

Standing there dripping in drool, he could not be truly frustrated with them.

"Ugh, this will not wash out. Was that really necessary?"

Toothless laughed.

"Yes, the naming would not work without the licks!"

"Very funny. Real hilarious, bro..."

"We will tell the pack tonight!" Far-Flight eagerly barked.

Sky-Dancer nuzzled him one more time.

"I knew you had the soul-fire of a dark wing, son," she said.

He was reminded of another time that someone else, an ice dragon, told him that he had the soul of a dragon. The two statements were similar, but they had such different meanings to him, especially given the speakers in those two cases.

"Thanks, mom."

"You made the new tailfin for Burning-Star! How?" she shouted.

"Clever paws, that is how!" Toothless chuffed.

Hiccup shrugged.

"I'm rather skilled in the forge. It wasn't too hard. Just... needed the right push..."

"Well, however it happened... we thank you, son," she said, gently nuzzling his shoulder.

"Sister!" Moonbeam barked.

Their happy meeting was interrupted as Mystery approached from the Edoras square where a regular supply of food, fresh and dried, was made available each morning. She looked worried as she stared in their direction.

Moonbeam hopped over before her.

"Sister, what is twisting you?"

Mystery shuffled on her paws, not answering for a while.

"You... you have a mate now, sister-dam."

"Yes, I do. Burning-Star is part of my life-flight now."

"You do not want me anymore..." Mystery whined and hung her head.

Moonbeam barked in alarm while nuzzling Mystery's forehead.

"No! Wrong! You are my sister-cub! You will stay in the sleeping-pile with me."

Toothless strode over to them, and then he licked Mystery's face. She grumbled in some annoyance and wiped her face with a paw, much as Moonbeam had earlier.

"Sister of my mate, you are kin to me. You may rest with us."

Breath-Of-Sky slithered in under Toothless's wing.

"And you are my kin also!"

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer similarly strode over to her with welcoming purrs.

Mystery looked around at the eager Furies gathered around her, and she hummed softly in evident relief.

Hiccup was sure she was being too dramatic about the whole situation, but then Mystery's and Moonbeam's relationship was, through no fault of theirs, a strange one: a mix of sisters and mother-daughter.

"We should go eat now as a pack!" Sky-Dancer hummed.

"Yes, we should. There is plenty of meat at the food place," Moonbeam agreed.

"You all go ahead. I'll be up at the Hall for breakfast," Hiccup added.

They started to go their separate ways when Toothless stopped him.

"There is something I want us to do soon," Toothless said.

"What is it?"

Toothless bent down and whispered to him.

"You need to learn flying with false-wings. You can make some, yes?"

Hiccup couldn't contain his giddy grin at the suggestion.

"I like how you think, bro. Guess what? I was already working on them! It'll be a few more days before they're ready, but I can do it."

"Flying with you that way will be very good! You will fly like a dragon!"

"Yeah, the rescue maneuvers are going to be much better, not sloppy at all!"

Toothless sat back on his rear and crossed his paws.

"Who said anything about you needing to be rescued?"

"Uh, you do know who you're talking to..."

Toothless rolled his eyes and chuffed.

"True... how did I forget?"

* * *

The Golden Hall was not very busy, mostly because it was late for breakfast and most of the workers had already left for their daily duties.

However, Aragorn, Gandalf, Merry, and Pippin were at a table together. Hiccup grabbed a plate of cheese and bread and a mug of water before joining them.

"Hiccup! Good to see you!" Pippin cheerfully greeted him while smoking on a pipe.

"Good to see you all too. Isn't it early for smoking, Pippin?"

"Impossible! It's never too early for Longbottom Leaf!" Merry objected.

"You know, I'm quite glad that we went to Isengard on holiday!" Pippin added.

That sounded incredible of them to be so unconcerned about having been abducted. There had to be something he didn't know about going on.

"Why are you glad you went there?"

"Because we found Saruman's storeroom!" Merry explained.

"The accommodations are a little wilder now, but it was a quality establishment back in the day," Pippin added.

"Top of the line. We thought it'd be only dead rats and moldy bread, but no sir," Merry further explained.

"Fresh apples, new produce, a whole chicken, and two barrels... of Old Toby..." Pippin dreamily sighed.

Hiccup settled down at the table.

"Sounds delicious."

"Aye, the food was. The Longbottom Leaf... there are no words for that discovery..." Pippin breathed.

Both Hobbits then heavily sighed and stirred their bowls of soup.

"Was this breakfast or second breakfast?"

"Just breakfast. They don't do second breakfast here..." Pippin bemoaned.

Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"A true disaster. Hey, do you know where I could find Gimli and Legolas?"

"Training or taunting each other, not sure which. Maybe both since they're not exclusive," Merry answered.

"Yeah, Legolas was teaching Gimli how to use a bow, and Gimli challenged Legolas to forge something," Pippin explained.

"A Dwarf with a bow and an Elf in the forge, why not?" Hiccup shrugged.

Aragorn chuckled while puffing his pipe.

"You might be surprised, Master Haddock. The greatest weapons ever forged were of Elf-make. The Dwarves are also capable with many different weapons though they favor the ax above all others."

He thought back to all he had seen in Rivendell, particularly in the weapons room. There were many different types of weapons, all of very fine craftsmanship.

Then Aragorn leaned back in his chair and crossed his hands.

"I hear that you have some skill in your hands at matters of life."

"With Lightning's new cub?"

"Yes."

It somehow felt much less awkward to talk to him about such matters. Aragorn was likely far more practical about life from his many years in the wild.

"Not really. I'm still learning about that. The mothers trust me and want some help for... that... just in case anything goes wrong."

"Well, if you want the knowledge of a Ranger, I would be willing to teach you about some herbs that help to numb pain. That might greatly help them."

"Thank you. That would be very helpful to know."

He realized that he hadn't shared the good news with them yet.

"So, everyone, I have a couple announcements. First, I've been adopted into Toothless's family."

"Oh, really?" "How's that work?" "Congratulations."

"Second, Toothless can fly on his own now. I... built him a new tailfin that he can use to fly on his own."

"Bet he's glad about that." "Good for him!" "Indeed? How fascinating."

"Third, Toothless has a mate now."

"Is it Moonbeam? She is beautiful." "It's her, isn't it?" "I am glad to hear it."

"Yep, it's her."

Gandalf's eyebrows lifted; he had remained out of the conversation until that point.

"I was under the impression that there was an obstacle to that. Unless anything has changed... such as the tailfin and free flight again."

There was a knowing and piercing look in the Wizard's gaze, so he looked away from the Wizard.

"Well, Toothless being able to fly on his own surely helped them."

Gandalf got up and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Indeed? Would you please take a short walk with me, Master Haddock?"

_Oh great, he knows..._

"Sure."

"We'll save your plate for you," Merry said.

He got up and followed Gandalf outside. Gandalf, as was not uncommon for him since returning from Isengard, carried his sling-bag over his shoulder.

They stood outside the main entrance to the Golden Hall where they could overlook much of Edoras and the surrounding plains and mountains in the west. The morning wind stroked Gandalf's pure white robes and beard.

"I sense that something is changed about you. Do you wish to speak of it?" Gandalf kindly asked.

While it was shameful to let anyone else know the truth of how bad he had been to Toothless, it also felt right to tell Gandalf the truth. He knew that he could tell the Wizard the truth without being judged or despised. There might be no one better to give advice than him.

He still closed his eyes and took a deep breath before recounting any of it.

"I made him the tailfin because I realized that I was trying to keep him needing me. Part of me wanted him to not be able to fly on his own."

"Do you know why?"

"Maybe. I was always unneeded by my old tribe and useless for anything they wanted. But then Toothless needed me. I was afraid that we wouldn't be friends if he was free and didn't need me to help him fly. And... I cannot do as much in the world without him or the Furies helping me."

He slumped slightly.

"I don't think I was always like that, clinging to him when I should let him be free. I don't know where I went wrong..."

"I do," Gandalf whispered.

"What? How?" he gasped in shock.

"You said it yourself. You felt as though you were weak, unneeded, and powerless in your old tribe. Then you befriended a powerful dragon and therefore got his fire and wings as your own, in a way. Having someone stronger present to fix your problems for you means that you do not need to become stronger on your own. Your ability to do anything or make a difference becomes one with having him do it for you."

"That sounds about right, yeah."

"All that it would take is a great loss or some other push to make you want to hold onto him as something that is yours. I have seen it happen to soldiers who are so attached to their horse or their favorite sword that they lose all courage without their favored mount or blade."

"A push? I don't understand."

Gandalf again lay a hand on his shoulder.

"Think. The kindling was there in you, so to speak, but it needed a spark. A spark like the idea that you are nothing without your dragon. Does any of that sound familiar?"

He thought about it. What Gandalf said did sound... vaguely familiar, but where had he heard that before?

"Have you ever been near a great evil that twists and corrupts what is in the hearts of men?" Gandalf prodded.

He froze, staring into another world as he remembered it.

The Council in Rivendell. Picking up the Ring after it abandoned the pedestal. Feeling how precious it had been in his palm.

Hearing its whispered words that felt so true and which he felt echoing in his heart. Had that fear of abandonment always been there deep inside himself and then been strengthened by his encountering a true evil?

"The Ring..." he snarled.

Gandalf clapped him on the shoulder.

"Partially. I imagine that this neediness could have manifested even without the Ring, such as if you lost someone else dear to you and you blamed yourself for it. However, the Ring assuredly had a great and terrible influence on you; it made you more... possessive of him. Fortunately, you saw its influence for what it was, and that is more than most men can say. With that alone you did what nine great Kings of men could not do."

"It doesn't feel like I did anything great. I was just doing what I should have done long ago..."

"And it is a deed well done. To give one whom you love freedom so that their life can be more than it was before is indeed a great deed. If more people were as selfless as you, Hiccup Haddock, this world would be a far merrier place."

He reluctantly grinned. As usual, simply being around Gandalf seemed to encourage him and lift his sullen mood.

"Thanks. What happens next in the war?"

Gandalf frowned and dropped a hand to his carrying bag. He also gazed off into the southeast.

"I still do not know even after giving much thought to it. Many places there are where the Enemy would seek to strike: Erebor, Lindon, Mirkwood, Lorien, another strike on Rohan, the lands of Gondor are many, Tolfalas, or somewhere else. There are so many pieces on the board now."

Anticipating an enemy's strategy in a war involving the entire continent was surely very complex.

"If I may, Galadriel had that... magic pool that let her see far away. What about that? Can you do something like that?"

Gandalf paused before answering.

"There is one way that I could better learn the Enemy's plan. I could indeed see far away, but it is perilous. Saruman himself was ensnared using the same method."

"I don't understand..."

Gandalf smiled at his confusion.

"You need not worry about it. I will continue to think on this matter. We should all enjoy this calm before the inevitable storm."

Gandalf then left, put his arms behind his back, and started to wander through Edoras. The Wizard was surely occupied with... Wizard things or plans relating to the war.

_Why does he keep so many secrets?_

He spun around to head back inside to finish his breakfast when he saw that Pippin was standing there at the front door.

"Hey Pippin, what are you doing?"

"Thinking..."

"That's dangerous..." he teased.

"Do you feel like Gandalf is keeping secrets from us?" Pippin asked.

"Well, he is a Wizard, so probably, yeah."

Pippin frowned and crossed his arms.

"I wish he didn't do that."

"Remember what Frodo said? Do not meddle in the affairs of Wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger!"

"I know, but we have been meddling in his affairs for months now. There is something odd about that glass ball."

"Huh?"

"Oh yes, a dark glass ball. I found it at Isengard, and Gandalf took it from me. Didn't even thank me for saving it from getting lost either..."

Hiccup shrugged.

"He probably knows best if that glass ball is magic."

Pippin frowned at that and watched the idly-pacing Gandalf.

"I just wish that we'd get to actually do something important on this Fellowship. We've done nothing but get captured and watch as the Ents do their walking-trees-stomping-on-orcs thing."

This was not the first time he had heard mention of the Ents, though he had not seen one himself. The Fellowship had told stories of the Ents, and several packmates had mentioned that they saw walking trees in the Fangorn forest, though no one went down into that forest for any reason. That had been a precaution suggested by Gandalf to the pack through the Alphas.

"Well, you weren't in the cold wilderness for over a month. Over two months, actually."

Pippin looked interested about that.

"Right, you and Toothless were up in the Northern Waste. That's where you found the rest of the pack," Pippin said.

"Yep, it was very balmy and fun-in-the-sun up there."

"I bet. Did you get to work on your tan up there?"

He rolled up his sleeves to show off his lack of a tan.

"Impressive. And I thought I saw everything on this mission... quest... thing. Now I've seen a ghost," Pippin teased.

"Gee, thanks for that. Anyway, I'd like to finish breakfast. Want to hear about some of our adventures up there in the North?"

"Sounds great! What are you going to be doing all day?

"I'll be in the forge all day."

"Doing what?"

"I want to keep that a surprise until it's finished."

Pippin frowned.

"Can I get a hint?"

"It involves flying."

"Considering that your life involves dragons... that's not much of a hint. Oh well, I'll find out eventually."

"You sure will. How about you and Merry? What are you up to?"

"Not much, as usual. Aragorn said he would help train us more in combat, just in case. He wanted to... pick up... where Boromir left off."

"What do you mean?"

Pippin frowned and slumped.

"Boromir was teaching us self-defense. Just a few weeks of training with him and we graduated from, as he put it, 'hopeless' to 'novice'. He was so happy when we learned to block and parry for the first time. But then he... well, you know what happened."

He clasped Pippin's shoulder.

"Yeah. Toothless and I never really knew him except at the Council, but he seemed like a brave man even there."

"He was."

"Let's go finish our breakfast. Sounds like we have a long day ahead of us."

Pippin nodded and followed him after glancing one more time toward Gandalf in the distance.

* * *

Hiccup rubbed his hands and cracked his knuckles while looking over everything on the tables in his forge. He had all the needed supplies lined up and organized.

_Perfect, this is all coming together nicely. Now just gotta get to it without any distractions._

"Hey Haddock! Are you in there?"

He hopped in surprise and spun on around as Adney strolled into the forge. She looked around and saw that the tables were covered in the various supplies: piles of leather, charcoal, metal support beams, thread, hinges, joints, screws, steel balls, and an assortment of tools.

"Oh, Adney... hey there. I'm, uh, here."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm... making an outfit."

"Weren't you doing that a few days ago?"

"Yeah, but I got distracted on something... more important."

"What was that?" she asked while leaning against a table.

"I was making Toothless a new tailfin that lets him fly on his own. He... deserves to be able to fly freely."

"Impressive."

"Oh, he also a mate now."

Her eyebrows rose.

"Really? Who is it?"

"Moonbeam. She's the older Light Fury. She has purple eyes, a scar on her chest, and she has kept to herself a lot until now," he explained.

Adney nodded.

"I've seen her and her sister. Everyone has. Those two might be the most beautiful in the pack. At least they're different from the others. Good for him. So what is this outfit you're making?"

"I'll give you a hint..."

He held out his arms and flapped them. She looked at him as though he had grown another head.

"A chicken suit?"

"What? No, a flight suit. You know, wings and flying..."

She blinked and stared at him without saying anything for a long time, so he defiantly stared back at her.

"So, it's not good enough to just ride them. You are going to make a flight suit so that you can fly like the dragons. Are you serious?"

He crossed his arms.

"Yes."

"Alright, that sounds fun. How can I help?"

"Wait, what?"

She stepped over next to him and looked down at the table's contents.

"Yeah. You know flying, but I know leather and you probably need a lot of it. Do you have a design?"

"Somewhere here..."

He found the schematics and smoothed out the drawing on the table. Unlike the automatic tailfin, the flight suit had needed a design since he hadn't made anything remotely like it before.

She frowned as she inspected the plans, drawing a finger across the parchment while grumbling to herself.

"Not too bad... this might work..." she muttered.

It felt like a good time to ask her something he had been wondering about.

"How long have you worked the forge?" he asked.

"Since I was five."

"About the same for me. Did you have a teacher?"

"My father, mostly. You?"

"Tribal blacksmith. His name was Gobber the... actually, that part's not important. Point is that he taught me everything I know. Even though he had only one arm and leg."

"How did he lose the other arm and leg?" she asked.

"Dragons. Not Night Furies."

She stepped back from the table and fiddled with the smoldering fire in the furnace, poking the ashes with a poker.

"I see. How bad was the fighting, really, if you don't mind me asking?"

He didn't like sharing details about how dangerous and violent dragons could be, but it felt different talking about this with her. She could be trusted to be understanding about this.

"Not at all. The dragons attacked, all different kinds, usually once a month. They were being used by another, bigger dragon to do its hunting for it. The raids themselves... you can imagine the village burning and dangerous dragons swarming above while searching for the sheep and other livestock. Someone died every other raid or so."

"Sounds terrible."

"Not terrible enough to make the tribe just leave. Too stubborn for that. I don't think anything could make them want to leave their home. And, as much as everyone hated the dragons, the raids were... something that brought the tribe together. They had a reason to be defiant and stubborn."

He leaned back against the table.

"To be honest, I don't know if I could have changed that place. I'd have to have changed so many of their traditions. Those aren't a problem here."

Adney shrugged and came back to the table.

"We don't really know dragons as monsters, except in stories. Still, we can be very stubborn in our own ways."

"Yeah, but you didn't stay here at Edoras to fight the Uruks. You retreated to somewhere you could defend yourselves. Berk would not have done that. They would have stayed here and died glorious deaths."

She idly nodded and then pointed to the pile of leather on the table.

"Well, if you want some help with the flight suit I can get started on cutting the arm-wings."

"Fine by me. If you don't mind the work."

"Of course not. All the swords and spears are sharpened for now, and this is something different to work on for a change."

"Alright, let's get to it."

"It also sounds like flying could be fun. If you don't fall from the sky and die, of course," she grinned.

"Thank you for summing that up."

"Glad to help."

He rolled his eyes.

"First, Toothless and I are both learning to fly on our own, in more ways than one. And I am not going to fall from the sky. He would always be there to catch me even if I did fall. Flying is something I just know, probably like how you know horseback riding."

"If you say..." she shrugged.

* * *

Hiccup took a deep breath while standing at Toothless's side on the Furies' slope after a long and very wearying day, physically and emotionally. The beginning of the wingsuit was coming together well with Adney's help, and it would probably be done in a couple days. It was far less mechanically complex than the tailfin, but it made up for that by being more tedious to make with a lot of needed sewing and measurements.

None of that was bothering him.

It was time to formally reveal a couple of very important things to the pack. One of them was entirely good and unlikely to bother anyone, but the other was a detail that he hoped did not cause problems with anyone.

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer roared aloud a call of summons. The rest of the pack hopped down from their rocks and trotted up the slope to crowd around them.

"Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, you called us!" Flame-In-The-Night barked from the front of the assembled pack.

"Yes, we must speak about something good!" Sky-Dancer roared.

Far-Flight beckoned to him with a flick of his head.

_It's go time..._

Hiccup stepped over to them and stood at Sky-Dancer's front. She rested her chin on his shoulder while purring very deeply.

"Far-Flight and I have named Hiccup our cub!" she roared.

Far-Flight raised his voice.

"He is one of us as if he has our blood! We want all in the pack to know this!"

"We hear and know! This is good!" Flame-In-The-Night cried aloud.

The rest of the pack purred loudly in approval from where they lay gathered nearby. Eyes of all different colors were wide with warmth.

Snowfall hopped to her paws and trotted over to stand before him.

"We are not surprised. Many of us were thinking of you as one of Far-Flight's and Sky-Dancer's young already."

Hiccup smiled back at them and held onto Sky-Dancer's neck as she purred. Then he nodded at Toothless.

_Here goes nothing..._

"There is something else we want to let the pack know. Burning-Star..."

* * *

Toothless stepped forward and sat down, holding his head and shoulders high to look over the pack. Moonbeam hopped over to him without any prompting and similarly sat down at his side. They entwined their tails in full view of all in the pack.

"Moonbeam and I are mates now."

As expected, there was much purring of approval as all the present pairs came forward to greet them with licks and purrs of approval. There was one adult who did not come forward.

There was no regret. He and Jumps-At-Fire could not have been happy together; they were too different in what they wanted from life. But he did care for her because he understood her and felt some of her pain.

He waited until all the other pairs had departed for their ledges, and then he and Moonbeam walked back to their kin.

"We will go flying soon," he purred.

"You probably won't be back tonight, right?" Hiccup chuckled.

"Probably not. We are new life-mates."

"Burning-Star still needs practice with his new tailfin," Moonbeam added after whispering to Mystery.

Toothless agreed entirely. The new-tailfin could possibly be improved after he had more time to learn flight again, but that was an issue for later.

"Alright then, off with you two. Happy... flying!" Hiccup said.

Toothless huffed at how twisted Hiccup could be, and then he turned away from his kin. Moonbeam followed him on the ground as they walked along the slope and among the rest of the pack.

There was something he needed to do before flying off with her. He and she had already talked about doing this for the good of everyone involved.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she whispered.

"Yes, it might feel twisting, but I must do this. Stay with me."

"Always," she nudged his shoulder.

They walked together until they came upon a lone packmate on the side of the pack. Jumps-At-Fire stared at them without looking away as they approached. It was twisted to be talking to her with Moonbeam right there with him, but they were all part of the pack. Making sure that their future flights would be peaceful was important.

He calmly strode up before her and then sat down with Moonbeam at his shoulder.

"Jumps-At-Fire, I wanted to talk to you."

"What is there to say?" Jumps-At-Fire whispered.

"I have seen you being more part of the pack in the last moon-cycle. That is good."

Jumps-At-Fire hopped down from her rock and walked away from the pack. He and Moonbeam followed her until she stopped far enough away that the pack could not hear.

"You told her?" Jumps-At-Fire asked.

"Yes, she knows what we were doing, and she knows why we stopped," he answered.

Jumps-At-Fire huffed softly and lay her head on her paws.

"I should say that I am warmed for you. But now there is no one for me even if I change," she said.

"No one for you how? I will not be with you, but I do not want you to have a cold life-flight."

"What do you mean?" Jumps-At-Fire sighed.

"Maybe you should try to make a human friend: someone you can trust and not fear would be twisted. Maybe you will find that flying more with the pack is warming enough that you do not need or want mating. Maybe we will find other dark wings somewhere or more will fly to us. I would still be kin to you."

Moonbeam stepped forward from his shoulder.

"We wanted to tell you to not try anything twisted with us. We do not want to hurt you or have any problems with you. Do not give me a reason to want you dead," she calmly said.

Jumps-At-Fire looked back and forth between them until she hung her head and looked away.

"I will not. You are both strong and warm, far more than me. You deserve to be happy; I do not."

He was not sure if she was trying to make him pity her. She was not unwilling to trick to get her way, but he wanted to give her the benefit of doubt.

"Do not say that. You are not bad, only twisted in thinking and also afraid. You can change and grow if you want to," he objected.

"Change? I need a reason to change. There is no good that would come from changing into wanting something I cannot have," Jumps-At-Fire countered.

"Yes, there is," Moonbeam answered for him, "You should do it for yourself. Be free of the bad thoughts that have pushed your flight until now. Do that and you will feel more peace. I know."

Jumps-At-Fire and Moonbeam stared at each other for many wingbeats until Jumps-At-Fire turned away and started for the pack.

"I will try..." she sighed.

They watched her until she lay down to return to rest, as usual a slight distance from everyone else. He also thought she might have been trembling a little, though he could not be certain of that. Still, the little he saw was very soul-fire chilling. She kept to herself and did not, as far as he knew, confide in anyone else in the pack. It was unlikely that she could change on her own.

He still wanted to help her, as she was a packmate whom he understood possibly better than she did herself. But giving her the help that she truly needed might be difficult, and it would have to be given in a way that did not hurt him or Moonbeam.

_She had a painful life and learned many bad ways of..._

Then he gave a yelp of surprise at the pinch on his tail. He spun around and saw that Moonbeam had his tail in her jaws.

"You!"

She shook the tail while growling, dropped the tail, and laughed as she hopped up to nuzzle his neck.

"You did well with that, my dear mate," she hummed.

He nipped one of her ears and nuzzled her neck while stroking her tail.

"We should fly now, my dear mate," he growled.

"Yes, we should," she slyly purred.

They jumped and flew off together into the night.

* * *

Hiccup watched as Toothless and Moonbeam walked away together. Then he walked back to Sky-Dancer and beheld her wide green eyes following him.

"Sky-Dancer, do you mind?" he gestured toward her side.

"My cub," she purred.

He grinned at her calling him her cub. It was still strange, but it was also very endearing.

_I might get used to it._

She lifted a wing and let him snuggle in at her side while Breath-Of-Sky lay on her other side. Far-Flight rested at her front with his eyes closed and his head on his paws. Mystery lay on Far-Flight's other side. Everyone had agreed that letting her rest with them was best for tonight.

Every Fury's purring and humming was subtly different, and he knew a few well enough to distinguish them.

Theirs sounded and felt like family by now. Still, being there cast his idle thoughts far into the past. What was his true mother like? How different might everything have been if she hadn't been killed? There was no way to know.

Sky-Dancer curled her head around and gazed at him, looking as though she wanted to say something.

"Yes?"

"Son, Burning-Star has a warm mate now. What about you? Do you see a female you want? How does the ceremony happen for humans? We do not know."

He groaned.

"I'm not really sure myself now. Different packs have different ceremonies or customs, but most agree that... making pairs is about more than only making cubs. Both in the marriage... in the pair must want the other to be happy, at least somewhat."

She hummed.

"We are much like that also. Most of life does go to hunting and providing for cubs and the mate who is with the cubs more, but those in a pair also talk and fly together for fun and the warmth of life only."

Then she chuffed.

"Do you want to find a mate?"

He rolled his eyes.

"Ugh, maybe. I don't know. I'm not as big and strong as most guys..."

"True, you are not as big as the fighters, but you have other strength."

"You think so?"

"Yes," she hummed, "Would any other human have tried to learn about us or be warm to us?"

"Maybe, but probably not from my old pack... other than my lost mother. Other than her, there was probably too much history between dragons and humans there. No one else wanted peace."

She grumbled.

"Well, we do not know human ceremonies, but we are sure that you will impress a female if you try."

He shrugged.

_Well, there's always hope, even if only a fool's hope..._

"Maybe, but that's not so important for me. I'd rather just focus on the pack and looking out for all of us."

She nodded.

"I understand, son. We will not push your flight on this."

"Thanks, mom."


	48. Learning To Fly

_**Author's Note - I hope you all continue to enjoy these mellower chapters.  
**_

* * *

Learning To Fly

* * *

Toothless's thoughts kept flying back to something that happened a couple nights ago after telling the pack that he and Moonbeam were a pair. He and she had walked together to speak with Jumps-At-Fire and ensure peace with her. Having someone in the pack secretly clutching anger to her soul-fire would have been bad. Fortunately, Jumps-At-Fire had not declared any anger or ill will toward them.

But she did look despondent afterwards, and that was chilling.

Was there anything he could do to help her? It was not his duty to try to change her, but... he could maybe help her change herself for the better. The best way to do that... as he saw with Hiccup's own problems and with the past hidden self-blaming Moonbeam was suffering from... was through understanding and acceptance.

He was very sure that Jumps-At-Fire was not rotted or intentionally cruel, and she did not deserve to feel so rejected and cold.

Maybe it was possible to help her see what was forcing her flight and what was making her act as she did. It was probably much more complicated than she just wanted to have fun with a willing male. Her past with her sire flying away and her dam teaching her strength through not trusting others... probably did much to chill her soul-fire.

Further, there was probably no one else who would say what she needed to hear.

Resolved to act, he nuzzled Moonbeam's cheek, waking her from her sleep up on their shared rock near his family's rock. She purred without opening her eyes.

"Burning-Star..."

"My dear mate, how are you?" he purred.

She yawned.

"Well and warm."

"Good. I want to tell you something."

"What is it?" she whispered.

"You might want to get up for this."

She did and glanced curiously at him, so he took a deep breath.

"I am going to talk to Jumps-At-Fire today. I want to help open her eyes to her problems, if she wants to accept help."

Moonbeam did not do or say anything for a few wingbeats without looking away. Then she leaned against his side.

"If you must do so for her as a packmate. I trust you on this. Thank you for telling me."

He licked her on the cheek in appreciation.

"Do you have work today?" he asked.

"Yes, I will help with the herding. The shepherds said there were some of the big wolves stalking one of the herds. We were going to find the wolves' den," she answered.

"Then I will help you with that after the talk, and I can practice flying more."

"You need to. Your flight is a little fouled."

He grumbled, not liking that he did have small problems making the new tailfin listen as it should.

"Still good enough to catch you," he said.

"You wish," she huffed.

She woke up Mystery.

"Sister-dam?" Mystery yawned, stretching her limbs.

"Wake up sister-cub!" Moonbeam purred.

"What are we doing..."

"We are going to drink water and then start the day. You and the other fledglings are going to the mountains for a hunt."

Mystery flew to her paws.

"Can I do the fade? I like hunting while faded!"

"If one of the other adults flames you, yes, you can!"

Mystery grumbled and jumped down from the rock.

He followed Moonbeam and Mystery up into Edoras for a drink of water. Moonbeam drank her fill, nuzzled his nose, whispered a pawful of very tender words to him, and then spoke to Mystery. Mystery then flew to the pack's slope while Moonbeam flew off toward several packmates who were about to depart. He watched them as they circled above, eventually departing for the horizon. Once they were gone, he went in search of Hiccup and found him by the forge.

"Hiccup, how are you?"

"Not too bad. You?"

"Well, and..."

Hiccup threw up a paw to interrupt him.

"I know what else you're going to ask. The wingsuit is coming along. Not finished yet."

"Can I see it?" he eagerly asked, tail swaying.

"Sure, come inside."

He stuck his nose into the forge and saw Hiccup holding up the false-wings with metal bones inside. They did not look very impressive yet, but he could see how they might look like wings. There was only one way to know if those false-wings could hold wind.

"Very good. I very much want you to fly with them soon!"

"Me too. I gotta wait for some help with part of the design, but it'll be done soon. A few days at most."

He stepped back out of the forge while Hiccup also came outside.

"What are you up to today?" Hiccup asked.

"I will be away today."

"Alright, mind if I know where... unless this involves you and Moonbeam..." Hiccup warily said.

He snorted and stuck a paw in Hiccup's face.

"Yes, I will be with her, but not how you are thinking... twisted human. I will go with her to help with her flock-protecting work... after another talk with someone else."

"Huh?"

He sighed and glanced at his paws.

"I am going to talk to Jumps-At-Fire."

Hiccup blinked.

"Oh. Okay. What for?"

"I... want to help her. She is very sad or upset that I have a mate now. I might understand her better than she does."

"Right? Is... is that really your business? I mean... are you going to try to change her?"

He grumbled, not entirely agreeing with that way of saying it.

"No, I am not going to tell her what she must do. I want to help her see her life-flight better, if she wants that help. If she does, then she can change her own life for the better. If not, then I will have done all I can for her."

"Alright then. Well, you know what you're doing. Hope it goes well."

"So do I. I can also tell you how the new tailfin is working."

Hiccup wistfully smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I did my best with it, but it's not going to be perfect. Let me know if you feel any problems, and I'll do my best to fix them."

"I will."

He then flew off in search of Jumps-At-Fire, remembering that she had flown off to the Snowborne for fishing and for privacy.

There was no way to know how she would react to this. She might want to fight him, ignore him, or listen to him... or maybe all three of those together.

* * *

He arrived within sight of the river, and after a little searching spotted a dark shape resting a few hops from the river. He recognized the shape, a smaller female Night Fury, from above, and knew that it was her.

She looked up and visibly stiffened at his landing and approach on paw. Her narrowed eyes followed him until he stopped at her shoulder. He was not sure at first what to say, so he nodded at the water.

"Jumps, how is your hunting?"

She looked away and grumbled.

"I have not caught anything yet."

"Is the hunting not good?"

"No, there are fish, but I am... thinking much."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"About what?"

He sighed and looked down at his paws.

"You know about what. I said that I am kin to you and want your life-flight to be warmer. That was truth."

"What more is there to say?" she calmly answered.

"You said that you would try to move on, but you did not sound like you believed it. I want to help you."

"Do you? How? What do you think you can do for me? You have Moonbeam now. Go be with her. That is... your place."

"What can I do for you? I cannot help you by doing what we were before. That will not help you or me. I want to talk with you, freely and with truth about your life."

She got up and walked to the edge of the water where she sat down, the river lapping at her paws. He did the same and again sat down beside her.

A long silence followed. He was not sure how to begin helping her to dig into her life-flight to find the hidden rot. It would not happen if she did not help it happen. Receiving this help would certainly be uncomfortable for her, and she needed to help the process start.

"Do you want me to talk with you? I will leave if you ask me to leave."

She sighed and rolled a paw against the sand.

"You want to talk? Sure... why not?"

"Okay. You feared bonding with me. Why?"

She snorted.

"You should know that. It is not safe to bond, and it hurts to remember... the past..."

This problem of hers almost certainly involved her lost mate, the one she had cared for.

"Will you tell me about him: your first mate?"

"He was stupid and twisted and I should not have trusted him!" she growled.

He stared into the distance, slightly surprised by that outburst against someone she supposedly loved truly. Maybe those were not her true thoughts on her lost mate. What she said... sounded like something someone else would have said.

"Yes, your dam would have said that about him. But what would you say about him? Truth only. Tell me what he was like... before you and he were together."

She hesitated for a very long time before answering.

"He was my age, kind, and warm in his soul-fire. We found each other, played and flew on adventures, and... were together before my dam knew about us. He was never threatening or... dangerous. He made me feel special and... wanted."

"What happened to him? How did he... die?"

She winced.

"He said that he flew out of a hidden world. That was probably why he did not know humans and... was not careful enough around them. He did not see a trap. My... dam was right about him and me..."

He thought about how to carefully answer that.

"That is false. Him not knowing the danger of humans is not a problem with who he was. That he died does not mean that he did not love you. That was not his fault or your fault."

"I know that. But love and trust is not... safe. It only ends with pain, loss, and tears," she whined.

"Is that all you can remember? You should know there is more than that."

She spun on him and growled freely, as if her soul-fire was sparked by something he said.

"I also remember my sire leaving us, and my dam teaching me to be strong!"

He saw the falseness in what she said, though she clearly did not.

"What she taught you is not strength! She taught you to never trust others and to fly alone in your life!"

She spun away and started pacing in the sand without looking at him. She also growled, hissed, and clawed at the sand while doing so, and he had not seen such feeling and anger out of her before.

"Tell me this: when we were still together... did you feel warmed that I enjoyed part of it? Did you feel warmth not only for yourself?" he asked.

She kept pacing without glancing at him.

"Please look at me."

Another long pause followed until she did look at him.

"I... did like... that you were happy with me, at first... and the pretend-bonding reminded me of... the little good I did have before..."

Was it as simple as she was trying to see her lost mate in him, while keeping distance so that she could not be truly hurt. She wanted something she could not have, so she pretended he was her lost mate. Maybe that was why she kept trying to... be with whoever would be with her.

Maybe there was hope for her, since she did want what would be naturally good in her life.

"You are not dead in your soul-fire," he whispered.

"Yes, I am."

"No, you are not."

She huffed and flicked an ear.

"Fine. Why not? Explain that!"

"Because you remember the good that you felt with him, and you wanted to try to feel that with me but without the danger."

She growled and rolled a paw in the sand, hopefully while considering what he said. It almost felt like she was fighting his offered help or trying to not see that...

"That might have lift... but I do not deserve to be that warm anyway. I cannot get a male to stay with me. I will only make mistakes. That is who I am."

Mistakes. Did she truly believe that she could only make mistakes. There was someone else who had told her that.

He stepped before her and snarled in her face.

"Is that you speaking, or your dam?"

She blinked and stepped back in open surprise as he continued.

"She must have been angry that her mate, your sire, left her. That was wrong of him, but did you ever stop and ask yourself if she wronged you also? Maybe she secretly blamed you since he was not around anymore."

She said nothing.

"Whether she tried to or not, she made her own hurts live in you! She hurt you!"

He growled and started pacing.

"Do not misunderstand me. You did some wrong also. It was wrong of you to use me... and anyone else you have been with in the same way. You also... got rid of your cub because you were afraid. You could have loved that cub, and it could have loved you as you were its dam."

She whined and shook her head.

"But dam was right... she knew more than I did... I had to listen to her... I had no choice..."

"No, you always had a choice. Telling yourself that you did not... is a way of hiding and keeping your eyes closed. You were still young and afraid, so you listened to her. That was still a choice. Even now, so many winters later, you still blame yourself. Why is your soul-fire doing that?"

"I do not know..." she whined again.

"It is telling you to grow. You make a mistake, you learn from it, and you do not make the mistake again. Be better than your own dam was! The mistake was not that you loved him! And I think you know that! You are very not bad or rotted!"

"How can you be so sure of that? You... you think you know me! You know nothing about me!" she snarled.

Her sudden flare of defensive anger suggested that he must be right.

"What was his name?"

She blinked.

"What?"

"Your mate... what was his name?"

"Why does that matter?

"What was his name?"

"He was... Glides-In-Light."

"If Glides-In-Light flew here and landed with us right now, if he were still alive to live with us in peace in this world where humans do not hate us, if he jumped at you and said that he wanted you back as his life-mate again, would you... go to him and be with him as you were?"

She shivered and looked away, visibly struggling with herself. She clawed at the sand underpaw and growled at herself.

Then a tear fell down her muzzle. She did not speak, but she did not need to.

He solemnly purred and whispered.

"You have your answer. You can be warm again if you just hunt that warmth and try to grow."

She stepped back and weakly sighed, all her strength and fire seemingly gone or dimmed.

"That is not a warmth I can have alone. He is dead, and there are none in the pack who will have me now. They have already decided what I am. Finding other dark wings... probably will not happen anymore. I never found any others not in the pack."

That was a fair problem. But, just as Moonbeam had pointed out to her, growing out of the past did not mean she must get a mate. Being free of this gnawing need was enough of a goal on its own.

She looked away from him and stared across the river without moving for a long time.

"What are you thinking?" he whispered.

She glanced at him, looking very wary before she answered.

"If I do want another mate... would you want to have two mates: two equal mates you are good to?"

He stepped back in surprise that she would even suggest that. On one paw, the idea of having her and Moonbeam was... not what he wanted or how families work. At least, having two females to one male was not how any of the families were in the pack.

On the other paw, this was a very different offer from what she had suggested in the past. This offer implied commitment and care from her. If he were to have two mates, he would do all he could to be good to both of them.

However, he had made a promise to Moonbeam that he would be hers only.

"No, I would not. My life is with Moonbeam. You should know that."

She grumbled and looked away.

"I thought you would say that," she huffed.

A very faint, twisted idea flitted into his thoughts as he saw her staring at her paws. He doubted that she was rotted enough to do such a terrible deed, but Moonbeam had warned him and Hiccup about twisted things that can happen because of desire for a mate, if the stories were true.

"Nothing will take me from her or make me want another. If someone hurts her and leaves me without her... I will find out if you did it... and if you did... I will kill you," he calmly said.

She stepped back from him.

"No... I said that I will not hurt you or her, and I meant that. She has never hurt me or been cruel to me. Hurting her would not let me get you."

He was pleased that she understood that.

"No, it would not. Do not ask me about that again. If you hear nothing else, hear this: you are not as hurt and rotted as you think you are. Yes, you did bad and made mistakes, but you know that you did bad and will not do that bad again."

He paused and solemnly hummed.

"I... do not blame you for anything... even what you did with me. Can you... forgive me?"

She glanced at him, her jaw slightly hanging open.

"Forgive you for what?"

He hung his head and exhaled.

"For... using you for pleasure before. Yes... we both agreed and wanted it... but it was still wrong of us and it only hurt us. I am sorry for not being in control of myself."

"You are apologizing for that? What?"

"Yes. I feel like I should. Can you forgive me?"

She blinked and looked very confused or even a little amused.

"I... do not think I need to, but... fine. I do not hate you for anything."

Pleased, he stepped away and stretched his wings.

"Good, thank you. I have said all I needed to say. Good hunting to you, Jumps."

She looked away from him and stared at the water.

"And to you, Burning-Star. I... need to think much about this."

He spun away from the river, jumped, and flew off in search of the herd, his kin, and the day's work. All the while on the calm flight on his own, he thought on Jumps-At-Fire's twisted problems. It looked like there was hope for her, leaving aside the nibbling problem that there were no other available males whom she could get to know or eventually be with.

And assuming that she could truly want such a life. Another possibility was for her to just not need a mate at all. It was not a life-rule that one must have a mate.

There was no temptation or desire for him to have another mate in addition to Moonbeam. He considered telling her about Jumps-At-Fire's offer, but he decided against it. There was no reason to make Moonbeam want to go kill her. Further, the offer was merely a question to touch his thoughts on the possibility.

But if Jumps-At-Fire asked him again or made him some other twisted offer, that might change everything and might force him and Moonbeam to confront her together.

* * *

Toothless slowly circled while inspecting the completed wingsuit which Hiccup was wearing for him to see.

"What'dya think, bro? Is this... dragon enough for you?"

Dark leather hide extended from Hiccup's wrists down below his belly. Another such wing extended between his legs down to the knees while dark fins went down his back. Hiccup also had a helmet which showed only his eyes, and the helmet also had small frills. There were no scales on the new furs, but these looked much better than normal human furs. This wingsuit made Hiccup look much more like a Night Fury!

He stepped in front of Hiccup, purred softly, and nodded with approval.

"The wings look good! We should fly with them now!"

"Just be sure to not hit me with your fire! This thing is not fireproof on the outside like you!"

Toothless held a paw to his chest in pretend shock.

"I am a Night Fury. I do not miss."

"Fair point..." Hiccup answered as he put on his dark helmet that covered everything except his green eyes.

"You still need a tail..."

"Yeah, I do."

"And the smaller tail-wings."

"What are those even for?"

"They make the wind scream in pain when I dive."

Hiccup shrugged as they walked outside.

"Not like I need to do that."

Toothless cried out for Moonbeam, crouched down to let Hiccup climb on, and then they took to the sky, flying high up above the plains outside Edoras. They quickly flew up above the clouds themselves.

He could barely hold in his flame at how eager he was for this. Hiccup was about to fledge... in a way!

He leveled off into a smooth glide above the clouds and then glanced over his shoulder. Hiccup looked ready and was holding his false-wings out to flutter in the wind.

"Are you ready to fly on your own?" he shouted.

Hiccup looked surprisingly worried and unsure of himself.

"Maybe we should take this nice and slow..." Hiccup shouted.

_When have you ever been afraid of flying?_

"What! Hiccup, it will be fine!" he barked in amusement.

He waited as Hiccup prepared to jump, slowly standing up on his shoulders and finding his courage. Hiccup started to stretch his wings again.

Then Moonbeam whipped up in front of him with a spin and joyful roar. She settled into a steady glide above them.

"Well, look who it is!" Hiccup shouted.

She toothlessly grinned down at them and glided closer.

"Hiccup is learning to use his wings!" he shouted up to her.

She tilted her head and lifted her ears; she looked very intrigued by this flight.

"Is he?" she barked.

"Yes!"

It happened before he had a chance to react.

She dove immediately above him, reached out with her forearms, and grabbed Hiccup, carrying him up higher into the air.

He was not at all afraid that she would hurt him, but it was still confusing what was happening.

_What are you doing to him?_

* * *

"Moonbeam, what are you doing?" Hiccup shouted once she leveled off into a glide.

Her forearms were wrapped around him, holding him tightly to her chest.

"Flying!" she barked back.

"With me?"

"Not for long, cub!"

_Not for long? Cub?_

Then she looked back upside down at him, crooned softly, and smiled toothlessly.

"I will not catch you!" she shouted.

_Catch me?_

"Fly!" she roared.

Then she dropped him.

_Oh my gods!_

There was no Toothless diving at his side. Panic was building inside.

The wind roared past him as he tumbled head over heels and struggled to breathe against the deafening wind. His head felt like it was going to burst as pressure built in his ears.

Tumbling.

Falling.

Unable to scream because he was breathless.

Lost in freefall.

And then...

His soul-fire burned brightly despite the fear.

It reminded him of something he had forgotten.

He was learning to fly with his wings.

They stretched wide and arrested his fall as the wind tore across his wings, pushing him higher as he glided into the wind.

He could not beat his wings or do anything more than angle himself toward the wind above a large, puffy cloud, but that was not a problem.

His wings did not fail him!

Total freedom and liberation!

His breath could have failed him and his soul-fire flown to soar like a star forever in the heavens.

Is this was it was to be dragon?

_THIS IS AMAZING!_

Then two other sets of wings, light and dark, were in the sky at his sides. The tips of their wings barely brushed against his. He could only spare a brief glance at each of them. Toothless looked worried while Moonbeam looked amused.

He held his falling flight as he passed down through the cloud and emerged in the clear sky high above the golden plain.

A bright bolt of purple fire flew past him and then exploded in a bright, warm flash. The heated air and pressure pushed him higher as he almost bounced off the small inferno. Several more such shots followed, keeping him aloft.

_Yeah! It works!_

Two loud roars were barely audible over the roaring wind.

It was hard to tell the passing of time over the elation and rush of the wind. Seconds, minutes, or hours... time was not.

He wished that he could soar freely as a dragon forever. This is where he belonged and deserved to be. Every dragon deserved to be in the sky!

However, the ground was quickly approaching. He was still flying very fast and had no way to slow his descent to a safe speed.

_Uh, yeah, landing is a problem!_

Fortunately, Toothless must have recognized this also because he immediately darted forward and caught him with plenty of room still to go.

_Yep, no sloppy rescue maneuvers now!_

They glided down onto the grassy plain and then alighted on a golden hill. Toothless gently released him onto the ground and then hopped back from him.

Hiccup got to his shaky feet, folded away his wingsuit after checking that it was undamaged, and stared at Toothless in amazement while struggling to find words.

"Hah! Hiccup has no words!" Toothless barked.

"Thank you for nothing..."

"Nothing? You looked like you needed catching."

"Yeah, fair enough... thanks for that. I need to think of some way to slow my landing so that..."

Moonbeam daintily touched down behind him and bounded closer.

"Moonbeam! What was that! You just dropped me!"

"Yes, my dear mate. What was that?"

She snorted and huffed at them as she sat back on her haunches.

"You do not know that ceremony?"

He turned on Toothless and glared at him.

"Is this one of the pack's secret ceremonies you never told me about?"

"Maybe, there are many I was told about."

Moonbeam laughed to get their attention.

"The ceremony is that every sire and dam takes their flightless cub into the sky after the cub grows its wings. Then they drop their cub."

It both made sense and was very terrifying.

"What if the cub cannot fly!" he objected.

"The cub will fly. The sire and dam can catch it if it is weak or falls," she answered.

Toothless hummed in thought, curious about something he had never gotten an answer to.

"When does a dark wing or light wing stop being a cub or a fledgling? I do not know the difference for the pack."

She purred at that.

"Dark wings and light wings are the same in this. They are a young-cub until they fly freely the first time. Then they are a cub until the first successful hunt on their own. They are named a fledgling when they have a true hunt. They are named an adult when they get their fire and are of mating-age, able to make a cub."

Hiccup thought about it and then realized what she had just done implied.

"Hey, wait a minute! Are you saying that I'm like your cub!"

She and Toothless laughed freely at that.

"Maybe you are! You are learning to fly!" Toothless roared with joy.

"It's more like falling with style," Hiccup muttered.

Then Moonbeam chuckled slyly and bounded over to Toothless's side.

"Think of it as practice. We will need to do that again in the future with our own cub!" she hummed.

Toothless purred in agreement.

"Yes, we will."

Hiccup groaned.

"Get a den, you two!"

"Why on the ground in a den when we have the whole sky to fly in!" Moonbeam barked.

"I like flying in the sky..." Toothless purred.

"You're hopeless!"

"Tell your brother that! He is very not hopeless!" she retorted.

Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to not think about that. Anyway, very good rescue maneuvers. Any ideas how I might land safely on my own? I don't have four legs or big enough wings to slow down enough."

Both Furies grumbled softly with their heads lifted and tails swaying as they thought about it.

"That is a tail-twisting problem. You should have been born a dragon," Moonbeam grumbled.

"Yeah, I just don't want to break something or lose a leg coming down. Bro, any ideas?"

"Bigger wings?" Toothless offered.

Hiccup held out his arms, stretching his wingsuit out again.

"These are just about as big as I can make them. Any bigger and they'll probably be too heavy or cumbersome. Maybe I should start smoking pipe-weed like the Hobbits and Gandalf."

"Why would you do that? How does that help?" Moonbeam wondered.

"It helps them think or get new ideas," Toothless answered and nuzzled her neck.

Hiccup rolled his eyes at their display of affection.

"We should fly more later today, if you two are not going to be totally occupied..."

Moonbeam laughed freely at that, spun away from them, and took to the sky to fly back to Edoras. They both watched her white shape flying and spinning through the sky.

"She wants a cub very much, and so do I," Toothless purred.

Hiccup paused before speaking what was on his mind.

"Brother, I know it's your business, you two, if you want to start a family, but is it the best idea to be doing that right now? We don't know what's going to happen with the war."

Toothless sighed and nodded.

"I thought much about that and talked with her. We have peace now here in Rohan. I hope that there will not be more fighting, and I do not think that we will be fighting in a season-cycle when she probably has a cub. And there might always be another danger that would be a reason to wait more."

"What is life without a little risk?" Hiccup teasingly asked.

"You know nothing about 'a little risk', cub!"

"Cub! I'm a fledgling now!"

"What! You flew, yes, but what have you hunted?"

"I have brought down a mighty Night Fury!"

They both blinked.

"And then lifted it back up again..." Hiccup immediately added.

Toothless paced and grumbled, eventually looking back to him and snorting.

"Fledgling then. When will you be an adult?"

"Hmm, I can already hunt with fire-arrows and Inferno. Uh... about the other part..."

"Yes, how will I know when you are mature and ready to make..."

Hiccup interrupted him.

"Well, I'm already... old enough to... you know... do that. But there's also when I get my beard, if I ever do that!"

Toothless's jaw fell open.

"You will get face-fur? Will it be white like Gandalf?"

"Maybe someday, but not now. It will probably be red or dark brown... like my human father."

"Hiccup with a face-fur beard. That I need to see!"

"I'm sure you will."

Toothless chuckled as he crouched down to let Hiccup on his back.

"You probably do not remember this because you had too much of the beer, but that time when you marked my den in the Shire..."

"Just had to remind me of that. Thanks a lot."

"You are welcome. You said that it would be good for me to find a mate, you to find a mate, and for our young to grow up together as family. That would be good."

Hiccup shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess so, but finding someone isn't very high on my list at all. I've got more important things to worry about."

* * *

Hiccup rested beside Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, and Breath-Of-Sky. Toothless and Moonbeam were fast asleep on the nearby rock they had claimed as theirs, their tails entwined as most of the pairs liked to do. Mystery also lay beside her sister. He had offered to rest with his parents and younger brother tonight, on the chance that Toothless and Moonbeam wanted the freedom to fly off together, which it did not look like they were planning on.

He grumbled, rolling over on the fur pelt he was rest on. Sleeping on the ground and under the stars was far less comfortable than being inside on a proper straw bed with blankets. But being around the pack which he was part of and responsible to was heartwarming in another way.

He and Toothless had practiced flight throughout much of the afternoon, and they had unsurprisingly learned that he was a natural in the skies with his own wings. Many months of practice and learning flight on Toothless's back had transferred over into his own experience because he had thought of flight as a unit: him and Toothless working together.

Even so, they had shared thoughts about how the wingsuit could be improved to give more drag for landing and a little more control in the sky.

_Still have to think of something to do for landing. Using all fours helps a little, but that still hurts._

Another option he came up with was a large parachute. However, he didn't have thin enough fabric to make a large parachute. Further, there was not enough room on his person for both his wingsuit and the parachute at the same time.

_I'll figure something out..._

He gazed to the stars, and he knew that the sky is where his heart would always feel at home from now on. Despite all the flights he had been on with Toothless, there was something different about flying or gliding on his own power, more or less.

He closed his eyes and imagined Earendil flying forever in a sky-ship while bearing something like a jewel that glowed with the light of a star.

_How did he build a sky-ship? That would be something to see..._

* * *

Hiccup frowned, looking around the pack's slope and not seeing who he was looking for.

_Alright, where is she?_

He hadn't checked on Snowflame in several days since... other matters had been on his mind. Starlight was already fine, his wound having healed quickly after the injury. Snowflame's wound on her belly similarly had healed, but her wings, last he saw, still had visible marks. He wanted to check on her to see how she was doing. Lacking flight for now, she could not have gone far from Edoras.

He walked around Edoras for a while until he noticed a Fury and a woman up on the slope behind the Golden Hall. They were indeed Snowflame and Eowyn. Eowyn was leaning against a boulder while her plain brown dress and golden hair slightly whipped in the wind. Snowflame was sitting on her haunches and gesturing animatedly at Eowyn.

"Haddock! Welcome!" Eowyn greeted him when she saw him.

"Lady Eowyn, Snowflame, how are you both?"

"We are well. What about you? Do you like being Far-Flight's and Sky-Dancer's cub?" Snowflame purred.

He rolled his eyes while Eowyn chuckled.

"So far so good. I know they care about me."

"They adopted you, correct?" Eowyn asked.

"They did. What are you both up to?"

Eowyn and Snowflame glanced at each other.

"We were talking about life and what can be frustrating," Eowyn softly said.

"I think he just wants you to be safe," Snowflame purred.

"What if safe is not what I want? Your father let you fight alongside those you love."

Snowflame's ears fell.

"Yes, and I wish I did not... I was too slow... I should not have been in the fight..."

She also stretched out a wing to look at it. He easily saw the marks, prominent discolorations and whirls of thin wing-skin, where the arrows had torn through. They looked like they were healing well, though a few of the stitches were still there.

"Have you been flying yet?" he asked.

"Only a little gliding. Not true flying yet. My sire and dam want all the wing-holes healed before I fly truly."

Then she purred and chuckled.

"What?" he asked.

"I saw your flying-falling from here! That was funny!"

"Funny?"

"And amazing! I did not know you could make yourself wings."

"What is this about wings?" Eowyn asked, curious.

He sheepishly smiled.

"Oh, I made myself a wingsuit so I can fly also. Well, it's more like falling with style."

Eowyn shook her head.

"Master Haddock, you are very... peculiar."

"Yep, that's me. Have you thought about flight yourself?"

Eowyn and Snowflame glanced at each other before looking back at him.

"We might have been talking about it... but only after she is well again. There is no reason to rush," Eowyn said.

Snowflame purred softly.

He was very pleased that they were already eager to share the gift of flight when the time was right.

"But not with a... wingsuit!" Eowyn quickly added.

* * *

Toothless grumbled, not liking the look of only having one tailfin again. Hiccup was still working on making some improvements to the new tailfin. Being on the ground and not able to take to the sky was frustrating after so recently enjoying flight again.

But there was one very good thing that he could do while grounded. Most of the other adults and fledglings were working right now, and that meant that the cubs: Free-Flight, Nightfall, Tail-Hunter, and Storm-Chaser, needed to be watched and entertained. Lightning was of course in her den and doing much sleeping with Hunts-Golden-Light.

Moonbeam had eagerly volunteered to play with and watch the cubs while their sires and dams were away in the morning.

He was entirely happy to watch her as she played with them. She chased the pack of cubs around in games of tail-tag, and then she let them rest under her wings when they tired of the playing.

She was so happy, warm in her soul-fire, and wanting more good in her life. That much was obvious. How much of life changes from having a cub? His own sire and dam did not live all of that with him. But they did well with Breath-Of-Sky.

He chuckled.

_Being a good sire and dam for the cubs is probably, as Hiccup would say, from learning while doing._

He eventually had the feeling that he was being watched, so he looked around. Sure enough, Alpha-King Theoden was looking at him. That felt odd since they had not had any true bonding time yet in the weeks that the pack had been in Edoras.

All that he knew of this human Alpha-King was what Hiccup had told him and what he saw at the bonding-ceremony. So he hopped to his paws and trotted over to him.

"Alpha Theoden," he bent his head in a sign of respect.

"Good morning, Burning-Star," Theoden replied, looking troubled.

"You feel twisted by something."

Theoden crossed his arms on his chest and looked out over the city and the plains.

"I think much of how different my realm is with you dragons living peacefully with us. Change is never easy, especially for those who are older and lived most of their lives knowing different traditions. There are some people who wish that your kind did not live among us."

That was surprising and slightly chilling to hear.

"Why? What have we done wrong?"

"Nothing, and that is what I tell those who have spoken in confidence to me."  
"What can we do to help?"

"Probably just do more of what you are doing now. Live peacefully with us, help work with us, watch the borders with us, and join us at our festivals. There is nothing more that you can do to change hearts and minds over time."

Theoden then gestured with a paw toward Moonbeam.

"I hear that congratulations are in order. You have found yourself someone special."

"Yes," he purred, "Moonbeam is my life-mate now. Hiccup made me a new tailfin that lets me fly on my own with her and just fly on my own whenever I want."

Theoden slowly nodded.

"I understand. Your adoptive brother and friend is an honorable man. Would you please take me to see the new cub? I have not yet seen her, and I would greatly enjoy meeting her."

"Yes, follow me. I will take you to her and Lightning."

Theoden followed him through Edoras to the Lightning's den. That Theoden wanted to do this reminded him that Theoden was a good Alpha-King for his pack and a good human in general. The man carried no hate or great mistrust toward dragons, though it might be easy for him to approve of the pack considering what the pack did for him at Helm's Deep.

"You are a good Alpha-King, Theoden."

"I am glad that you think so. My rule was not so sound in recent winters."

That was strange since Theoden was a strong leader who had led his pack well.

"Why? Your pack looks strong."

"We are now, but I was under a spell that took away my will."

He stopped walking and turned toward Theoden in surprise that they had both experienced something similar.

_Theoden was a thrall to something? Great sky-breath..._

"What was it?"

"Saruman's influence through another who I trusted as an adviser. He was forcing me to sit idle on my throne as my people suffered and my lands burned. Even my son died while I could not act."

He hummed softly in sympathy.

"I... know how bad it is to be controlled by another and to hear their twisted whispering. There was a very big dragon in my old nest; that dragon could control others and make them hunt for it. I had to attack human packs and nests to help dragons take prey for the monster dragon."

"Could that happen again?" Theoden warily asked.

"I do not think so. There are not many big monster dragons in this world now; at least not as there were long ago. We would all fight those monsters if there are any. We Night Furies and Light Furies are harder for monsters to control. A monster could control one Night Fury, maybe two or three, but not a full pack of us."

"That is a relief."

They arrived at the den and saw that Lightning was sitting outside the den.

"Lightning! Warm winds to you."

She started in surprise and faced him.

"Burning-Star, warm winds to you. Who is the human?"

"He is Theoden, the Alpha of the pack. He wants to see your new cub."

Lightning slowly stood and lifted her wing, revealing her small cub at her side. Hunts-Golden-Light hopped to her paws and blinked her golden eyes very fast in surprise.

"Little one, look at them. Your kin and a good human," Lightning hummed and nuzzled her cub.

Her cub, still very unsteady on her paws, stumbled toward them, chirped, and yawned. Theoden silently gazed at the cub. Then he bent down and knelt before the wide-eyed cub.

"May I touch her?"

"Yes," Lightning hummed.

Theoden slowly reached out with a paw and held it before the cub, who eyed the paw and fingers in curiosity. Then she nipped at the paw.

It was good that newborn cubs had very small teeth.

"No, little one, humans are not for eating or biting..." Lightning grumbled.

Hunts-Golden-Light warbled and chirped, yawning widely.

"Come, little one, you need more sleep."

Lightning bent down, picked up her cub by her scruff, and carried her, tail thrashing, back into the den. She then curled up around her cub.

It had been a very short meeting, but that was unsurprising. New cubs, in addition to chewing on many things, did a lot of sleeping. And it was one more good interaction.

He nudged Theoden's shoulder.

"So, Alpha, what do you think about her?"

Theoden faintly smiled without baring his teeth.

"I think that Rohan needs more of that," Theoden whispered.

Toothless smirked.

_I and Moonbeam are working on it!_

"We do not have many cubs. One only about every ten winters."

"Why is that so?" Theoden wondered.

"Because we need much food and care when we are young. Life in the wild does not let us have many young and provide for them."

Theoden put his paws in his furs and nodded at the explanation.

"We can help with that, especially once the war is over. Our herds are large and there are many lands that can be yours. Fangorn is not too far away, and the mountains have numbers of deer and elk. I will do whatever I can for your kind."

They remained at each other's side, looking toward Lightning as she rested in her den.

* * *

Hiccup was in the forge shortly after dawn, still tinkering with the auto-tailfin in response to some of Toothless's feedback. The tail tilted his flight a little to the right of what was intended.

_What is going wrong? I screwed something up here. Maybe a pulley is too long, a hinge is bent, or something came loose._

He fumbled with the auto-tailfin well into the morning without distraction.

"Hiccup, someone is here for you!" Toothless barked from outside.

He slumped in place and facepalmed.

_Great, distractions. Love it. Let's see what the complaint is today. Why do we have to give so many cattle to the dragons? Can I get a dragon of my own to ride? Do we really have to dig pits for them to..._

He froze when he saw Adney standing next to Toothless.

"Adney... hey there... hey there..."

"Good morning, Haddock. How did the flying go yesterday?" she smiled.

"I, uh, didn't fall."

"Yes, you did," Toothless huffed.

"Correction, I didn't fall because of anything that I did wrong. My gliding was perfectly fine, thank you very much."

Adney chuckled.

"That's good to hear. I knew that what we worked on wouldn't fail you."

Toothless spun on her, his eyes going very wide.

"You helped him make his wings?" he barked in surprise.

"I did. I've been helping him on that project for a while now."

He chuffed and nudged her shoulder. She did not flinch at all or show any fear.

"So that is what you were doing here. Good. I did not know that other humans have clever-thinking like Hiccup. He likes making things, like my new tailfin."

Adney's eyebrows lifted.

"What is going on there?" she asked.

Hiccup gently stroked the dark leather which he had removed to see the delicate inside of the auto-tailfin.

"It's the new tailfin that lets Toothless fly on his own."

"Right, you mentioned that earlier. Is something wrong with it?" she asked.

He frowned as he considered it.

"It has a mild calibration issue. It's either one of the pulleys or the springs that's out of whack."

She stared down at it and then faced him.

"So put it back in whack," she said.

"Uh..."

"What is a whack?" Toothless grumbled.

"It's not that simple."

She smiled.

"Sure it is. The problem is obvious."

"Really? How could you... know? What is it?"

"I trust that you'll figure it out."

Hiccup silently stared at her in total confusion and mild frustration.

"Anyway, good to see that you didn't die in flying or falling! I'll let you get back to your work. See you later," Adney cheerfully added.

She spun in place and ran out toward the stables. Hiccup walked out and stood at Toothless's shoulder as she hastily departed.

"What just happened?" Hiccup frowned.

"It looked like she was twisting your tail."

"Almost like I was talking to myself..."

Toothless's tail tapped against the ground as he thought about it.

"A female Hiccup? Great sky-breath... we do not need one of those."

"Thank you so much for saying that."

"You are welcome. Anyway, my tailfin!"

That reminded Hiccup what was important.

"The auto-tail, yeah, I'm getting closer to figuring it out. You might need to stay on the ground a little more until I find the problem and fix it, hopefully today."

"That is fine. I can be a ground dragon for now."

"One more thing. This tailfin, no matter how well I make it, will wear out and break eventually. It won't last forever."

Toothless stepped back and looked alarmed by that.

"But don't worry. I'll fix it whenever it starts to wear out. Just let me know whenever it starts not working as well as it should."

Toothless relaxed and purred softly in relief.

"I will. Thank you."

"I can also make a spare or two for when the first one gets out of whack."

Toothless blinked.

"What is a whack?"


	49. On Wings Soft As The Wind

On Wings Soft As The Wind

* * *

Toothless followed Starlight's flight so that he could see how well that mission was working. All the adult Furies of the pack had settled into having specific tasks they worked at to help the humans.

His sire and dam carried messages from Edoras to the far-off villages and towns. Hunts-In-Deep-Waters volunteered for more cub-watching within the pack so that he could be around Lightning and their new cub. Wings-Of-Ice, Eyes-That-Shimmer, Growls-At-His-Shadow, and Dreamcatcher worked as far-fliers who watched the borders for enemies, dangers, and new hunting opportunities. Starlight, Wind-Biter, both Alphas, and he and Moonbeam worked with herding and protecting the prey-flocks. The fledglings who worked usually flew to the river to catch fish. Jumps-At-Fire still flew off on her own in the mountains much, but she also brought back the occasional deer or elk. All who were in Edoras or surrounding villages volunteered to carry things to help make new human dens. The cubs only needed to be cubs and play with each other and the friendly humans.

He spun in a complex set of loops to test the improved tailfin. Satisfied, he glanced down at the prey flock of sheep far below while Starlight dove to speak with the leader of the shepherds.

Getting the shepherds to trust that they would not start snatching up the prey was not easy and had taken direct commands from Theoden and his sub-Alphas. But the lesson had been learned eventually, and now the shepherds were very thankful for the help. The wolves, both normal in size and those that were very big, were not problems now. The humans explained that they had lost one of the prey in each flock every week or so to a predator, usually the big wolves, but that danger was lesser now.

Satisfied, he purred as he circled on the warm winds. That the humans knew to grow their own food instead of just hunt and find what already is was such good thinking. That life-way made it possible to live far away from other places that naturally had more prey.

He glanced back over his tail toward where Edoras was hidden beyond the horizon. He remembered some of what Middle-earth looked like from the maps Hiccup had showed him.

There were other lands far beyond Rohan, and those other lands touched more of the ocean. Maybe some members of the pack could go live in those lands also. The pack could hopefully spread to all good lands in Middle-earth eventually.

But for now they could enjoy the peace here in Rohan and hopefully stop anything from going wrong.

* * *

One of King Theoden's attendants stood in the forge's doorway.

"Master Haddock, you are needed in the Hall immediately!"

He set aside the spear he was working on.

"Alright, what's the matter?"

"An incident with the dragons!"

_Oh gods... what happened..._

He left behind everything and ran through Edoras up to the Golden Hall. There didn't seem to be anything wrong out in the city. Everyone was calmly going about their business.

Oddly, Windripper was waiting for him outside the Hall. The Fury looked very uneasy based on his twitching tail.

"Windripper, what's wrong?"

"My sire and dam were in a fight with a human!"

That sounded very unlike them. Wings-Of-Ice and Eyes-That-Shimmer were not an especially suspicious pair and had not been in any incidents before.

"A fight? What happened?"

"I do not know what happened. They are inside right now..."

He patted Windripper on the shoulder in reassurance and then entered the Golden Hall. It was immediately clear that something was very wrong once he got inside.

Wings-Of-Ice and Eyes-That-Shimmer were huddled together on one side of the Hall while several men including Theoden and Eomer stood across from them. One of the strangers was pointing a finger at the Furies while yelling in frustration.

"The beast even admits it!"

Eomer bristled at that and got in the man's face.

"Calm yourself! You will not speak so before your King!"

Theoden stepped up to both of them and calmed them down.

"Peace, Eomer, Eowhil. We do not know..."

The King noticed his presence and beckoned to him.

"Master Haddock, thank you for coming. Please join us."

"King Theoden, what is going on here?"

"Eowhil, would you please tell us again what you said before?" Theoden asked.

The man, Eowhil, glared across the Hall. That he did so was impressive given that Wings-Of-Ice was glaring right back with bared teeth. The man's slightly unsteady gait suggested that he might have been drinking, which was probably why he was unfazed by the angry Fury.

"These beasts killed my horse!"

_That is... what? No way..._

"With respect, sir, I don't think they would do that."

Eowhil glared at him.

"Care to explain the teeth marks in my horse's neck?"

Eyes-That-Shimmer snarled.

"I put them there! I killed the horse!"

_Wait... why would you do that?_

Eowhil furiously pointed at her.

"See, I told you so! They are too dangerous to keep around!"

Theoden looked over at Wings-Of-Ice and Eyes-That-Shimmer. She had already put her head back under her wing for some reason.

"Why did you kill the horse? You do not lack food, I hope," Theoden asked them.

Wings-Of-Ice stepped forward while still glaring at Eowhil.

"As I was trying to say before, I, my mate, and our cub were walking to go drink water. A horse-cub ran out into the walking-path, and Nightfall ran to play with the horse-cub. The horse-dam tried to kick our cub and stomp on her! My mate killed the horse-dam!"

"I did not see that," Eowhil countered, "I saw these beasts around my dead horse in her own pastures!"

"Because I moved the dead horse out of the walking-path!" Wings-Of-Ice snarled.

Eowhil dismissively waved a hand and turned his back on them. A very tense silence ensued.

"Were there any other witnesses?" Eomer eventually asked, breaking the silence.

Hiccup stared at Eyes-That-Shimmer and how she was curled up on herself. Was that out of shame? Probably not. He knew why she was hiding under her wing, so he walked over to her.

"Can we see Nightfall now?"

She warily lifted her head and turned to him.

"Why?"

"I want to ask her a question."

She thought about it as the silence echoed in the Hall. Then she lifted her wing.

The young, yellow-eyed cub got to her paws and warily looked up at him as he sat down before her.

"Hi there Nightfall, do you want to tell us what happened?"

"I want... play with cub..." she warbled with tiny tears in her eyes.

"You wanted to play with the... horse cub?"

"Yes..."

"But what happened?"

"Big... big scary horse... try step on me..."

He gently scratched behind her ears. She leaned into the scratching and softly cooed at the attention.

"Thank you, Nightfall. Tell you what, I will play with you later, if you want. Promise."

"Yes! Playing!"

He got back to his feet and went over to the observers, most of whom looked much calmer.

"Any questions?"

"None," Theoden immediately answered, "this was a misunderstanding. Eowhil's foal got loose, Nightfall went to play with it, the horse went to defend her foal against what it thought was an attack, and we know what happened. I say that there is no true fault here."

Eowhil didn't look pleased, but he still spoke respectfully enough after hearing that.

"My King, what am I to do now?"

"Eomer, do we have any mares that lost a foal recently?" Theoden asked.

"Yes, my King, a couple."

"See to it that one of them is provided to suckle the foal. And Eowhil, take better care to secure your horses. You are dismissed."

"Yes, my King," Eowhil gruffly answered.

Eowhil and several of the others in the Hall departed.

"I knew that there was some reasonable explanation," Theoden muttered once the others were gone.

"Yes, sir. The Furies wouldn't try to cause trouble. I'll help remind them to try to not bother the horses."

The King still sighed and looked weary as he leaned against the table.

"Still, change is not easy, and I am not as young as I once was. Many of my people request audience with me or my marshals to discuss the dragons."

"What do they say about us?" Wings-Of-Ice asked, staying behind while Eyes-That-Shimmer and Nightfall walked to the door.

Theoden frowned.

"It generally depends whether they remember seeing the pack fighting for us at Helm's Deep. Even among those who do remember, there are some who wish we did not need to provision so much for you or who still have difficulty trusting you."

Hiccup eagerly stepped forward, hearing the opportunity to do something useful. The King's mention of problems with provisions was slightly more worrying, but he could surely help with the other problem.

"What do you need me to do to help?"

Theoden paced in thought, eventually staring down at his large map of Rohan.

"If you would not mind, you and Burning-Star together might be able to help with the tension. Not all of the villages have met a friendly dragon before..."

* * *

Toothless calmly walked along through the simple village while Hiccup remained at his side. The dog-hounds barked at them both from a distance while the horses whinnied and hid in their dens.

He and Hiccup were visiting one of the nearby villages in the Westemnet. This village, Eralas, was a place where everyone was a shepherd or farmer, though not of plants, and it was apparently one of the more productive places which now sent a prey-animal to Edoras every couple weeks.

The farmers watched him in clear wariness and surprise, likely that he was not doing anything like chasing their animals or flaming their dens. Finally, one of the men stepped forward and addressed Hiccup.

"Young man, you are here on King Theoden's business, yes?"

"Yes, I and my friend Burning-Star are here to meet everyone in this village. What is your name, master?"

"I am Garluf, son of Garmund. I am the Jarl of Eralas."

Hiccup considered the man. The Rohirrim man looked very simple and did not try to hide his worry at Toothless's presence. Honesty was respectable and something he could work with.

"Well met, Garluf, son of Garmund. I am Haddock, of the pack of Night Furies. I speak for them and work to keep the peace between us and the humans of Rohan."

"I see," Garluf frowned, "what business do you have with us?"

Hiccup looked around and observed the large audience gathering around them all. Men, women, and children, all garbed in simple and messy attire, were crowding close by.

"No real business of my own. Who does have business is my friend here. I want to introduce you all to your first Night Fury, in case you haven't truly met one yet."

Toothless preened and held his head proudly.

"That would be me. My name is Burning-Star," he toothlessly grinned.

No one in the crowd moved to greet them. Several women held tightly to their children, and a few bearded men pointed at him.

"I promise that I do not bite!"

"Unless you are fish or Orcs. He might bite then," Hiccup interjected.

That prompted some chuckles of laughter.

Then a couple older boys stepped forward from the crowd.

"Do you really have fire?" "Do you like gold?"

Toothless shot a small fireball into the sky, much to everyone's apparent amazement.

"Yes, I have fire, and no, I do not like gold. My kind are not like the dragons that live in your old stories. What are your names, young ones?"

"Erestor." "Forgoil."

He purred to them. A young girl also came up to him, apparently without any fear.

"I'm Frealaf. You are nice dragons."

His soul-fire glowed with warmth at her kind words, and he slowly bent down to nuzzle her head. She laughed at that, completely unafraid of letting him show her some small-bonding.

More of the humans came closer to meet him and ask simple questions of him. He was entirely happy to do that since doing this helped them think better of him and his kind.

What was very soul-fire warming was that the young were even more eager to know him than the adults were.

"Can I get a pet dragon too?" another child asked.

A gasp of shock went through everyone nearby. One of the dams held a paw up to cover her mouth in apparent fear.

_Hiccup mentioned that this twisted-thinking might need to be destroyed._

He stifled a shiver at the creeping memory of a certain ice dragon who, despite being wrong and a very terrible creature, had not been blind to everything around him. Middle-earth dragons apparently had the power to see hidden motivations or could make very biting guesses.

"No, young one. We are not pets, and humans do not take care of us. We take care of each other, together."

Hiccup stepped over to his side and put a paw on his neck.

"Exactly, you humans provide some food and protection for the pack, and we help keep watch on the borders and do other work that needs doing."

Toothless rolled his eyes, amused at Hiccup's choice of words. Hiccup had started completely thinking of himself as part of the pack. There was some sense in that, especially since he had wings and fire, in a way, of his own now.

As his own dam had said, Hiccup had the soul-fire of a dragon. What would Hiccup have been like if he were truly a dragon?

Even as he thought about that strange idea, something felt odd about it. Part of what was so special about him and Hiccup was precisely that they were different types of life, and they were still friends and family across the kinds of life. They were an example of what could, should, and would be.

* * *

Hiccup made his way down to meet Lightning and check on her early in the morning. Along the way he noticed King Theoden and Flame-In-The-Night standing together above the pack's slope and speaking together. He wondered what they were discussing.

_Probably about guarding Rohan, scouting missions, resources, and other serious stuff._

The other sweet and slightly solemn thing he saw was that Snowflame and Eowyn were sitting together and also sharing words as they liked to do. The female Fury's wings still needed more healing before she could try flying again.

But he couldn't help but wonder what would happen once her wings were healed. Eowyn certainly had an appropriate build for flying, very lean but strong from her training, if they both wanted that.

_Who will the first pair be to fly? They are already friendly. She has as good a chance as any._

Then he noticed someone else waiting closely around Snowflame. Windripper was also eager for her to get in the sky again. They were, from all he had seen of them, really sweet on each other. It was good of him to be there for her. That was the kind of dedication which would make them a lasting pair.

He paused and noticed Toothless and Moonbeam gliding freely high above at each other's side.

Toothless had explained everything he knew about his experiences of solo-flight so far. The tailfin was, as expected, a little less responsive than the foot-operated one, and there was also some relearning of flight that Toothless was constantly needing to do. That was what he was doing now by practicing on a peaceful wind with someone at his side in case something went wrong with the tailfin.

Seeing the Furies freely soaring above and around Edoras, and seeing the Furies on the ground in peace and trust was so very good. It was almost as if this was a dream which he hoped never to wake up from.

He finally arrived at the barn with the partially-closed door which he then knocked on.

"Lightning? Are you awake?"

"Hiccup, come here," she purred.

He entered and saw she lifted her head from her side where she lay in her barn.

With her permission, he strode up to her and held her head, gently scratching her chin. This was the first time he had met with her in a few days.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Still weak and sleepy. I will be for many days, though Hunts-Golden-Light is the reason why..."

"And how is..."

Her wing slightly lifted at her side, and there was a faint mewling from underneath. Then she lifted her wing even more.

He sat down and stared in awe at the bright golden eyes that fixed on him. Little Hunts-Golden-Light tried to get to her little paws, but she stumbled and whined in displeasure at her still-weak limbs.

So he crawled over to her. The newborn slunk away from him with a wary chirp, but Lightning leaned over, nuzzled his head in reassurance, and purred to her baby.

That satisfied the newborn because she did not seem afraid as he reached out for her. He gently held her and gathered her into his arms and lap. She tried to nip at his arm, but she wrinkled her nose.

He couldn't resist the temptation to gently stroke her head and neck, which made her softly croon. After a long stroking, she purred very softly and curled up there in his lap, with a forepaw in her mouth as she fell asleep.

So small. So new. So precious.

And strange in one very noticeable way.

He had first noticed it as he helped clean her off with a wet rag after her birth, but that had not been the time for questions.

"Where are her wings?" he whispered.

Lightning scooted closer and whispered.

"They will grow out when she is almost three winters old. They are hiding under her hide now."

_Yeah, thought something like that. They wouldn't have wings when they're born. Birds don't hatch with them grown in._

Then he rolled his eyes, realizing another very obvious thing that he had completely overlooked because Haerfara had been more involved in that.

_She has a bellybutton. Toothless definitely does also, though I've never really checked for that before. No reason to..._

"I had no idea that is what happens to you dark wings. I thought you always had wings since Nightfall did and she was the youngest."

She softly hummed and curled her tail around to rest the tailfins on his lap and on her dozing daughter.

"Her wings only grew out fully a few moon-cycles before you and Burning-Star flew to us. That is why she is not a strong flier yet. The new cubs not being able to fly makes them much in danger."

That thought made him shiver. It also helped explain part of the mystery as to why Night Furies were so rare in the old world. They were extremely vulnerable early on and needed a lot of attention from both of their parents for many years.

Just like humans.

"Did you hear yet about Burning-Star and Moonbeam?"

"About them being mates now?"

"Yeah, that."

"What about his flying? Did you... help them fly together as one?" she chuffed.

He snorted and laughed softly.

"Yes, but not how you are thinking. I made him a new tailfin that lets him fly on his own."

She gasped and looked awed at that.

"Humans are amazing," she whispered.

"Yeah, they're not so bad once you get to know them..."

She stared down at the sleeping baby in his lap.

"Hunts-Golden-Light will always know you humans as being good. The early years of life are very important for a soul-fire to grow well and burn strongly."

He was about to ask more when a strange clamor went up from outside. There was also some roaring of alarm.

_Great... now what?_

"Sorry, got to go..."

Worried about what was happening, he carefully got up while holding the baby in his arms, and he lay her down at Lightning's side. Then he ran outside.

Surprisingly, Toothless dropped in before him. His eyes were slightly narrowed.

"It is coming here!" Toothless shouted.

"Wait... what is?"

"A big bird!"

He stared for a moment, wondering if he heard that correctly.

"Huh? A big bird?"

Toothless turned aside without saying anything else and offered his back. Together, they flew up the slope to the northern corner of Edoras's highest hill where they then touched down.

"Look!" Toothless barked and pointed with a paw.

The bird flying down from the north across the Rohan plain certainly looked like a large bird. It was at first hard to tell how big the bird was with nothing to compare it to in the background. Then the bird passed by a rock formation on the plain, and Hiccup gawked, certain that his eyes were seeing something impossible.

_That wingspan is... bigger than Toothless's... oh gods..._

The bird looked like a great eagle with massive talons, enormous brown feathers, and a very large, curved beak. The creature looked like it could easily carry away a human or even a horse.

He also recalled what Elrond had told him before: a Great Eagle had warned him about Saruman's activity. These Great Eagles, assuming that this was one of them, could apparently speak.

"Just when I thought we'd have a calm day..."

"Is it dangerous?" Toothless hissed.

The other present Night Furies also dove from the sky with wary roars. Their cubs and fledglings quickly flew over together or bounded to their parents from wherever they had been.

"I don't think so..."

The Rohirrim guards also noticed and started pointing out over the plain.

No one moved as the Great Eagle circled high over Edoras, gave a piercing, clear cry that echoed from the hills and stones, and then swiftly dove for the ground. The Eagle's wings whipped up a gale as it passed overhead, backwinged, and touched down on the grassy slope before the Golden Hall.

The Eagle held its deep brown wings aloft and raised its head highly and proudly as it glared at the nearest Furies, almost as if daring them to move. They in turn had their wings lifted wide while standing ready to act.

He and Toothless slowly approached while keeping their distance. Moonbeam also landed and bounded up behind both of them.

Unsurprisingly, Gandalf emerged from the awestruck crowd and approached the Great Eagle. His arms were spread wide in greeting.

"Gwaihir my friend!"

"Olorin," Gwaihir answered with a sharp bow of his great head and a deep voice.

Hiccup just rolled his eyes.

_Yep, I knew it! It talks! He talks!_

"Twice now you have born me aloft," Gandalf continued.

"And I will bear you hence again if you wish it."

"To what do we owe this honor, Windlord?"

Gwaihir then crouched down low to the ground, which was not an easy motion for him.

"Another had need of haste greater than the wind. No wings are faster than mine."

Toothless grumbled and ruffled his wings, but he didn't otherwise move.

Hiccup then gasped when he realized that the Eagle, Gwaihir, had a passenger hidden until now on his back. That person slid down one of the great wings, stood up, and bowed to the Eagle. The Elf was clad in fine, dark robes and bore a silver diadem on his brow. He carried a long sheath and sword attached to his waist.

It was Lord Elrond.

_Okay, that is amazing. I had no idea that they have Eagle-riders or something like that. Maybe this is a special occasion..._

Elrond and Gandalf silently regarded each other, as if uncertain what they were seeing, and then moved to embrace each other.

Hiccup realized that this would be the first time those two great people met after Gandalf's somewhat-death and being returned to life.

"Let's go introduce ourselves..." Hiccup whispered.

"To that big bird?" Toothless barked in alarm.

"Yes, you're not afraid of it, are you?"

An ear flicked in annoyance.

"No... but look at its claws, and I do not think it likes us..."

Gwaihir was keeping a very wary eye on the nearest Furies. The Eagle's talons and beak were also very large and sharp.

Hiccup dropped his voice to a whisper.

"It isn't attacking anyone. It's probably scared of us..."

Toothless grumble-growled at that and preened slightly.

"It should be," Toothless muttered.

"Let's go then."

Hiccup squared his shoulders and marched forward. Gwaihir noticed his approach and gazed at him with massive golden eyes that felt like they could pierce straight through him. As probably could the massive beak and talons also.

His hand on Toothless's neck definitely helped to reassure both of them. Elrond saw them and strode over to meet them. The Elf appeared very grim.

"Masters Haddock and Toothless, a pleasure to see you here. I hear that congratulations are in order for you, good dragon."

"My thanks..." Toothless hissed while staring at Gwaihir.

"You don't need to be like that..." Hiccup muttered.

"Yes, I do."

Gwaihir awkwardly stepped forward, clearly not a creature of the ground, and bent down toward them. It was only Elrond's and Gandalf's lack of alarm that reassured them that there was not going to be an attack.

"Duath Amlug," Gwaihir spoke.

Toothless tilted his head and grumbled without saying anything.

"Excuse me, Great Eagle, what does that mean?" Hiccup whispered as Gwaihir faced him.

"It means shadow dragon, Child of the West."

Gwaihir then turned his piercing gaze back to Toothless.

"I remember others much like you, dark one. Long ago."

Hiccup and Toothless shared a breathless glance, suddenly forgetting their wariness at Gwaihir's appearance. If this Eagle had information about the history of the dragons, they had to hear it.

"Please tell us anything you know," Hiccup implored him.

Gwaihir settled down and folded his great wings away while Gandalf and Elrond strode up toward the Golden Hall.

"I was alive in the First Age and fought in the War of Wrath against the Great Enemy. My ancestor, Thorondor, and a myriad of my kin fought against the dragons of yore. Great ones like Ancalagon the Black and the lesser ones also, of which there were many. Your kin and those like you were among the lesser ones. They vanished from the broken skies before the Great Enemy was defeated, bound, and cast out into the void."

Toothless looked away and slightly hung his head.

"We are not like those ones," Toothless whispered.

Gwaihir stepped away from them and then looked around, likely at the visible Furies attentively watching him.

"You are and you are not like the old ones. Tell your kin that they need not fear me or my kin so long as you reject the flame of Udun. We are both sky-hunters, and I would prefer we not cross claws and flame."

Gwaihir then flung wide his wings and leapt with a cry and great beat of his wings into the sky.

Everyone in Edoras watched as the Great Eagle calmly and majestically soared high above.

Moonbeam hopped closer and crooned softly as she looked up also. Then Toothless snorted and slapped the ground with his tail.

"I am faster than him!"

"That's what you're worried about? Really?" Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"Really! No wings are faster than his... my waste end!"

"Isn't Sky-Dancer the fastest in the pack..."

"True, but she does not count. I am faster than him!" Toothless objected.

"Let's just go see Gandalf and Elrond."

Moonbeam nuzzled Toothless's neck.

"I will fly and watch the big bird. It might not be bad to us, but I will watch it," she said.

* * *

Gandalf and Elrond were sitting together at a table in the Golden Hall. Neither were partaking of any food or drink. The entire Fellowship was gathered with them.

Gimli was drinking an ale, and the two Hobbits were munching on cakes. All three were also smoking the fragrant Shire-herb.

_Probably elevensies..._

"The King will be here shortly," Gandalf reassured Elrond.

"And he knows the true purpose of the Fellowship?"

"He does."

Elrond then looked around the hall, seeing the normal people eating inside and the guards on duty.

"I will wait until he arrives and we can speak more freely."

Hiccup and Toothless strode up to the table and joined them.

"What did you think of Gwaihir, good dragon?" Gandalf cheerfully asked.

"He is dangerous," Toothless grumbled.

"Dangerous!" Gandalf cried, "And so am I, very dangerous indeed. Aragorn is dangerous. Legolas is dangerous. You are very dangerous yourself, so I recall you most vehemently letting me know..."

Toothless briefly rolled his eyes and huffed.

"I did not know that there were other winged hunters that big. It looks like he could prey on us, on our little ones."

Gandalf frowned at that.

"And that would be a fair worry were you servants of the Enemy. The Great Eagles were sent to Middle-earth to watch for the Enemy and to thwart him. You need not fear the Eagles."

Toothless still grumbled.

"Gandalf," Hiccup spoke, "Gwaihir said something that I didn't understand. He said that the Furies are not his enemies as long as they reject the flame of Udun. What does that mean?"

Gandalf leaned against the table, as if he were suddenly weary.

"Udun is another name for Utumno, the northern realm that Morgoth inhabited in the First Age. It was a realm filled with fell beings, not the least of which were the Balrogs."

_Woah, that was the type of creature that sort of killed Gandalf._

"So, basically he was saying that the Furies should not be servants of the Enemy, right?"

"More precisely, servants of the Great Enemy, true."

The front door to the Golden Hall opened, and King Theoden entered. The King beheld Elrond and immediately inclined his head in respect.

Surprisingly, Elrond stood from the table, put a hand to his breast, and bowed to Theoden.

"Lord Elrond..." Theoden reverently whispered.

"Elen sila lumenn omentielvo. The honor is mine, Theoden Ednew. You need not bow to me here in your lands and your hall. I am your guest."

"To have one of your eminence here in Edoras, my Lord," Theoden answered, "is a great honor. I wish that we had more to show you here, but the courtesy of my hall is not what it once was."

"I see two free peoples living in peace. That is enough. I would ask that we, the Fellowship, and our esteemed guests here be given leave to speak freely with no other ears listening in."

Theoden nodded and dismissed everyone else from the Hall.

"Lord Elrond," Aragorn softly spoke, "what brings you here to Edoras?"

"Is it about the quest?" "Have you heard about Frodo and Sam?" Merry and Pippin clamored.

Elrond shrank slightly at that and sat back in a chair. Theoden similarly joined them.

"No, I do not know anything about them. The Enemy is active everywhere. Corsairs from Umbar are sailing the shores and the rivers. The Easterlings are moving on Erebor. Goblins and Orcs are readying in Dol Guldur and all along the Misty Mountains. Where his greater forces will strike is hidden in shadow now. However..."

Elrond faced Aragorn and Gandalf.

"Isengard fell, and Saruman was cast from the Order. You now have with you a prize from Orthanc: something you could use to learn what we must know."

Aragorn got to his feet, put his arms behind his back, and started pacing.

"What brought they from the foundered land... Over the flowing sea? Seven stars and seven stones... And one white tree," Elrond continued.

"It is too perilous to use. Even if it is the Elendil stone," Aragorn objected while gazing at the green-jeweled ring on one of his fingers.

Hiccup was very confused since there was a lot of lore that he knew nothing about.

_What are they talking about?_

"Saruman did not understand the danger. You do. You have the wisdom and will to use it," Elrond answered.

"I do not know if I am strong enough," Aragorn countered.

"The stone is part of your birthright. It will answer to the King of Gondor!"

Elrond stood up and swept out from under his robes the sword in its scabbard, now unclipped from his waist. He clasped the sword in both hands and held it out.

Aragorn froze, staring at the sword in awe and wariness.

"Anduril, Flame of the West, reforged from the shards of Narsil!"

No one else moved. They all knew that this was a very symbolic moment for him.

Hiccup thought back on some of the history he had learned in Rivendell. Then he realized that this new sword was made from the pieces of the sword used by Aragorn's ancestor, Isildur, to strike down Sauron.

Aragorn slowly reached out, took the sword, and drew it. The blade was very long and gleamed in the light from the Hall's firepit.

"Sauron will not have forgotten the sword of Elendil. The blade that was broken has been reforged," Aragorn breathlessly whispered.

"You are strong enough to wrest the stone from him. Challenge him, show him the blade, stoke his fear, let him know that you have returned!"

No one said anything as Aragorn beheld and familiarized himself with his new blade, which seemed so symbolic to him. Maybe that was because it was his recovered birthright, or a sign that better times were at hand.

"Excuse me, what is this stone we are talking about?" Pippin piped up, breaking the reverent silence.

"Pippin..." Merry groaned.

"As I have said before, Master Hobbit, that is not something you must worry about," Gandalf briskly answered.

"It might be best to just tell us what it is," Hiccup spoke up, "We are all on the same side here."

Gandalf put a hand on his pack.

"Too eager and curious... very well, very well," Gandalf grumbled, "What we obtained in Orthanc is a Seeing-stone, a very perilous relic of a bygone age. The stone allows the bearer to see across space into distant lands, and one could also share thought itself with another bearer of a Seeing-stone."

"So, I could see the Shire again?" Pippin eagerly asked.

Hiccup started in surprise as he realized that he could possibly use one of these Seeing-stones also. It sounded as though he could use it to see Berk again, one last time. He didn't really need to, but it might be nice to check on everyone.

Aragorn frowned.

"It is not as simple as that, Master Hobbit. We know that Sauron has one of his own, likely the Minas Ithil stone. None of you could safely use it. What would you advise, Mithrandir?"

Oddly, Gandalf shook his head.

"I cannot advise you. You are the most worthy of any Man. Only you can assess your own strength and readiness to truly face him in a contest of will."

Aragorn nodded at that and started for the door while holding Anduril.

"I need time to think about this."

Elrond, looking very grim, got up and followed after Aragorn.

"There is more. I came here on behalf of one whom I love..."

The two of them left the Golden Hall to go speak alone. Their departure left the Hall very quiet.

Hiccup then sat down at Gandalf's side. Gwaihir had mentioned a detail that he wanted to ask about, and he had a moment right now.

"Gandalf, Gwaihir said that he remembered dragons like Toothless long ago. He said that they disappeared from the sky before the Great Enemy was beaten."

Gandalf started stroking his beard.

"Did he. Did he now? I could use another walk. Would you two please accompany me?"

Hiccup and Toothless followed him out the Hall and over to the side of the walkway where they could look out over the plain. Gandalf was silent for a long time as all three of them watched Gwaihir circle high above.

"You are thinking about something," Toothless observed.

"When am I not?" Gandalf answered.

"True. What are you thinking about?"

"Your story, Toothless, and how you came to be. I believe that we have another answer to the puzzle that is you and your kind."

"What is it?" Toothless eagerly asked.

Gandalf leaned on his staff.

"The world in the past Ages was very different. There were tongues of power that have been forgotten now and weapons that do not exist anymore. How precisely Morgoth shaped dragons into being, none will ever know beyond doubt. Before he was defeated he may have used a part of his strength to hide away much of his army, the dragons."

"How? I don't understand," Hiccup wondered.

"He might have known some now-forgotten words that could tear open a door in the sky itself, a door to another world: your world. That would save the greatest part of his army by hiding them away to grow in number for when he returns and can bring them back."

Gandalf paused before continuing.

"I also wonder if something might have changed for you and your kind when you were cast from Arda long ago."

"What do you mean?" Hiccup asked, still confused by this explanation.

"A true being of evil could not comprehend mercy. Morgoth could not give his creation a soul or free will of their own. Only one Being could gift the Flame Imperishable. Having that Flame would not prevent you from feeling temptation, but you would have choice. That should be an encouraging thought."

"I suppose it is," Toothless grumbled.

Gandalf grumbled, stroking his beard yet again.

"None of which explains how you and your kin were brought back here though. For that answer I need more pipeweed and more long walks."

"Wait, you still smoke?" Hiccup asked in surprise.

Gandalf mumbled indistinctly for a few moments.

"Not as much as I did as the Grey Pilgrim. It is odd to have a fondness for an old habit that I, Gandalf the White, have never truly partaken of."

Their musings were interrupted when Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall bounded over to them in clear worry. Free-Flight stayed under Snowfall's wings as much as possible.

"Hiccup!" "The sky-hunter!" "Scary..." they cried and settled down in front of them, their tails twitching at their sides.

"What about him?" Hiccup asked.

"The pack is afraid of the bird." "We think it might hunt the cubs." "Scary..."

Hiccup went over and gently hugged Free-Flight to reassure him.

Gandalf also approached the Alphas.

"Good dragons, I have known Gwaihir and his kind for longer than any of you have been alive. You need not fear him or them. Elrond has told him of your kind. The Eagles have been watching you from afar for many days, waiting to determine your purpose."

"Are there any more very big things like those bird-Eagles?" Snowfall asked.

"Only the Fellbeasts of the Enemy."

"Fellbeasts?" Flame-In-The-Night grumbled.

"The twisted-into-wrong dragon-thing you told us about," Hiccup answered.

"Very scary..." Free-Flight chirped.

Surprised, Gandalf turned to Hiccup.

"They know of them?"

"Yes," Hiccup frowned, "they said that they were visited by a Nazgul on one of those Fellbeasts years ago."

"What did it want of you?" Gandalf asked them.

Snowfall growled.

"It wanted us to bend our wings to a new Alpha and to fight against humans."

Flame-In-The-Night hung his head and said nothing for a long time.

"And you did not listen to it," Gandalf observed, "why not?"

Flame-In-The-Night looked up, briefly paused, and then answered.

"Because we want to be free and bend our wings to no other that can control us."

"And in that you, Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and the Eagles are alike; you have the same Enemy now," Gandalf answered.

Then the Wizard wandered off as the other three Furies similarly departed to return to everyone else gathered together in safety. Hiccup and Toothless watched as Gwaihir soared in the clouds. Then the Great Eagle, at some unknown beckoning, dove from the sky and landed on the slope before the Great Hall moments before Elrond emerged on the steps. The Elf Lord descended, briefly greeted Gandalf again, and then approached them.

"My apologies for being so hasty, but time is of the essence and we must be on our way. Bilbo asked me to convey his regards to you both and Lightning," Elrond addressed them.

"Please tell him that her cub was born, a girl, and is well!" Hiccup shouted.

Elrond nodded to acknowledge him, strode over to Gwaihir, and then took his place on Gwaihir's great back. Gwaihir beat his great wings, gave a piercing cry, and turned his flight north across the plain where he had flown from.

They stood together and watched the swift departure.

"Well, that all happened," Hiccup shrugged.

"The Eagle might be good, but seeing it makes me feel... afraid," Toothless whispered.

"Now you know how many humans probably feel around you dragons."

Toothless hummed at that.

"I had not thought about it that way. I will find Moonbeam now. She said she would be watching the bird."

"Alright, I'll be back in the forge if you need me later. Oh, did you see our parents nearby?"

"Our brother is with the other fledglings, but Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer are already away on a flight."

"Ah, they missed seeing Gwaihir. That'll be a story for them when they get back. Later, bro."

Toothless then flew off, and Hiccup turned for the Golden Hall.

He had planned to have breakfast after meeting Lightning, but that plan had been thoroughly interrupted. He got to the Hall and was pouring himself some soup when he noticed a curious sight within.

Aragorn was sitting alone at a table. The Ranger was staring at the new sword on the table, and he looked very disturbed or weary. His head was in his hands. It wasn't like him to show such weariness or weakness.

_So, he is going to fight Sauron for that magic stone thing? I'd be worried too. Unless there is something else going on that I don't know about._

It made a little more sense as he thought about Aragorn's situation. The man had lived much of his life in exile as a Ranger. He was the heir of a great King and had the claim to an entire Kingdom. But, if he remembered his Middle-earth history well, that very ancestor, Isildur, had fallen to temptation and had not destroyed the Ring when he had a chance.

_He probably doubts himself. I... understand that._

* * *

_**Author's Note – I do not know if Gwaihir was alive in the First Age. There is no evidence to the contrary that I am aware of. And yes, the canon Great Eagles have speech. **__**Does anyone know where the title for this chapter came from?**_


	50. Dark Light

Dark Light

* * *

"Master Haddock!"

Hiccup set aside the heated blade he was working on, and turned to face the speaker. The man in the entrance to the forge was someone who was familiar but whom he had not spoken at any length with before.

"Master Eomer, how may I help you?"

Eomer strode inside, holding a long spear.

"I have heard you have some skill in the forge. Would you please work on this for me?"  
Eomer handed over the spear. The weapon was a fine one with a brass tip and wooden handle with engravings.

"Sure, what's wrong with it?"

"The tip is dented. Hard to kill Uruks with a blunt weapon."

"I will get right on it."

Eomer slightly nodded to him and then turned to depart.

"Excuse me, Master Eomer, can you wait a moment?"

"What is it?" Eomer came back and stood before him.

"I just wanted to hear your thoughts about... everything going on here in Edoras and Rohan."

"You mean the dragons," Eomer pointedly asked.

"Yes."

Eomer crossed his arms and frowned.

"What do you want to know?"

"Well, what do you think about them? I know you're a leader."

Eomer was silent for a few seconds before answering.

"I am a soldier and commander, charged with protecting the realm. I see the dragons as dangerous foes or powerful allies. It is good that they are our allies. That is all."

_Practical. I like it._

"It can be frustrating when people don't want to give them a chance, but everyone's coming around, slowly," Hiccup explained.

Eomer grumbled and looked around the forge at all the weapons there to be repaired. He took back his spear and idly twirled it.

"The first time I saw them flying above Helm's Deep, I was most unsure. Mithrandir reassured me that these dragons were deserving of trust. Having them live here with us and aid us in daily life, such as they are, is a... change."

"It definitely is that."

Eomer shrugged.

"As far as I am concerned, it is a good change: one that I will preserve when I am King."

Eomer's remark reminded him that Theoden had no direct heirs of his own. Not anymore. Apparently, Eomer was the next in the line to succeed.

"How does that work: you becoming the next King?"

"Theoden King will rule as long as he wishes, but I am the next in line to rule after him. He has already told me that I shall take over when he steps down," Eomer explained.

"His son died, right?"

"Yes, Theodred was as a brother to me. I brought his body back here to be buried with honor... only to find that my King had fallen further under Saruman's spell. I still wish I had gutted Grima when I had the chance!"

Eomer fumed silently, clutching his spear tightly before relaxing.

"But that is all in the past now."

Hiccup took back the spear and inspected it again while thinking over what he had heard. He had picked up whispers of what had happened, something about the King being under a spell that kept him idle, but it felt improper to ask about that.

He ran a finger over the notches on the spear.

"How did these get here?"

"We ran into a rogue band of Uruks yesterday. Wings-Of-Ice found them and brought word as well as his flame. We killed all the Uruks without any casualties of our own. He aided us from above."

Hiccup was pleased by this good news but also surprised that he hadn't heard about it yet. Though, he probably would have heard about it if anything had gone wrong.

"Good to hear. I'm sure that seeing him help protect you all was impressive."

The usually stern Marshal barely cracked a grin.

"Never had I imagined we would be glad to see dragonfire. He probably killed half the Uruks with his first pass. We charged in afterwards to finish the ones that remained."

Hiccup grinned.

"You remind me a lot of the Vikings where I'm from. They're also very stubborn and brave fighters."

Eomer shrugged.

"We must be."

"You both love your ales and feasts too," Hiccup added.

"Who doesn't? We would be a sorry people if we lacked those essentials," Eomer smiled.

"True. Well, I should probably get to work. When do you need this by?"

"I will be in council with Theoden King. I have a couple days here in Edoras before I go out on patrol."

"Understood. I will have it repaired by then."

Eomer bent his head and then departed, leaving Hiccup to see to his work in the forge. As usual when he had repetitive tasks to attend to, he let his thoughts wander to what had recently happened.

The entire pack had been very relieved when Gwaihir and Elrond flew away. Gwaihir had not done anything aggressive or threatening to any of them, but the Eagle's presence alone had been worrying them. Everything had gone back to normal after Gwaihir's and Elrond's departure yesterday.

There were no pressing matters more important than ensuring the peace, moderating any slight disagreements or misunderstandings, and spending the rest of his time working in the forge, tinkering with his wings, or practicing his archery.

But there was still a sense of some lingering threat, hopefully far off in the future. Elrond's words about Sauron's forces being active everywhere else were ominous, though Rohan enjoyed relative peace for now.

* * *

Toothless purred in reassurance to Moonbeam as he and she walked through Edoras. She was still reluctant to enter human dens, but she was willing to do so if he was with her.

His soul-fire burned hotter for her every time he saw her do another brave thing to step even further out of the past. Every small fear-making part of life that was grounded and flown out of left her stronger.

Which was why he asked her to enter the Golden Hall den with him to have the evening dinner ceremony with Hiccup and the Fellowship. Mystery was flying with the Alphas and the other fledglings on a practice hunt at night.

Oddly, the Elf, Legolas, was standing by himself outside the den while staring up at the sky from under a dark hood. His gaze almost looked into another world entirely.

"Greetings Burning-Star, Moonbeam," Legolas whispered without glancing at them.

"Greetings, good Elf. Are you worried about something?" he asked.

Legolas was silent a while longer as he stared out into the night.

"The stars are veiled. Something stirs in the East. A sleepless malice. The Enemy's Eye is moving."

He growled at the mention of the eye of fire. He had only seen it a couple times, and neither of those occasions had been good at all.

"Where is it looking?"

"I know not. I only feel that his will is close now..."

He grumbled and stepped away from Legolas. Moonbeam nudged his shoulder after they paused outside the den's doors.

"How can the Elf feel the bad thing when we cannot?" she asked.

"I do not know. I hope that you never feel that Eye looking at you. I did, and it was... very bad."

Together, they entered the Golden Hall den. The entire Fellowship looked to be present plus Hiccup and several of the Rohan leaders. Alpha-King Theoden and Gandalf were sitting nearby each other. Eomer, Eowyn, and Aragorn were at a table together while Gimli, Merry, and Hiccup were at another table. Various human foods were on the tables, but Hiccup also had a couple large plates of meats set aside on the end of his table.

_How thoughtful of him. So that's why he asked me to bring her tonight!_

He and Moonbeam padded over to that table to join them. Hiccup saw them approaching, waved, and smiled at her.

"Hello Moonbeam, good to see you here with us."

She stepped up to the table and purred softly after sitting down.

"Is this food for us?" she asked.

"Sure is! Help yourselves!"

They watched over her as she nibbled at the various meats. Something smelled familiar about the food.

"Merry, did you help with the food?" he asked.

The Hobbit smiled widely.

"I sure did. Found some herbs and seasoning to make it taste just right as Sam taught me. It's almost like I was cooking back at home in the Shire."

Moonbeam stared curiously at Merry.

"What is your home like, little human?" she asked.

"It is very warm and green and filled with all kinds of growing things: summer barley in the lower fields, hills of strawberries, pigs, cows, sheep, and many flowing rivers. I wish I was there now," Merry sighed.

She hummed.

"I understand that. The range where the pack lived was very warming... in some ways. But I am home wherever I am with my kin. This range is much warmer also."

The tap of a staff on the ground announced Gandalf's abrupt approach.

"Master Meriadoc, do I hear you wish to see the Shire again? The last I remember seeing you in the Shire was when you were covered in soot and doing the dishes after you were caught misbehaving."

"Alright, the fireworks was my idea, but Pip thought that we should... Pip?"

Merry glanced to his side, saw the empty chair, and shrugged.

"Oh well, anyway, I still regret that I got caught."

"Not that you were doing it in the first place?" Gandalf frowned.

Everyone had a laugh at that, though Moonbeam was confused since she did not understand the joke.

"You young rascals!" Gimli grumbled, "Feasting, smoking, and making trouble; that is what you are good for!"

"We do our best," Merry smirked.

Toothless laughed at the antics and warmth of Hobbit soul-fires. Then he realized that Moonbeam likely hadn't met the Wizard yet.

"Have you met Gandalf yet?" he whispered to her.

"No, I have not," she answered and turned to the Wizard.

Gandalf warmly regarded her.

"I must say, Moonbeam, you are a fine and beautiful dragoness. Fierce too, if that mark is any indication."

He gestured at her visible scar as she held her head proudly.

"My first encounter with your Burning-Star was very memorable," Gandalf added.

"Was it?" she asked.

"Oh yes, he tried to burn off my beard and my head."

"Only because I thought you were attacking Hiccup!" Toothless exclaimed.

"Because I thought you were ensnaring him!"

Toothless grumbled.

"How much truth is in that story? Can dragons truly twist a human's thinking if the human looks into our eyes?"

"Sadly, it is true. Some of the greatest tragedies in history have come from those who were under the dragon-spell," Gandalf answered while puffing on his pipe.

Hiccup spoke up at that.

"You mentioned one of the first dragons, Glaurung, and that it did something important long ago. What happened?"

"Aye, a story would be nice," Merry agreed.

Gandalf frowned.

"Not this one, I assure you. Everyone dies and the evil dragon gets the final victory over his slayer, Turin. All because of a few words uttered before the end and bad luck long ago. Trust me, you don't want to know the details."

Those ominous words cast a pall over the entire Hall.

_'What is this?'_

Toothless grumbled.

"I do not understand it. How could a dragon control the thinking of another? I know that it happens with big dragons controlling smaller ones, but how?"

"The nature of that ability even I cannot fathom. It comes from the Great Enemy, Morgoth. He had that power himself," Gandalf explained.

Toothless shared a solemn, trusting glace with Hiccup across the table.

"I do not think I have that power, and even if I did I would never use it."

"You may not have the power but..." Gandalf's voice faded as Toothless heard nothing more.

Gandalf was speaking, but he could not hear anything over the pounding that began growing in his head.

_'Tell Saruman that this dainty is not for him.'_

A building pressure and thumping. Was it his heart racing faster for some reason? Was it a shadow slithering in the dark? Was the fire itself fading?

_'What is your name? No answer? Wait...'_

He blinked.

_'I. See. YOU!'_

The flaming eye flashed in his thoughts and reached out in a roaring of phantom flame.

He reared back from the table with a cry of open alarm at the same instant that several things happened.

His pendant shone brighter with pure white light on his chest. Gandalf's staff began glowing brightly from its tip as the Wizard grasped his staff. Legolas flung open the doors to the Golden Hall den and yelled something he could not hear. Sound then returned as a screaming began echoing from one of the main side-halls where the Fellowship did most of its sleeping.

Everyone flew to their paws in a chaotic din and started running toward the screaming. Gandalf was the first to throw open the doors and dash inside with a shout.

"Fool of a Took..."

"Pippin!" Merry cried as he was pushed aside in the rush to enter.

Toothless scrambled inside and got out of the way with Hiccup and Moonbeam at his side.

Pippin was lying on his back on the ground. His paws were still held out before him, locked in place, while he stared blankly at the ceiling. Gandalf was kneeling beside him while holding a palm to his brow and holding one of the Hobbit's paws.

Rolling on the ground a few paces from the motionless Hobbit was a dark rock ball. It appeared to be moving or swirling inside as it came to rest.

From within its dark, fathomless depths stared a flaming eye, and he knew what it was.

The eye of Sauron cast swirling shadows on the ground and the walls of the den, even now in the darkness of night.

It stared at him, so he bared his teeth and snarled openly at it. But it or the presence in the air and shadows only felt amused as the slither of an echoing laugh crept around him and danced in the dark.

_'Agh burzum-ishi krimpatul...'_

Then he heard something even worse than its whispering. Moonbeam was whimpering, almost as if she was in pain at his side. Her eyes were closed as she shook her head softly and whined.

Her pain, whatever it was, clawed at his soul-fire as nothing had before, so he lay a wing over her back and nuzzled her neck.

Stronger, more protective, and more furious than he had been in a very long time. A faint blue glow began growing in the darkness. Then Hiccup came over to stand beside him and Moonbeam, a hand on both of their necks in reassurance. That blue hue being cast over everything only grew brighter.

Then everything around him went dark.

_'You should thank me, lost one, last of your kind from that world.'_

Was he truly the last one? There was no way to know if that was true...

_'Brought here to fulfill your purpose. You and your kind will serve me!'_

Malicious laughter pounded on his thoughts with the force of a storm and a great, rushing wind.

_'No dragon can resist my command and my strength of will!'_

It was so strong. Not even the Queen-Monster in all her command felt as wild, dangerous, and powerful as this. A wave of malice, pride, and strength that beat against his thoughts, searching for a crack, a weakness, an entry into his soul-fire where it could then grow and spread its rot. Where it could destroy and corrupt him.

It was not nearly as strong as the Ring itself had been, though they were very similar.

He wanted a precious hoard, just like any other Middle-earth dragon. True. He did deserve a much bigger hoard. That would be good and a sign of his strength. A large hoard on which he could sit in warmth in the dark and sleep while dreaming dreams of gold and kill anyone who came to threaten him and...

And then the shadows retreated.

He weakly growled and then watched as Aragorn strode out before him, knelt beside the stone, hesitated for an instant, picked up the rock ball in a paw, and held up his new sword in his other paw.

Everything else faded as the dark, flaming eye focused only on Aragorn, apparently in surprise. Sweat dripped down the man's brow as he stared into the stone.

The whispering presence faded from his own thoughts.

"Long have you hunted for me. Long have I hidden from you. No more!" Aragorn growled.

Aragorn held up his sword and showed off the blade which flashed in the torchlight and light from the pendant.

Did a faint scream of pain echo off the walls of the Hall? Did the shadows retreat further at the glint of the sword and the jewel?

"Behold the sword of Elendil! I see your fear! You are right to fear me now!"

Did the flaming eye flash and wither slightly?

He blinked.

A dead, white tree was surrounded in flames as smoke curled into the sky above a dead, white city.

Aragorn, visibly pained, still stared into the stone in his trembling paw. The dark stone almost dripped with dark light.

"Begone, servant of Morgoth!"

A distant wail echoed in the shadows. The flaming eye in the stone was torn apart, as if by a gust of wind. The torches and the fireplace in the Hall were killed, leaving them all in darkness except for Gandalf's staff and his own pendant.

Everything went still, quiet, and peaceful.

Until Pippin gave a great heave, gasping for breath and staring up at the top of the Hall or maybe at Gandalf in total fear.

"G... Gandalf... f... forgive me..." Pippin gasped.

Gandalf shook Pippin's shoulders.

"Look at me! What did you see? Speak now!"

Pippin breathed heavily without saying anything for a while.

"A tree. I saw a white tree in a courtyard of stone. The tree was dead, and the city was burning. And I... I saw... him! He... asked..."

"What did you say? Speak!" Gandalf shouted in alarm.

"He... asked me my name. I said nothing. It hurt."

"Did you tell him anything about Frodo or the Ring?"

Pippin paused and stared up at Gandalf.

"No. He... never asked."

Gandalf frowned and remained crouched at Pippin's side while glaring at him. Then the Wizard relaxed and stood up.

"I see no lie in your eyes, Peregrin Took. Get up."

Gandalf helped Pippin to his feet. Merry immediately went to embrace Pippin.

"You idiot! Just had to meddle in a Wizard's affairs..."

Gandalf then glanced around at everyone gathered there and who had seen or heard everything: the entire gathered Fellowship, himself, Hiccup, Moonbeam, and Alpha-King Theoden.

"Theoden King, would you please close the door," Gandalf requested.

Theoden, still in shock of his own, complied, fumbling to close the door.

"Burning-Star, you will need to explain more of the truth to Moonbeam because of what she saw and felt here tonight," Gandalf said.

He nodded in agreement, completely agreeing that she deserved to know the truth.

"I will."

"What did I see and feel?" she gasped.

"That fire-eye is the Enemy we are fighting against: the Enemy that would make us all thralls. I will tell you everything later," he whispered to her and nuzzled her neck.

Gandalf then addressed everyone present in the magical light.

"Pippin is a fool, but he is an honest fool. He told Sauron nothing of the true mission, though he would have if Sauron had only demanded that knowledge of him. We were very fortunate. Pippin saw in the Palantir a glimpse of Sauron's plan. We learned where the Enemy will strike next with his greatest strength: Minas Tirith."

A long, tense silence followed that. Hiccup leaned over and whispered to him.

"That is the biggest city of all humans. From what I heard it is much bigger than Edoras."

Gandalf continued.

"More than learning where the strike will fall, we have also provoked him while sowing the seeds of doubt. He knows now that his puppet, Saruman, was defeated at Helm's Deep and at Isengard. He knows that the peoples of Gondor and Rohan are not as weak as he thought. There is still strength and courage to challenge him still. He knows that he has dragons as enemies also. Doubt gnaws at our Enemy, and now the heir of Elendil has challenged him openly and directly."

All eyes went to Aragorn. The former Ranger looked very weary as he sat down on his sleeping-bag. Anduril was sheathed now, and the perfectly calm and dark Palantir was in Aragorn's paws. The stone looked perfectly unremarkable except for its shape.

"Aragorn has claimed the Palantir for himself and can, more or less, use it now. Sauron believes he knows our plan also, and we will keep it that way. He will not risk the peoples of Middle-earth uniting together as they did at the end of the Second Age. He will raze Minas Tirith to the ground before he lets a King reclaim the throne of Gondor!"

"How long have we until he moves on Gondor?" Theoden asked.

Gandalf grumbled and began pacing.

"That depends on how swiftly he can marshal his armies and how great his fear is. No less than three weeks, I would say, for his armies to travel and begin the siege if he has not already moved them. I will ride for Minas Tirith, first thing in the morning, and you, Master Took, are riding with me. No questions from you now!"

Pippin meekly nodded and looked away.

Gandalf then addressed Theoden.

"Rohan must be ready for war if the beacons are lit."

King Theoden frowned and crossed his arms.

"I have not forgotten the Oath of Eorl, but my lands here are still in peril. We are weak. If it were not for the dragons who joined us, we might not have survived Helm's Deep at all."

"True," Gandalf frowned, "much is owed to our new allies. Masters Haddock, Burning-Star, Moonbeam, what do you think the pack would do?"

They glanced at each other.

"We would need to talk to them first. We are very lucky that none of us died at Helm's Deep," Hiccup answered.

Toothless grumbled.

"Yes, we are few. Any one of us dying in fighting would be worse than one more human dying," he explained.

He knew that it sounded very uncaring and dismissive, but it was still the truth.

Gandalf paced and looked from Hiccup to Theoden.

"The dragons are free powers in this world, and it is not my place to give them orders. They must do what they believe is right. Them and the Rohirrim both."

"I," Theoden paused, "will speak with my commanders and see... what we might be able to do if there is a summons."

Theoden then departed and closed the door behind him.

"And I must go think under the stars about what we have learned," Gandalf added as he too swept out through the door and vanished.

His departure left behind a deep silence. Merry went and sat down next to Pippin.

"Pip, you alright?" Merry whispered.

"Yeah..."

"What were you thinking?"

"I... just wanted... to see the Shire again..."

"You fool. Why do you always have to look?"

"I don't know. I can't help it..."

Merry ruffled Pippin's hair.

"You never can, cous..."

Aragorn got up, still holding the Palantir.

"I will go with Gandalf and take his council on what we have learned."

Aragorn left, and Legolas went with him.

"Well, I'm going to bed then!" Gimli said, laying his ax down by his bedroll.

What the Dwarf thought his ax would have done against Sauron... Toothless was not sure.

Moonbeam then turned to leave also. Her head was hung and her tail dragged behind her.

Hiccup nudged his shoulder and whispered.

"We should probably go with her."

"Yes, we should."

He, Hiccup, and Moonbeam left the Golden Hall den and walked out into the clear and peaceful night air. There were no wings in the sky, the entire pack likely being asleep or settling down.

She hopped down from the steps and then bounded over to the top of the ledge above where the pack slept. They joined her there and sat down with her. Out away from any other eyes that might see weakness, Moonbeam gave a very deep whine. Hiccup immediately went to hold her neck.

"It's okay now. You're fine."

Toothless stepped over to her other side and lay his tail over hers.

"We are here for you, my dear mate."

She purred softly and lifted her head. There was still a shadow of fear in her wide purple eyes.

"What was that thing in the rock?" she gasped.

Hiccup answered.

"It is a... soul-fire of a life that lived long ago and wanted to control all life as a great Alpha. Its name is Sauron. He is the enemy of all free life."

Toothless also nudged her head.

"Did you hear it, my dear mate? Did you hear his twisted, rotted words?"

"Yes, I did. That thing felt... very, very bad. Is it gone now?"

"It is gone from here and from the rock, but it is not dead," he whispered.

"And it wants to make us thralls?" she snarled.

"All of us: dragons, humans, and everyone else," Hiccup answered.

The night was cool, calm, and dark as the stars slowly spun overhead. Most of the rest of the pack looked like it was asleep in peace.

"I do not know what I can do to help, but I will help fight against that bad thing," she growled.

Hiccup whispered to her.

"Someone once told me that even the smallest people can change the future. Whatever happens, we will face it together."

Toothless growled.

"Yes, we will. All of us as one flight."

* * *

Hiccup awoke at dawn and made his way up to the Golden Hall. Gandalf and Pippin planned to leave shortly after breakfast to ride to Minas Tirith.

He wanted to meet them one last time before they left.

Unsurprisingly, Pippin was awake, eating simple porridge at a table while Merry sat with him. He sat down with the Hobbits, both of whom looked very miserable.

It was not surprising that Pippin would still be upset after what had happened to him just the previous evening.

"Morning Pip!"

"Hiccup..." Pippin stirred the porridge without eating.

"What is this? A Hobbit not eagerly eating first breakfast?"

"I'm going with Gandalf, but Merry is staying here in Edoras."

"Oh, I understand. Any reason why you aren't going, Merry?"

Merry shrugged.

"Gandalf and Shadowfax can only take one passenger, and I guess I'm the one who hasn't caused... trouble..."

"I won't do it again. The burned hand learns the lesson best. I saw him, and I never want to cause trouble again," Pippin whispered.

"If I may, Pip, what did you see when you... saw him? Only if you want to say..." Hiccup asked.

Pippin winced and looked away, visibly pained by the question.

"I... it looked like he was hiding in shadows. I could just... feel him and... knew what he was. I don't know how Aragorn beat him and took back the stone."

"Is that what he did? He took it away from Sauron...?"

Merry nodded.

"Yes. His being the true heir gives him power over the Palantir, or something like that. Legolas said something about the Stones being from an ancient kingdom of Men that was lost under the waves."

"That would be Numenor," Aragorn said as he entered and sat down with them.

"What happened to that place? How could it be lost under the sea?" Hiccup asked.

Aragorn paused before speaking.

"The Numenorians were faithful Men aided the Valar and the Elves against the Great Enemy in the First Age. For their loyalty, they were given a land out in the sea to be theirs. Numenor was great, beautiful, and near the Blessed Realm. One rule only was laid upon the them: they were not allowed to set foot in the Blessed Realm. They lost their way in time, though they remained powerful. One of their Kings, Ar-Pharazon, even captured Sauron himself."

"What?" "I don't believe it." "Wow."

"Yes, his armada was so great that all the servants of Sauron fled him. But Sauron was cunning. He pretended to have given up and even praised the King's greatness, eventually becoming Ar-Pharazon's trusted adviser. Sauron corrupted the island and had the people worshiping the Great Enemy as a god, even sacrificing people in Morgoth's name. He finally told the King to take his entire armada, the greatest one the world has ever seen, and lay siege to the Blessed Realm itself."

"Why would the King do that?" Pippin wondered.

"Because he feared death, and Sauron told him that a mortal living in the Blessed Realm would be immortal. That is not true. The Undying Lands of the Blessed Realm are only named so because those who are naturally immortal live there. A mortal living there would age and pass on when it is their time."

"What happened?" Hiccup breathlessly asked.

"The King landed on the shores of Aman; he was the first true mortal to do so in a siege, and when he did... it changed the world forever," Aragorn whispered.

"How?" Hiccup asked.

"The Valar called on the Creator, Illuvatar, and the whole world was changed. The entire armada was lost under the waves; the whole of Numenor collapsed and fell into the sea, killing everyone on it; and Aman was removed from the world. Anyone not permitted to go there would sail into the West and would emerge in the East."

Then Aragorn gave the faintest of smiles.

"While all of Numenor was lost, there were the faithful, Elendil and his people, who were spared and fled to Middle-earth because they heeded the warnings they were given and left before the disaster. They were my ancestors. They brought with them seven Palantir, gifts of the Elves, and a single seedling that grew into the White Tree of Gondor."

Hiccup started as he was again reminded that Aragorn was connected to Gondor.

_That is his Kingdom. Actually..._

"Are you going with Gandalf to Minas Tirith?"

Oddly, Aragorn shook his head.

"No, not openly. Not yet. Gandalf explained that there is another, secret path that I must take if I do go South. I would meet up with a company of my kin and bring them to Gondor's defense."

Merry frowned.

"But why aren't you going there to be King now?"

"It would be too disruptive. There is a Steward who rules in place of a King, and transition could be... problematic in the middle of a war."

_That makes sense._

"You'd be a good King," Merry added.

"I agree, you're not at all what I've heard of Kings being like," Hiccup said.

"Exactly. How many Kings have lived in the wild? Probably none," Merry chuckled.

Aragorn solemnly smiled.

"I am glad that you think so highly of me. I only hope that we do not arrive too late and find that Minas Tirith has fallen."

"What will they be against?" Pippin whispered.

Aragorn frowned and rested a hand on his new sword.

"That depends on how long Osgiliath can hold."

"Osgiliath?" Pippin asked.

"The true capital of Gondor, though the city is in ruins now. It lies on the Anduin river and is one of Minas Tirith's last defenses. The Enemy might send hundreds of thousands of his slaves to war."

Hearing about how large the Enemy's army might be was terrible. But there was a detail about it that didn't make sense.

"How? How can he provide for so many? I thought that his lands in Mordor are barren and dead," Hiccup asked.

"His western lands are indeed as you say, but the east is far more fertile. His influence is also strong in lands east of Mordor, and they send tribute, soldiers, and slaves to his service."

Both Hobbits slumped and frowned.

"It sounds hopeless." "What can any of us do?"

Aragorn looked between all three of them. He looked grim and defiant at the same time.

"Despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt. We do not. Also, the more that the Enemy is focused on us, the better it is for anyone else who has... a secret mission..."

_Yeah, that's the real mission that matters._

As he thought about Frodo and Sam off on their own in the world and on a mission to sneak into Mordor itself, he felt very humbled at how brave Hobbits could be. They were the smallest people of Middle-earth, and yet they might be the bravest. Hopefully he would get to see those two dear Hobbits again.

* * *

Toothless and Hiccup followed the Hobbits out to the stables as Gandalf led the way. No one was being particularly talkative.

Hiccup gently patted Pippin's shoulder as they walked. The Hobbits were understandably glum because they were having to part ways for a while.

Then they arrived at the stables and waited outside because of Toothless. The horses were still very uneasy around any of the Furies.

For the most part.

Gandalf led out from the stable a proud stallion. The stallion's white coat glistened in the morning light and his mane flowed at his stride.

The great horse saw Toothless, whinnied loudly, and strode straight up to him with a defiant glare in its eyes. Then it huffed in his face.

"Gandalf, what is wrong with your horse?" Toothless grumbled.

Gandalf laughed and then whistled softly.

The white horse trotted back to Gandalf's side and received a stroking on its proud neck.

"Nothing is wrong with Shadowfax. He is the greatest of all horses now, and he fears nothing. Is that not right, my friend?"

Shadowfax snorted, tossed his head, and stood still as Gandalf hopped on his bare back. The Wizard bore nothing except a small pack, his staff, and his white robes.

"Where is the saddle?" Hiccup asked.

Shadowfax neighed at that and beat at the ground with a single hoof. The horse also glared his direction.

"Shadowfax will have no saddle or harness. None ride him; rather, he will consent to bear someone, or he will not. If he will, it is then his job to keep his passenger on his back," Gandalf explained.

Toothless huffed.

"I approve of how this horse thinks."

Hiccup scratched Toothless's neck.

"So do I," he whispered.

Merry then stepped forward and offered Pippin a small pack.

"What is this?" Pippin asked.

"The last of the Longbottom leaf. You smoke too much, Pippin."

"Merry..."

The Hobbits embraced, neither wanting to let go.

"It is time," Gandalf whispered.

Gandalf then offered a hand to Pippin and lifted him up in front of him.

"How far is it to Minas Tirith?" Pippin asked.

"Two days ride for us," Gandalf answered and then looked to Hiccup and Toothless.

"Farewell, until we meet again. I fear that it will be under the shadow of the greatest battle of this Age. I hope that Rohan answers the inevitable summons."

"I believe he will. Theoden is a good King," Hiccup offered.

Gandalf gazed up at the Golden Hall.

"He knows the reasons why it is necessary. Yes, I believe that Rohan will ride to war. Still, I cannot help but think that we have missed an important detail."

"What do you mean?"

Gandalf frowned and then stared off at the mountains.

"We have been too fortunate: finding dragons willing to aid us; winning a victory at Helm's Deep; even our unexpected use of the Palantir. Everything has worked well for us."

The Wizard stared into the distance until he remembered himself.

"Maybe my fears are unfounded. I pray that is so. Away now, Shadowfax, to Minas Tirith! Fly like the wind!"

Shadowfax whinnied loudly and sprang forward into a gallop, racing out of sight down the path toward the main gate.

Merry ran off toward one of the nearby watchtowers and got Aragorn's attention as he ran. Hiccup jumped on Toothless's back, and they flew up to the slope by the Golden Hall. Shadowfax was already far out on the rolling plain by the time they landed.

"That is one very fast horse. I wonder if..." Hiccup chuckled.

Toothless rolled his eyes and stretched his wings while clawing at the ground.

"It is still only a horse..." he huffed.

"Yeah, no chance he is as fast as you, bro."

"No, there is not."

They settled down and silently stared over the plain, watching as Gandalf, Pippin, and Shadowfax raced in what looked like a tireless sprint.

The warm wind flowed around the hill as Edoras bustled with activity. A few Furies were aloft, gliding on the wind or flying somewhere on a task. Others they knew were gone and helping with the herds, on patrol, or other labor. Rohirrim children and a couple Fury cubs were playing tag down among the homes while their guardians followed, keeping watch over the play.

"Bro, did you ever think you'd see anything like this?" Hiccup waved a hand across all that they could see down below.

"No, I did not. We still need to talk to the pack about the fighting that might happen."

"We can talk to them tonight. Do you think they... we will want to do that?"

Toothless huffed.

"It is the same as the fight at Helm's Deep. The reasons are no different. We fight against the Enemy not only for humans and Elves but also for ourselves. Yes, we can convince the pack that we should fly to the fight."

Hiccup nodded.

"Speaking of flying, what do you say we practice some more later today? I feel like I'm getting the hang of spins."

"How you do spins without a tail, I do not know!"

"I'm just that amazing."

"Yes, you are," Toothless grinned.

Together, they looked off into the southeast along the mountains. A faint white dot was just barely visible far off on the golden plains.

The sky on the distant horizon looked darker than it should be. It was as though there was a storm hidden beyond the horizon.

* * *

_**Author's Note – Thus ends Act II. Hopefully the introduction of the Fury pack as well as what we know of the dragons' origin story, molded between these two worlds, felt believable and worked well. The board has been set, and the pieces are moving. The final Act should be the best of the three. Make your predictions now.**_

_**Bonus FYI - The Quenya name for Numenor after its downfall is Atalante (which translates as "Downfallen"). Tolkien did not apparently intend for the naming similarity with Atlantis, but it just worked out that way.**_


	51. The Gathering Night

_**Author's Note – Time to begin the final arc. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this so far.  
**_

* * *

The Gathering Night

* * *

Hiccup and Toothless gathered all the present adults in the pack together on the plain outside the city. They needed to talk about what they would do, if anything, about the upcoming battle in Gondor. A few packmates were away from Edoras, but everything they had to tell their packmates could be conveyed to those who were not present.

But as Hiccup beheld all the Furies, his packmates, whom he knew so well, he wondered again if this was the right thing to do.

Involving themselves had worked out well, or at least fortunately enough, for everyone the first time when they joined the battle at Helm's Deep. No one had died or suffered truly terrible wounds. Starlight was well again, though he still had a bright scar where he was hit on his side. Even Snowflame's punctured wings and belly had mostly healed in the weeks that had passed, though her wings would always have scars.

But there was no guarantee that everyone who flew to this coming battle would come back.

Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall stepped forward from the murmuring pack and addressed him.

"Hiccup, you wanted to speak to us all," Flame-In-The-Night said.

_Alright, time to do this..._

He took some courage from Toothless's reassuring purr, and then raised his voice.

"Yes, Alphas. I learned that the humans of Rohan might leave to fight another battle."

Growls of worry and surprise went through the entire pack.

"Another fight?" "Why would they?" "Are they in danger now?" "Are we in danger?" "Fighting?"

"There might be another fight in a range far from here. Another large pack of humans, kin to the humans of Rohan, is in danger," Hiccup explained

More muttering and twitching of ears followed.

"Why do we need to know this?" Flame-In-The-Night finally asked.

"Because we need to decide if we will join this fight."

"It is not for our ranges," Snowfall softly growled.

Toothless spoke up.

"True, but the danger is still the same. The... shadow-life on the twisted-into-wrong dragon that flew to the pack winters ago serves the same enemy that is a danger to us and the humans. We should talk as a pack about the future fighting and what we will do."

Dreamcatcher stood tall and barked to get everyone's attention.

"I said that we should not have flown to help humans the first time. That flight went well because these humans are not bad to us and because we were lucky. Any one of us could have died."

All eyes went to Snowflame and Starlight, being the two who were wounded in the battle.

"We are at peace now. I will say again that we should stay here and let the humans do their fighting. It does not concern us."

Hiccup grimaced. Her words were not unreasonable, and her fear was understandable. He shared that very worry. However, he knew more about the consequences of not acting.

The pack's fate was thoroughly tied into the outcome of the war and of the Ring, whether they would like it or not.

"I understand your fear, but we are all still involved. We are part of this world, and that makes it our war."

She glared at him, though apparently out of frustration and fear.

"Will we be expected to fight every fight until there are none of us left?" she objected.

"No, of course not."

"But that will happen! The sky-breath favored us that none of us died in the last fight. We will fight in this next fight, and one after that, and another, and another! We will all die!"

"Dreamcatcher, that is enough," Flame-In-The-Night grumbled.

She stepped back and went to stand with Growls-At-His-Shadow. Her mate gently nuzzled her neck and started whispering to her to help calm her down.

Growls-At-His-Shadow had been noticeably thawing in his time in Rohan. While he still kept to himself, focused on his assigned work, and avoided any unnecessary interactions with humans, he now, as far as Hiccup could tell, carried no open anger toward them.

Dreamcatcher was in a somewhat similar position to what Moonbeam had probably felt, losing family because of humans. However, Moonbeam had a baby sister to care for whereas Dreamcatcher had no one left from her family after her brother was killed. She and Growls-At-His-Shadow had become mates after they flew to the pack, though they had known each other before.

She was more afraid of losing a loved one since she knew what that must feel like.

Flame-In-The-Night turned back to him.

"Her words do have lift. How many fights will there be, and will we be expected to fight in all of them? We are few..."

"I know, and that is why we must be very careful. But we are not fighting only for humans; we are also fighting for ourselves and our own freedom. How many of us could go and fight if we need to?"

Snowfall softly hummed in thought.

"Our daughter is still healing. Starlight could maybe fight, but he is not one of the better fighters. Our daughter, Starlight, and Wind-Biter will not fly. Lightning and Hunts-In-Deep-Waters will not fly because they must tend to their new cub. Jumps-At-Fire is not a fighter at all. The cubs and fledglings will stay. The rest of us..."

The two Alphas whispered with each other, both clearly coming to an agreement.

"We cannot tell others that they must leave these home-ranges and go fight. If any of the pack want to fight then they can volunteer for it," Flame-In-The-Night declared.

Snowfall purred in agreement with what was said.

_That's totally fair. I wouldn't expect them all to fight anyway._

"I understand."

"When will we know if there will be fighting?" Snowfall asked.

Hiccup shrugged.

"I don't know. It could be tomorrow or not for weeks. We will all know if it happens though."

"I hope it does not need to happen," Flame-In-The-Night grumbled.

"So do I."

"We will speak to all in the pack and let them know," Snowfall said.

The pack then started dispersing, leaving only Moonbeam, Mystery, Breath-Of-Sky, Sky-Dancer, and Far-Flight behind.

"We will fly with you," Far-Flight explained as Sky-Dancer purred her agreement.

"And me! I will fight!" Breath-Of-Sky flashed his teeth.

"No you will not, fledgling. You have no fire yet..." Sky-Dancer warbled.

"But I want to fight and help the humans!"

"You are too small for fighting. You will stay here with these good humans who are kin to us," Far-Flight growled softly.

Breath-Of-Sky grumbled and huffed, clearly unhappy with the decision. Mystery hopped to his side and nudged his shoulder with a paw.

"We can fight each other!" she barked.

"Good plan! We can fight the other fledglings too!"

Then Moonbeam leapt at Toothless without any warning and knocked him onto his side before leaping on him and pinning him with her jaws around his neck. Everyone started in surprise at how fast that strike happened.

"What was that for!" Toothless cried.

"Get him!" "Take him down!" Breath-Of-Sky and Hiccup laughed.

Sky-Dancer and Far-Flight only purred in amusement while Moonbeam stepped back and let Toothless get up.

"I am not letting my mate fly into danger without me," Moonbeam chuffed and nudged Toothless's shoulder.

Toothless purred to her, his apparent frustration at having been so viciously attacked gone.

"My dear mate, there is something about dark wings that I want you to teach me," he eagerly asked.

"What?"

"How to hide from eyes with the lightning. I can do that now with flying on my own."

"I'll be at the forge if you need me," Hiccup agreed.

Moonbeam stretched her wings, stepped away while dragging her tail along Toothless's side, and jumped for the sky. Toothless followed with a roar.

He watched Toothless and Moonbeam wing off together toward the distant mountains. Mystery followed the other Furies back into Edoras.

Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, and Breath-Of-Sky also purred and watched the departing pair.

"I am happy that my big brother can fly like that! He is twisted though..." Breath-Of-Sky warbled.

"Twisted, how?" Sky-Dancer asked.

"He fights a lot."

"Fights?" "What?" "Huh?"

"With Moonbeam. He wrestles with her a lot in fights!"

Hiccup, Sky-Dancer, and Far-Flight shared silent glances and grins.

"Maybe I should fight Mystery like that!" Breath-Of-Sky proposed.

"Yes, you should when you are older... and both want that..." Far-Flight purred and nudged Breath-Of-Sky's shoulder.

"Why not now?"

"Because those wrestling fights are for when you are older, bigger, and ready for... more from life," Sky-Dancer chuckled.

Breath-Of-Sky just looked very confused and eventually shrugged.

"If you say so, dam."

Far-Flight and Breath-Of-Sky took off and glided back toward Edoras.

Hiccup started walking when he heard Sky-Dancer huff, clearly to get his attention, so he faced her. She stared at him, hesitating for a moment before speaking.

"Do you want to fly back with me?" Sky-Dancer asked.

He was initially surprised by the offer. He had not flown with any Fury except for Toothless. It was not a very long walk back to Edoras, and he would not have minded a peaceful walk in relative silence.

But this was a special offer given by someone who was family.

"Yes, mother, I would like that."

She crouched down and let him climb flat on her back. She was clearly unused to carrying anyone from how she fidgeted once he settled down flat on her back.

"Just don't let me fall!"

She grumbled as she glanced back over her shoulder at him.

"I will not let you fall! You have no wings right now."

True to her word, she gently took off and flew low above the golden plains while taking her time. It was a very different experience for him compared to flight with Toothless even though the action was similar. It felt more intimate in a way, probably because it was a new experience for them both. She had definitely never carried a human before.

* * *

Toothless and Moonbeam rested together on the slopes of the White Mountains. The plan had been to fly out here, far away from Edoras so as to not disturb anyone else as she trained him in how to use the lightning to hide from sight. However, the planned training had not yet happened.

They had gotten distracted, as seemed to happen a lot whenever they flew off on their own. They were new life-mates, after all.

He rested his chin on her neck.

"Moonbeam..."

"Burning-Star..."

"Do you want to teach me now?"

"If you are not too tired..." she chuffed.

He slapped her tail with his.

"If you can still fly..." he chuffed.

She playfully snapped at his neck and chewed on one of his ears until it pinched. Then she let go and growled happily.

"I let you catch me!"

_I do not truly care. The flight ends the same way..._

"Yes, you did..."

Then she hopped to her paws and sat down before him. The teasing and playfulness fell away as she considered him.

"I told you about your need for split back-fins," she said.

He stretched and split his back-fins.

"Good. Then you fly up high in the sky. Being in clouds is best. Fill your thinking with the lightning jumping to you. See it dancing on your scales and hide and between your split back-fins."

"Does the lightning hurt?"

"Only a little. The lightning will dance on you and make you feel very warm. Then your body will vanish from the sky if you want to not be seen."

He was not sure why wanting to not be seen would matter, but she would know better than he would.

"I can still be seen by ears and sound-sight, true?"

"Yes, true. That is how we do not foul our flights when hiding from eyes."

He looked up toward the distant clouds; he was very ready to try this.

"Is there more I must know?"

"No, you must learn by doing."

He then stretched his wings wide and took flight with her following closely at his side. They drifted higher on the morning wind until they passed even above the lowest clouds. Then he settled into an easy flight along the tops of the clouds.

_Time to do this!_

He took a very deep breath, closed his eyes, and remembered the very worst lightning storms that he had ever seen. The spinning, flashing, dancing lightning had jumped from cloud to cloud, leaving lines of light in his eyes. He saw that lightning jumping from the clouds and to him. Willing it. Wanting it.

The air crackled and sparked around him until there was a great crash and a flash of light all around him. A boom and roar tore from the air around his wings as warmth filled the world.

Heat. Power. Strength.

Then he glanced back over his shoulder. The space between his split back-fins was filled with dancing sparks. His scales and hide were indeed shimmering with a strange shine.

And his new tailfin was on fire.

_No! Bad!_

He tucked his wings into a steep dive straight down toward the ground. Moonbeam was diving at his side also. The fire was killed by the dive, but he did not know how damaged the tailfin was. Fortunately, he could dive and safely land without the tailfin, but being on the ground was much safer with not knowing if the tailfin was dead.

Finally, he halted his dive and gently touched down on the grassy plain. The first thing he did was to bring his new tailfin up under his nose to closely inspect it.

The false-hide was burned and peeling away in places.

Moonbeam touched down and bounded up to him in clear worry.

"Burning-Star!"

"Moonbeam!"

"What happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell me. What did you see?" he asked.

She warily warbled as she stared at the new tailfin.

"The lightning jumped to you as it should, but your new tailfin was filled with lightning and started burning. You saw that, and then you dove to kill the fire."

He thought about it, gently poked the burned tailfin, saw more of the false-hide peel away, and deeply exhaled when he realized the chilling truth.

"The lightning is too hot for a new false-tailfin."

"Why not?"

"Because... the outside skin-hide will burn or the inside-parts might be too hot. I... do not know if I can hide from eyes like the rest of my kin."

She stepped up to his side and rubbed her shoulder against his while purring with encouragement.

"It is what it is. You are no less to me, my dear mate."

"I still wish this was not a problem..." he grumbled.

She also grumbled and looked off across the plains toward Edoras.

"Maybe Hiccup can help with this problem," she offered.

"True. If anyone can, he can. This will be a long walk..." he sighed.

"And I will walk with you," she purred.

"This will be a good, long walk," he purred.

They started walking together across the golden plain. While it was a very long walk, her constant purr at his side, occasional nudge, and their shared conversation about nothing important made it worthwhile. This was not a total loss after all.

* * *

Hiccup stared wide-eyed at Toothless and Moonbeam as they stood just outside the forge. He wasn't sure that he heard correctly.

"Wait, what happened?"

Toothless swung his tail around and showed off the clearly burned automatic tailfin.

"She was teaching me the hidden-flying, but this bad happened to the tailfin."

Hiccup stepped up to Toothless's tail and inspected the automatic tailfin. He had to take off the automatic tailfin to determine the extent of the damage.

"Great. How does that invisible flying work?" Hiccup asked, wanting to get the details.

Moonbeam chuffed and lay down before him.

"His way is a little different from mine. A dark wing needs split back-fins, flies high into the sky around clouds, and thinks about the lightning dancing on them. The lightning jumps to them, and then they fade if they want to hide from eyes."

"So, the lightning struck him and set the new tailfin on fire, right?"

Toothless sighed and nodded.

"Yes. Do you think you can make one that will work for me?"

Hiccup considered the burned tailfin and paced in thought as he ran through several possibilities, discounting each of them in turn before he concluded the inevitable.

"Bro, I have no idea how I'd make one that could do that. There are enough gears and pulleys inside that too much heat will probably melt the inside of the tailfin. It's not just a matter of changing or toughening the leather on the outside. Sorry about that."

Toothless gave a pained grin and purr as his ears fell slightly.

"Do not be sorry. It would look very twisted if I were to hide in the air except for the new tailfin!"

Hiccup nervously chuckled.

"Yeah, that would look very strange. Nothing but a tailfin flying through the air. It probably wouldn't work with a saddle either."

Moonbeam hopped to her paws and nuzzled Toothless before she stepped away.

"My dear mate, I will go hunt with Mystery. I told her I would be with her later today."

"I will stay on the ground today while Hiccup fixes the tailfin," Toothless answered.

She purred in agreement and then flew off toward everyone who was present within the pack, many of whom were taking their early afternoon nap.

Toothless looked away from Moonbeam's flight and faced him.

"How long will I be grounded?"

"This should be fixed in a day or two. It's just the leather I have to cut and polish. Really should have gotten that spare made already. I could just give it to you now if I had..."

Hiccup paused before continuing.

"I'm really sorry that I can't make something that will help you... do that going-invisible thing."

"Do not be. It is not your fault."

Hiccup set aside the tailfin on the table, leaned against the table, and then frowned.

"I still feel responsible."

"You try to carry too much weight on your back."

"Huh?"

"Yes, you think that too much of what happens is your fault. Why?"

Hiccup started to respond with a dismissive joke or sarcastic remark, but then he paused, thinking that there might be something here he hadn't noticed before. Maybe there was a reason why he took on so much responsibility.

"I'm responsible because I can help make the world a better place and because I want certain people whom I love to be happier also."

Toothless purred at that and settled down outside the forge.

"True, and that is very good, but do not blame yourself whenever anything goes wrong. No one is perfect. Not you. Not me."

"I know. I guess that fixing stuff is what I'm good at. I just wish that I didn't need to fix stuff that I broke in the first place."

* * *

Hiccup worked on the tailfin, carving more leather strips and doing a lot of sewing, until well into the evening. He also had to replace several of the melted joints and ball-bearings inside the tailfin.

Then, finished with his work for the day, he grabbed his special dagger and turned for the Golden Hall and a small meal before bed. He passed by Theoden as the King returned alone from somewhere beyond the walls.

_Hmm, what was he doing out there?_

It was not his business, so he didn't ask. He was on good speaking terms with the King, and bothering him unnecessarily didn't feel like a good idea.

He arrived at the Golden Hall, grabbed some plain bread and cheese, and looked for Gimli. There was something he had completely neglected to do until now.

_Where's that Dwarf? He's got to be around here somewhere... always takes supper around now._

Sure enough, two pairs of voices were raised as the Dwarf and the Elf entered shortly thereafter.

"Not sure I like the technique. Mine kin know how to properly do that!" Gimli grumbled.

"Your kin know nothing of grace," Legolas retorted.

"Grace? Bah, who needs that?"

"My point exactly."

Gimli beat his chest.

"You pointy-ears and your dainty hairstyles. You could learn a thing or two from we Dwarves. Thick, full, braided beards that can pull carts, yes! Much better than the mops on your heads!"

"Mops?" Legolas cried in indignation.

"How do you even keep it so straight all the time, rain or shine?" Gimli grumbled.

Legolas then saw Hiccup staring at them, and the Elf apparently took the opportunity.

"Master Haddock, you look like you wish to speak to a Dwarf."

"I do indeed!"

"Perfect. He's yours."

Legolas stalked off without another word.

Gimli crossed his arms on his chest while Hiccup went to stand with him.

"For what it's worth, I wonder about the hair too..." Hiccup whispered.

"Aye! Most unnatural that is. Elven grace and magic... hogwash, I say!"

He faced Gimli.

"Gimli, you could actually help me with something."

"Oh, what might that be?"

Hiccup removed his Dwarven dagger from its hilt and then handed the dagger to him.

"I found this up in the Grey Mountains. I meant to ask you about it before..."

Gimli's eyes went wide as he stared in awe at the blade and held it reverently in his hands.

"This is a dagger of mine kin. You found it in the Grey Mountains?"

"Yeah, in some ruins of a mining operation. I can't read what it says though. I was curious."

Gimli nodded and handed him the dagger.

"No outsider could. We guard the secret of our tongue, Khuzdul, very closely. The runes roughly mean 'I thirst for the blood of dragons."

_Yikes, well, it made sense for the Dwarves. Maybe they were Viking-Dwarves..._

* * *

The news that Gondor might come under attack had spread like wildfire through Edoras and the villages beyond. Men were carrying weapons and spears to and from the various forges. Women tended to the horses in the stables. Even the boys and girls contributed to the preparations, handling and carrying various supplies. Messengers came and went to and from the other parts of Rohan. There was a lot of work being done in the forges, mostly sharpening blunt swords and spears or repairing shields.

Hiccup was coming back from checking in on Lightning and Hunts-Golden-Light early in the morning when he saw a man of Rohan carrying a giant helmet and a coat of mail toward the stables. The armor was very oddly shaped, and the mail definitely didn't fit anyone.

_What is that?_

Curious, he watched until the man slung the mail over the shoulders of one of the horses and fitted the helm onto its head. With a little more equipment, the horse would be ready for battle.

He slapped his forehead with an obvious realization. Horses had armor that helped protect them in battle. It was only fair that the Furies have something also for their vulnerable areas.

_I should have done this sooner!_

He spun around and ran to the Furies' slope while eagerly making plans. His creative side had completely taken over.

_Alright, all the other Furies can do their hiding and staying invisible thing, but they might get hit by a stray arrow. Having something to protect the bellies and necks would be good. Toothless might need a bit more since he can't hide like them._

He trundled down the slope and found the Alphas, both of whom were resting together on the ground.

"Alphas."

"Hiccup, speak," Snowfall purred.

"I have an idea to help keep us dark wings safer in fighting."

"What is it?" Flame-In-The-Night eagerly asked.

"Two places you can easily get hurt are your bellies and your necks. Wings and tailfins are also targets, but I can't do anything for those. You will all stay in the air and flame the enemy from above, so the most likely weapons to hit you are arrows."

"Like happened to our daughter..." Snowfall whined.

"Yes, like that. My idea is that I could make armor for you."

"What is armor?" Flame-In-The-Night asked.

"Very strong, metal, false-hides like many of the humans wear for fighting. Armor would help protect you from arrows."

They considered it, but they looked suspicious of the idea.

"Is there a problem?" he asked.

"Wearing that armor would make us slower and would be more weight to carry," Flame-In-The-Night answered.

"And it might stop us from hiding from eyes. The armor would not fade when we do," Snowfall added.

Hiccup frowned, instantly seeing the obvious. Armor would not go invisible even if the Fury wearing the armor did vanish. The same would go for a saddle and anything made by a human. Their point about metal armor being heavy was also a valid one he should have considered.

_Alright, that was hasty of me. So they must just be very evasive. Not being a target is probably the best defense they have._

"True, you're right about that. I can ask Burning-Star if he wants the armor though. He can't go invisible like you can."

"No, why not?" Snowfall asked.

"Because the lightning would burn the new tailfin I made for him. He will just have to stay far away from the worst of the fighting, I guess."

Both Alphas looked disturbed from how they fidgeted and their tails twitched.

"What is the matter?" he asked.

"We... have much fear for the pack if we do join the fighting," Snowfall whispered.

She rearranged her wings and revealed young Free-Flight sound asleep at her side. The cub had his head on his paws and his tailfins on his head.

"We must have some fear as the Alphas. We are responsible if anything happens to the pack," Flame-In-The-Night added.

"But you agree that we should do something. You know that this is our fight?"

The Alphas warily looked at each other and then him.

"It might be. Many of us think well of the humans of this nest, and we would not want them in much danger alone," Flame-In-The-Night whispered.

"It hurt much the last time we... lost some of the pack," Snowfall hissed.

Flame-In-The-Night looked like he wanted to say something, but he did not.

"I will do everything I can to protect everyone," Hiccup said.

Then he left to think about the likely future summons. One point was very obvious: he needed to learn more about what that Minas Tirith place was like. Who could explain what that city was like... strategically?

_Aragorn could probably tell me._

Beyond just aiding with any battle, there was another advantage of the pack involving itself. If the pack flew to Gondor's aid, all the people of Gondor will know that the Furies are not their enemy. Not only would ensuring that another people knew to trust the Furies be good on its own, but he would get to spread the peace even more and make more of the world safe for the pack. Everyone would be better off. Being useful to people and helping to make the world a better place was what he was meant to do. It gave purpose to his life.

* * *

"I have an idea!" Hiccup exclaimed.

Toothless warily warbled and sat down outside the forge.

"Great, what is your new plan to put yourself in danger?"

"Actually, this one is not for me. It's about you!"

"Me?" Toothless blinked.

"Yep, I think I should make something to help keep you safer in battle."

That got Toothless very interested.

"What is it?"

"You know how humans and Elves wear armor, right?"

"Yes."

"I could make armor for you also. It would be for your belly, chest, and the soft part of your neck. This might help keep you safer from arrows or bolts."

Toothless considered it, but he grumbled at the idea.

"I do not know. It might hurt my flying and be heavy..."

"Even leather armor?"

"How thick must the animal-hides be?"

Hiccup briefly thought about it before realizing that Toothless's objection was a fair one. Having a dragon wear armor could be prohibitively difficult and heavy unless the armor was made of something like Mithril, which was in very short supply throughout the world, or some other very lightweight material. Leather was unlikely to do more for Toothless than his natural hide would.

"Well, it seemed like a good idea. I just want to help..."

Toothless hummed in thought, strode over to him, and then nudged him.

"You should make armor for yourself. That would help."

"How would that help?"

"It would help you be safer, and that would make me feel better in a fight."

"That could work, yeah. I've been thinking about how to fit together armor and my wings."

Toothless held up a paw.

"Wait, can your armor be dark like my scales and hide?"

"Sure, I should probably do that."

"Good. You should do it."

Hiccup nodded in agreement.

"Alright, that's settled. I'm going to get Gimli to help me in the forge on this one. He'll have some ideas."

Then he grinned at something else he realized. His armor would have to be mostly leather armor, and he knew someone who had plenty of experience working with leather.

_Gimli can start helping me, and I can get someone else to help later..._

His and Adney's time together in the forge was always a pleasant mix of competence, seriousness, and banter.

* * *

Gimli stared back at him in awed amazement at the request.

"Did I hear that right? You want to make armor that will make you look like a dragon?"

"Yep, that sums it up. It'll also help Toothless feel like I'm safer."

The Dwarf nodded.

"Far be it from any Dwarf to turn down an opportunity to help in a forge. You have experience in a forge from when you were only a wee lad, true?"

"I trained under the village blacksmith for twelve winters. Need anything fixed or repaired, I can do it. True, tanning is different, but I want this to be good armor, so I'd like your help."

Gimli stroked his massive, braided beard.

"Do you have any plans yet for what it will look like?"

"Yeah, got it all drawn out for us. Might have used the last of the parchment, actually..."

Gimli then swung out of his chair and got up.

"Excellent! I shall go tell pointy-ears that our daily contest is on hold."

"Contest, what contest is that?"

"Ax throwing!"

"Ax throwing?"

Gimli gruffly nodded.

"Elves need a bit of building up. Too much grace, not enough muscle!"

"You do know who you're talking to?" Hiccup chuckled.

The Dwarf clapped him on the shoulder.

"Aye, but you're stronger than you look. Everyone who works the forge is strong even if they don't look it. Ya might not be able to swing an ax or hold a shield in battle, but you're strong in other ways."

Then Gimli departed.

He wondered about Gimli's words about strength. There was probably truth in them. Gobber had trained him for years in how to work in the forge, which did leave him strong and capable in many ways. However, that strength had not been paired with combat practice, which could have made him unable to effectively use that strength. That could explain his awkwardness and incompetence in the raids.

But since then, he had been living wild and rough while still eating well. Lots of work in the forge, practice with Inferno, and living rough since then had helped a lot.

_Huh, never thought about it that way. Guess I wasn't so hopeless after all. And while I'm in the Hall..._

He strolled over to Aragorn on his own at a far table. The Ranger had been spending more time on his own in the couple days since Elrond's arrival.

"Master Haddock, how may I help you?" Aragorn mildly asked.

"Aragorn, if you don't mind... I would like to know what Minas Tirith is like. Just in case the pack needs to help defend that city."

"They would do that?" Aragorn asked in surprise.

"At least some of us would, yes. Not everyone is free to leave, but a few will probably volunteer."

Aragorn solemnly nodded and leaned back in his chair.

"Imagine if you can a great city carved into the base of the mountains and ringed by a wall of sheer white rock. The gate is impenetrable by ordinary means. Seven levels there are to the city, each of which has trebuchets, battlements, homes, trees, and fountains with clear water. The highest level has a courtyard in which grows the White Tree and also holds the Citadel of the King. The Tower of Ecthelion stands out in the sky, glimmering as a spike of silver and pearl. Banners flow in the morning breeze alongside the ringing of trumpets..."

"That sounds amazing..." Hiccup whispered.

"It has been long since I last saw the White City. It was not even the greatest city of Gondor."

"That was Osgiliath, right?"

"Yes, it was. Minas Tirith was a military outpost before the fall of the Capital. The city may resist a long siege, unless by some fell means the gate is broken."

"Do you think the call for help will come?"

Aragorn rested a hand on his sword.

"Yes, I do believe that we shall see the beacons aglow. It is only a matter of time. Gandalf will convince the Steward to send for aid. Then it will be up to Theoden and the people of Rohan to answer the summons. I already know what path I must take, though it is perilous."

He remembered the reluctance with which Theoden and the two Alphas of the Fury pack had answered after hearing of the possible need for more battle. Their reluctance was perfectly understandable.

"Will Theoden answer the summons?"

Aragorn took a moment of silent thought before answering.

"He is still grieved by losing his son and all those who were lost at and before the battle of Helm's Deep. He must do what he believes is best for his people. Still, I believe that he will answer the call. He would lack all honor if he would not ride to the aid of others when he himself had others fly unbidden to his aid."

"That is not him," Hiccup agreed, "Theoden is a good man and a good King. Like you will be."

For the first time in their talk, Aragorn looked like he wanted to smile.

"I am glad that you think so, Master Haddock. I only hope that not too much is lost during this war. It will be incredible for the people of Gondor to see the Furies whenever they do meet them."

"How do you think that meeting will go?"

Aragorn frowned again.

"The people of Gondor are stout at heart, but they have lived and endured under the shadow of Mordor for many winters. It may be difficult for them trust these dragons. But I will help however I can, if my time comes."

* * *

Toothless glided on the morning wind above the flowing plains of golden grass. Moonbeam flew at his side, occasionally brushing his wing as she flew with him. She did not say anything to him on the flight, which was a sign that something was nipping at her tail. Something that was not him, anyway.

They finally arrived at the Snowborn river. It was the largest river in Rohan, and it was one of the only places where fish could be found.

He landed on the large rocks on the edge of the clear water, and she landed on the rock next to him.

They both settled down and stared at the rippling water while waiting in peace for the first fish to swim by. The sun was warm on their backs and outstretched wings.

But her fallen ears showed that she was troubled and chilled by something.

"What is twisting your tail?" he asked.

"Not you," she huffed.

"I could if you want..."

"Maybe later..."

She glanced at him and then looked down at the water.

"I... keep thinking about that seeing-stone thing and how it had a bad soul-fire in it," she whispered.

He snarled at the reminder of that encounter. Then a very bad thought struck him and filled him with a chill. What if she was now as twisted inside as he was? What if Sauron had done something to her also? True, she had not been around the Ring as he had, but something had happened to hurt her a little.

"Do you feel twisted now? Do you want gold?" he warily asked.

She snorted and huffed.

"No. I only want you, my kin, and our future cubs. I wish that my dreams were peaceful, but I keep hearing a twisted whisper and seeing that eye of fire."

He hopped over onto her rock, completely forgetting the hunt for fish, and lay his tail on hers. What she said was, while still troubling, not nearly as bad as what he had felt and known. His own being around the Ring was different from what happened to her. Hopefully...

"What can I do for you, my dear mate?" he purred.

"Be here with me," she whispered.

He snorted.

"I can do that."

A long silence followed as they sat together, him giving her the comfort of presence and warm purring. The water flowed on with its unending and comforting babble.

_Hmm... how did the song go? I should change to be more for us!_

"The flight goes ever on and on, out from the den where it began. Now far ahead the flight has flown, and I must follow if I can. Pursuing it with weary feet, until it joins some larger way, where many paths and flights meet. And where then? I cannot say."

She chuckled and purred at his words.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

"I do. It makes me think of the winds of life," she answered.

"It should. It is from a poem, a word-story, by an old Hobbit named Bilbo."

"Bilbo, is he kin to Merry or Pippin?"

"No, he is kin to another whom I hold close to my soul-fire: Frodo."

He froze, staring at the disturbance on the river. Then he jumped from the rock and splashed down into the river as his teeth closed around the fish.

It was a big fish that thrashed in his jaws, but he had the catch and swiftly killed it.

_Yes!_

He swam to shore and hauled himself out of the river. She hopped over to him, bounding through the sand. He bit the fish in half and tossed half to her.

"Good catch, my dear mate," he purred.

She snorted and thrashed her tail.

"I can hunt also!"

She had hunted for both herself and her cub sister for years before finding the pack. He had no doubt that she was a very good hunter.

But he had to tease her and twist her tail now that she was his life-mate.

"Oh, can you? What have you caught?"

"You."

"Other than me..." he huffed.

She crouched down to the sand and growled at him with her tail swaying. It was very endearing.

"Contest! Whoever catches the most fish by midday wins. No tricks," she barked.

"Wins what?"

She stuck her tongue out at him. He had never seen her do that before. Her being so teasing and playful was such a contrast to the bitter and always solemn that she had been before.

It was also another play-signal she had probably learned from him or Hiccup.

"Wins status!" she barked.

Defending his status was important. Competing with his life-mate made that defense even more fun. Plus, intentionally losing the contest could also be a win in another way.

"Challenge accepted!"

He leaped from the shore and flew low over the river, keeping a close watch on the water for any sign of fish. She did similarly on the other shore of the river.

Then she dove, splashed into the water, and jumped out an instant later with a fish thrashing between her jaws. She glanced over at him, confirmed that he could see her, and then swallowed the fish whole.

One to none.

He snorted and turned his attention back to the water.

Mostly. She was very beautiful and distracting just by being herself.

_I am fouling this hunt..._

* * *

She perched on a large rock near a bend in the river. He also stood there with her under a wing.

The midday sun was very warm, and the rock on which they lay was relaxing to rest on.

"So, how many fish did you catch?" she asked.

"Four," he answered after a moment of thought.

Even if she had won this contest, there was a final revenge he could fly.

She barked in triumph.

"Five! I win!"

"Well hunted, but I could have won. You need to word your contests better, my dear mate."

"What?"

She looked confused but also curious.

"You said that whoever catches the most fish by midday wins, but you never said how big the fish must be."

"So?"

He smirked.

"So I could have eaten a mouthful of the very-tiny fish. One of your big fish and one very-tiny fish would both count as one fish."

She hissed at him.

"I said no tricks!"

"What is the trick? Fish can be big or small."

She said nothing to that, so he nudged her side and wove his tail around hers.

"Admit it, you like that your mate is clever," he purred.

She rolled her eyes and huffed, but she also purred with warmth.

"I do."

Then she sighed and leaned against his shoulder.

"This is good. You and me with nothing to do."

He agreed entirely that having time alone with her was good.

"What about our kin? Unless you want to do something now..."

Oddly, she did not laugh, tease, or show any wanting; rather, her ears fell.

"What is it?" he whispered.

"Sorry, I... was thinking about Mystery. I am glad that she has your brother as a friend, but..."

She paused and fell silent, so he nudged her head.

"Yes?"

"I... it is twisted."

"We can talk."

She hummed and looked away from him.

"I do not always know what to think about her. She is... both my sister and... like a cub. I... know that she should not be a cub... needing me as she would a dam. I... must push her away from me, slowly, but... I am not sure if I am doing that well."

"Pushing her away?" he gasped.

"Yes. A dam must do that... must let her cub grow up. I..."

She suddenly growled and shook her head, as if she was angry.

"What?"

"I... want her to be my sister, not my cub! Being responsible for her is... is... not what I should need to do..."

He hummed in thought before answering her.

"I understand. You should not need to be there for her as you were. What... what have you done for her to have a sire in her life?"

"She... had no one sire who held his wings over her, but... she has long looked up to Flame-In-The-Night as a strong and good male. What about you back when you were at the nest of other dragons?"

He hung his head and stared at his paws.

"I... had no one sire or dam, but many other dragons, males and females, helped me when I was young. Maybe that is why I was able to see a human as kin also; I already knew to see others who are different as still kin to me."

She glanced at him.

"And... how are you, Far-Flight, and Sky-Dancer... if I may ask."

He waited a few wingbeats before answering that complicated question.

"There is still some... soul-fire distance between us, but they are trying to be there for me as much as I need now. We will not be as close as they are with Breath-Of-Sky. I do not need a sire and dam in the same way a cub or a fledgling does. Still, I hold them to my soul-fire."

She purred.

"I have always respected them and thought of them with warmth. They are trying for a new cub, yes?"

He glanced at her in surprise.

"How did you know that?"

"You just confirmed it."

"What!" he barked in shock.

She chuckled, looking very smug.

"I have also seen them flying away on their own. Also, Breath-Of-Sky has over ten winters, so this time is when they would want to try for another cub."

So it was not only that he gave away the truth. That was a small relief.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because our future cub and their future cub could bond and be kin."

"True, they could, and I would like that."

She lay her tail over his.

"Must we go back to Edoras right now?" she purred.

"We do not. What do you have in mind?" he purred.

She lay down and closed her eyes.

"A long nap here under the sun would be nice..."

He lay down with her, completely agreeing that a nap under the afternoon sun on this warmed rock would be very nice. It was also important to enjoy the peace while it lasted.

* * *

Toothless and Moonbeam were gliding back to Edoras late in the afternoon after taking a long, restful nap together. Edoras finally came into view, framed by the tall White Mountains in the distance.

He was ready to glide down into Edoras itself when he saw something strange outside the nest-city. There were a white horse and a human near the base of a rocky slope. He was curious enough to inspect this more closely, so he winged closer to Moonbeam and brushed her wing.

"My love, I want to greet this human. I will join you in the pack."

She purred in agreement and winged away from him.

He glided over the lone human as it walked toward the hill. Then he saw, to his surprise, who it was.

_What is King-Alpha Theoden doing out there?_

He dove and landed at the base of the slope. Then he slowly trotted up the path to not greatly surprise him. The horse whinnied once at his approach, but it otherwise seemed unworried. He also kept distance from the horse and ignored it, so as to not scare it too much.

"Alpha Theoden!"

Theoden turned to face him. There was a cold in the man's eyes.

"Master Burning-Star."

He sat down next to Theoden and considered what might be going on here. Theoden was standing alone outside the nest-city. There was something that looked like an underground building carved into the rock before him, but there was no opening to the building; it was completely closed off.

Details that had been far apart flew together.

_He is here to mourn his dead young one, his son._

"Why are you out here?"

Theoden frowned and crossed his arms.

"I come out here from time to time to... remember my son."

"Did he die well, fighting for your pack?"

"He did. Gandalf told me that Theodred's death was not of my making, but that is not entirely true. I am the King of Rohan. My people will follow me... to whatever end. Every single death, every child left without a father, every wife left alone, every brother or sister who loses a brother, and even the women who have been lost in the raids... they are all my responsibility."

"What do you mean?"

Theoden gestured with a paw toward the tomb.

"Theodred fell because I, in my dotage, let myself fall under Saruman's sway and thus neglected my own people. I already failed them once, and we may only have been saved at Helm's Deep because of you and your kind."

He reached out and rested a paw on Theoden's shoulder. The man seemed surprised until after he removed the paw.

"You are afraid of the fighting that will happen soon."

"Yes, I am. The King is responsible for protecting all who are his charge. If I answer this summons, hundreds, thousands maybe, of my people will die. How do I bear that?"

He thought about it, hopefully understanding the burden Theoden must feel as the Alpha. There was an easy answer.

"Maybe you should think about it differently. You are not causing the death. That dying would happen later if you do nothing and the Enemy destroys your ally. What you are doing as the Alpha is making the decisions to stop something worse from happening."

Theoden sighed and turned away from the tomb to stare up at Edoras.

"What you said reminds me of something Gandalf told me. He said that it is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succor of those years in which we live, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after us may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to know. All we can decide is what to do with the time that we have."

He hummed, agreeing entirely with those words.

"Yes. If you and the humans of Rohan ride to war, we will fly with you. Not all of us, but I know that some will fly the flight."

Something about his words brought a faint smile to Theoden.

"That would be impressive to see. Eoreds of mounted soldiers riding to war while dragons soar above to aid us from the sky. No foe could withstand such a terrible and great sight as that would be."

Theoden then glanced back at the tomb.

"Still, my house has long been in decline, and my line will end after me when Eomer takes the throne. I am not as young as I once was. Something tells me that I might never see these lands again if I ride for Gondor and war."

Toothless grumbled at that.

"Maybe you should not ride into the fighting. You are a good King-Alpha, and we want you to be here to help keep the peace."

Theoden squared his shoulders and stared up at the clouds.

"No, I cannot lead from behind. A King who cannot wield a sword or who does not join his men on the field of battle is unworthy. If we must go to war, I shall ride to ruin and the world's ending and I shall sing a fey song of death... and of whatever happens after that... I shall not be ashamed."

* * *

Toothless strolled toward the forge where Hiccup worked and was sure to be right now. In-between working on the weapons and general repairs for Edoras, Hiccup was also working on making his new armor-hide that would be dark and would let him use his wings.

But there was something else that was surprising once he got to the forge.

Hiccup and Adney were working together inside the forge. Gimli had been helping Hiccup out earlier in the week, but now she was also helping.

That was good, but it also made him wonder about how much bonding they were doing.

He knew it was not his place to truly shove his nose into Hiccup's life in this way, but it would be good for Hiccup if he found a mate of his own. She could easily be that for Hiccup. She had no twisted-thoughts about dragons, was young and healthy, and had a warm soul-fire, as far as he could tell.

But he knew Hiccup well enough to know that Hiccup would probably foul his own flight and not... make a move.

_Maybe I can help guide their flights together..._

He thought about it for a while and then settled on one thing that he could do for them. There was no way that they would know about his hidden plan. Then he calmly trotted to them.

"Hiccup!"

Hiccup and Adney turned to greet him, waving their paws at him.

"Bro!" "Burning-Star!"

He bounded up before them and then sat down.

"Do you want to go flying? Yes, I know you do. You need a break from the work."

Hiccup glanced at Adney, and she shrugged.

"Sure, why not? Where's Moonbeam?" Hiccup asked.

"She is hunting with Sky-Dancer. They wanted some time together."

Then he purred at Adney.

"Adney, what about you? Do you want to fly with us?"

She blinked in surprise as her eyes went wide. She looked like she was struck speechless for a while. He was sure that she was not too afraid for flight.

"You want me to fly with you?" she gasped.

"Yes, it would be fun!"

"Well, okay, if you don't mind carrying me..."

"Of course not! You are a good human! Hiccup can... help by holding you."

He crouched down before the forge and gestured to his back. Hiccup came over and climbed on him first.

"Bro, we don't have a saddle right now, so you might want to take this nice and easy..."

"I will."

Adney stepped next to him, and Hiccup helped her up to sit behind him. She held onto Hiccup's belly, and her eyes were wide in a little fear. So he purred to help reassure her.

"Do not fear. I will not let you fall. Hiccup maybe, but not you..."

"Really?" Hiccup groaned.

He laughed as he stepped away from the forge and spread his wings.

"Oh my..." Adney gasped.

Then he gently leaped and beat his wings, taking flight up and over the straw-dens and into the warm wind. Out over the walls and over a sea of golden grass, slowly circling Edoras. Other packmates were resting on the slopes, drinking from the water fountains, or gliding far away on the afternoon winds.

Carrying two humans was different, a little heavier and more straining, but he was strong enough. He continued on in a gentle, calm flight higher into the sky until he arrived at the lowest-flying clouds.

Then he glanced back over his shoulder.

Hiccup looked at peace. His eyes were closed as he held his arms out into the wind, as if he were flying with his own wings he did not have right now.

Adney's eyes were filled with the same awe and wonder that he remembered seeing from Hiccup long ago on their first shared-flights. Her golden hair flowed out behind her in the wind.

She saw him watching her, so he smiled a toothless grin. Then she let go of Hiccup's belly and held her arms out also, as if stretching wings she did not have.

There was something about giving humans the gift of flight that touched the soul-fire. This time was only a little different because he knew that it was her first time touching the sky and also because there was another reason why he wanted her to fly with him and Hiccup.

He settled into a steady glide with the wind, far above Edoras and below the clouds.

"Alright, I get why you like this! This is amazing..." she shouted.

Hiccup laughed freely.

"I said the same thing! Once you fly the first time, this is where you will feel at home!"

_Now for the next part of the plan!_

"Is this where I should start spinning?" Toothless asked.

Adney immediately grabbed Hiccup and held tightly to him.

_Exactly as planned!_

"Don't scare me!" she indignantly shouted.

He rolled his eyes and huffed, having no intention at all to truly scare her.

"Okay, I will not."

He looked ahead, closed his eyes, and let the wind and his wings take over, soaring and floating high above the range that he called home.

When he finally turned for the ground in a smooth descent, he knew that her life was changed. A part of her soul-fire would always fly from now on.

Just as Hiccup's soul-fire did.


	52. The Duel

The Duel

* * *

Hiccup put the final touch on his finished leather armor. Its completion had taken a full week of working off and on between the other duties in preparation for war: such as sharpening spears, shaping arrows or molding horseshoes, repairing saddles, and other related duties.

Pitch-dark leather would cover every inch of his torso, arms, and legs. There was no metal in his armor, except what was necessary for his wingsuit, which would help keep it as light as possible. The wings were perfectly integrated into the rest of the attire. A black helmet with tiny slits for eyes fully covered his head and would protect him from windburn. Hooks and latches on the back would help secure Inferno in place. He also found a way to add a small parachute which he could use to slow his descent for a solo-landing. He'd have to test that before too long so he could be sure it would function properly.

He stepped back, cross his arms, and admired his work. It was perhaps a little bulky on the back, but it would not create too much drag. Further, it was about as slim as he could make it while keeping everything which was necessary.

"Not too bad. This'll work..."

The only way he could improve on the wingsuit and armor would be if he had actual Fury scales available. However, the Furies didn't shed those that often. Toothless had lost the occasional scale back in the cove, his barn in the Shire, and in the wild of the Northern Waste, but he had not lost enough that they had been worth collecting.

His work finished in the forge for the day and having a couple hours to spare, he strolled up to his house where he stored his various supplies. He stashed away his armor, retrieved Inferno and several arrows, and then left for the practice range.

Legolas had been giving him lessons over the last week. There was no one better to instruct him in finer points of archery form.

Men were practicing with their bows all down the practice field when he arrived there.

Legolas noticed him coming and set aside his bow. The target the Elf had been aiming at had a dozen arrows clustered within a couple inches of each other.

_Now that is someone who never misses._

"Greetings, Master Haddock, are you ready?"

"Yes, Master Legolas. I am."

He strode over to Legolas's side, selected a target at thirty paces, and knocked the bow. He checked his posture, raised his elbow slightly, and loosed the arrow. The arrow drifted a couple feet off-target but still hit the board about twenty paces away.

"Do you know what went wrong?" Legolas asked.

"Shoulder alignment?"

"Correct. Again."

He drew and loosed another arrow in one swift motion. This shot flew true and struck only inches off his target. Several more shots followed, most of which were within a foot or two of the target.

"Impressive, Master Haddock. You indeed have natural skill with the bow," Legolas remarked.

"Well, it fits my build better than any other weapon, and I have been using one for years. None as fine as this one, of course."

"What lesson would you wish to have today?" Legolas then asked.

There was indeed one lesson in particular which he saw value in receiving.

"I probably need to learn to use the bow while riding. I've been practicing that on Toothless for a while now, but I'm sure you could help me."

Legolas nodded once.

"Certainly. It is probably similar to archery from horseback. Obviously there is understanding of how the one who is carrying you moves. I cannot teach that, but there are some techniques I can show you from horseback."

_Great, I guess I have to learn horseback riding._

That thought left him wondering. Was he going to become a man of Rohan? He already contributed to Rohan through work in the forge. But he was also, first and foremost, part of the pack. It was as though he had two different identities at once, but only one of those truly mattered or was really him. He was not at all a man of Rohan.

"Master Haddock?" Legolas asked.

"Sorry, I was thinking."

Legolas then gestured toward the stables.

"That can be done while walking."

* * *

Legolas was kind enough to speak instructions in Elvish to the horse. Otherwise the time would have been wasted.

Hiccup realized that he had no innate skill with horses. It was possible that a proper riding relationship required some level of understanding and trust between the horse and rider.

The process seemed almost similar to those first few days of figuring everything out with Toothless down in the cove; however, this was very different in one key respect. Horseback riding seemed more about the rider giving cues or instruction to the horse, whereas communication had gone both ways between him and Toothless. Toothless also had been more active and understanding in the process, quickly figuring out essentially what he was trying to do when learning flight or needing to sneak into the village at night.

All of that was unsurprising considering how smart Toothless was, even if he didn't have spoken speech back then. Further, Toothless had the lead in all their previous flying, whereas it was his job to help Toothless remain stable and fly effectively back then. A horse did not need its rider's help just to be able to walk or run.

His horse obediently trotted in a straight line, following Legolas's instructions. He focused on his slight rise and fall as the horse trotted on.

_Here goes nothing!_

He let go of the reins, drew the bow, knocked an arrow, turned aside, took a deep breath, and loosed.

Much to his surprise and satisfaction, the shot only missed his target by a couple feet.

_That's not so bad for a first try. I'm definitely getting the hang of this._

Even more promising was how he knew Toothless in flight far better than a strange horse. And with Toothless flying on his own now it would be possible for him to do dragonback archery.

He frowned, appreciating that figuring out how to use a bow while in flight was probably going to be very challenging. There were so many variables involved in flight. Things like gusts of wind, slight variations in how Toothless flew, and the distance to a moving target would make accuracy... very difficult.

But it would probably not be needed anyway. This was more of an exercise just to try to get better and prove himself.

_Just gotta figure out how to fire flaming arrows next!_

* * *

Toothless and Moonbeam joined Hiccup and part of the Fellowship up in the Golden Hall for dinner after sundown. Gimli and Legolas were busy lending their skills at the forge and fletching. It was somewhat of a rushed dinner of meats, potatoes, bread, and cheese; everyone was preparing for what seemed the inevitable call to arms. Theoden's attendants, Far-Flight, and Sky-Dancer were almost always coming and going from the Hall now, carrying messages from distant villages and other regions of Rohan.

"Tell me again: what we will see?" Merry asked.

Amused, Aragorn leaned forward at the table.

"The Beacons of the White Mountains. They are a series of manned stations that lay up in the peaks above the cloudcover."

"So the people at each station see the prior one alight and light theirs also. What about bad weather or just not seeing the other one on fire?" Hiccup asked, seeing several obvious flaws in the plan.

"It is not a perfect method, but it is the fastest if nothing goes wrong. The bonfires are some twenty miles apart each. A message can pass from Minas Tirith to the last station near Edoras in a couple of hours, if no one is sleeping on the job."

Moonbeam hummed and looked up from the plate of pork she had been nibbling at.

"So that is what the place is for. I saw it up in the mountains, and I wondered what humans were doing up there."

Aragorn nodded.

"The Beacons only carry one message: the call for aid against a foe too great for Gondor to stand against alone. They are not manned during times of peace, but the rise of Mordor and the Watchful Peace forced both Gondor and Rohan to keep this option open. The roads of Anorien, the lands of Gondor between Rohan and Minas-Tirith, are very perilous for riders now," Aragorn explained.

"Didn't Gandalf and Pippin ride that way?" Hiccup asked, worried for them.

"Yes, they did. I would not fear for them."

"Yeah, he's a Wizard. Nothing can challenge him now that the Balrog is gone," Merry whispered.

Aragorn looked like he wanted to say something but refrained from doing so.

Hiccup shrugged after a moment of thought, and then he noticed Adney sitting at a nearby table after she got a plate of food, so he invited her over. She had helped him a lot while he worked on his leather armor, and that she naturally knew a lot more about working with leather than he did was very helpful. It was also just pleasant to spend time around her and her... strange humor.

"Hey Adney, want to join us?"

"Sure," she beamed and sat down next to him, "I was hoping you'd ask."

"Why?"

"I saw your riding earlier. It was... impressive."

"Great, was it that bad?"

She shrugged.

"I've seen worse. At least your horse didn't buck you off."

Laughter followed all around the table as Hiccup crossed his arms in mock-annoyance.

"Sure, sure, hilarious. I've been thrown off my mount just once before, thank you for that by the way, bro."

"You did not!" Moonbeam barked at Toothless.

"Yeah, he did."

"Hiccup..." Toothless groaned.

"Tell us the story!" Merry grinned.

"Yes, I want to hear this!" Moonbeam laughed, her tail swaying wildly with eagerness.

"Hiccup..." Toothless grumbled.

"Alright then, sounds like time for a story!" Hiccup grinned, rubbed his palms together, and leaned back in his chair.

Toothless huffed, sat back on his rear, and crossed his paws on his chest.

"Traitor..." he muttered.

"It happened shortly after we became friends. I brought him a lot of fish..." Hiccup began.

"And an eel! What were you thinking!" Toothless interrupted with a cry of alarm as he dropped down on all fours.

"Oh, yeah, about that... what's wrong with eel? It wasn't my favorite either, but you looked terrified of it."

Toothless loudly slapped his tail on the floor.

"Eel is bad-wrong-twisted-false-fish. They make us sick!"

Hiccup nodded, having learned something new about Night Furies.

"Alright, good to know. I won't put any eel in soup for you."

"You had better not..." Toothless grumbled.

"Anyway, I brought him a lot of fish to eat, and I also brought him his first new tailfin. I put it on his tail, but he was too eager to fly. He jumped for the sky while I was still holding onto his tail! I will swear until my last day that he intentionally threw me off into the pond."

"You try flying with a human on your tail!" Toothless barked.

Hiccup grinned and shrugged.

"No idea what that's like. He got what he deserved when he fell into the water too after he threw me off."

Moonbeam laughed at that while Toothless rolled his eyes.

"You needed a bath anyway..." Toothless huffed.

"I can also say that flying with a dragon is very different from riding a horse," Hiccup added.

"How so?" Adney asked.

Hiccup thought about how to best put it into words. He also fondly thought back to his and Adney's shared flight earlier this week.

"I guess it goes like this: you all truly care for your horses, and they are part of you when you ride together. It is almost like how a weapon or a tool is part of you, an extension of you, when you use it. But you are the master, even though you do care for the horse and respect it. With a dragon, it is two people flying together, neither one using the other or superior to the other. There is no master."

Moonbeam purred in approval.

"That is how life should be. I do not think I would ever want to carry a human," she whispered and stared down at her paws.

"Fine. No one will ever force you to take riders or carry anyone if you do not want it," Hiccup firmly declared.

Everyone: human, Hobbit, and dragon, at the table nodded or purred in agreement.

"Anyway," Adney spoke up, "I'd be willing to teach you horseback riding if you'd like that."

"Are you sure you'd be best to teach me? Didn't you take longer to learn that yourself?" he answered with a grin.

She blinked and calmly smiled back at him without otherwise reacting. That was when he realized what he had said.

_Oh gods, I just screwed up!_

Adney leaned forward toward the table.

"So, Haddock, that is how it's going to be between us? A fair, generous offer is answered with a slight?"

"I... I'm sorry... I didn't mean..."

She faced Gimli and spoke politely to him.

"Master Gimli, may I borrow a gauntlet?"

Gimli nodded, grumbled into his beard, took off his left gauntlet, and then handed it to her.

She then faced him, reached over, and dropped the gauntlet on the table by his plate.

He stared at the gauntlet, confused what this meant but sure it was not good.

Silence echoed around the table.

"Uh... what does this... mean?"

She slammed a fist down on the table, making everyone jump in surprise.

"I challenge you to a duel! Outside, now!"

Hiccup swallowed and looked around in shock. Merry looked alarmed while Aragorn was bemused. Gimli was gruffly mumbling while Legolas was impassive. Toothless and Moonbeam were grim and confused.

"What does that mean?" Moonbeam whispered.

Adney placed both palms flat on the table without looking away from him.

"It means that we fight for honor until I am satisfied!"

Toothless warily glanced between him and her.

"How much hurting is in the fighting?"

"No bloodletting or breaking bones. But I will not go easy on him!"

"What if I don't want to fight," Hiccup objected.

"What? Are you not... man enough?" she countered.

Toothless nodded and then nudged Hiccup's shoulder with a paw.

"You must defend yourself. Protect your status."

"What? Really, bro?"

"Yes, you stepped in waste. Now you must do this."

* * *

Hiccup was very glad that Toothless and Moonbeam were walking with him to this duel. They would make sure that Adney didn't kill him, intentionally or by accident.

Meanwhile, Adney walked at his side. She was seemingly unconcerned, and her calm gait was slightly worrying.

He wasn't sure how much combat she knew. She was accomplished in the forge and at horseback riding, but beyond that he was uncertain. Anything was better than the almost nothing that he knew in hand-to-hand combat, if that was what she demanded.

"So... where are we going to do this?" he asked.

"The flat beyond the well on the second level. Need to stop at the house first though."

"What for?"

"The swords."

_Swords! Oh gods, I haven't practiced with those at all!_

"Is it, uh, normal for the women of Rohan to know fighting? I just ask because the soldiers are all men."

She grumbled at that question.

"The women of this land learned that we are more likely to die on swords if we don't know how to use them ourselves. Most of us learn basic skills so we can defend ourselves and our homes. Some of us, like Lady Eowyn, become shieldmaidens and train to be the equal of a man in combat."

"Heh, heh, heh, which are you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she glared at him.

_Yep, I'm doomed... Odin help me... or may the Valar help me..._

They arrived at her family house.

"I'll see you there, Haddock," she said and ran inside.

Hiccup, in a daze, wandered over to Toothless and Moonbeam. They were both staring at him in open amusement.

"What are you two looking at?"

"Nothing," Toothless grinned.

"A twisted human," Moonbeam purred.

"Useless dragons..."

The three of them walked together through the calm, peaceful night brightly lit by the moonlight. There were surely a few Furies gliding high in the sky, not having returned to join the entire pack yet or just enjoying the warm night sky. But it was a quiet night regardless.

"I have never seen Hiccup truly fight before," Toothless remarked.

"Does he know how?" Moonbeam wondered.

"I am not sure. I always won our play-fights."

Hiccup groaned.

"I'm right here, you know!"

"Who said that?" Toothless barked.

Moonbeam laughed aloud, her tail thumping on the ground.

Hiccup just rolled his eyes.

"Sure, sure. Laugh it up now..."

"We will!" Moonbeam purred.

They arrived at the flat plain, and then they started waiting for Adney's arrival. Hiccup shuffled about on his feet while stretching.

Meanwhile, Toothless kept wondering about what exactly was going on and what this fight truly meant. It was entirely possible that she was just offended and wanted to punish him this way. That was what she had openly said to everyone.

On the other paw, Hiccup and Adney had been sharing a lot more time together in the forge, working on weapons and the flight-suit. There also seemed like there was something teasing in the way that they usually spoke to each other.

That teasing might be part of how they test each other as possible mates, but he was not very sure about that. There was much he did not know about human life-ways and ceremonies.

Still, he was sure that he needed to talk to him about this after the duel-battle.

* * *

Adney arrived with a pair of swords in hand. She was still wearing the same long dress that she had been wearing at dinner. The only difference was that her blouse left her forearms free and shoulders bare, which left her better able to wield a weapon. She strode directly up before him and then glared at him. Everything about the setting was perfectly visible in the bright moonlight.

Hiccup looked away from the purple and green eyes eagerly watching him and Adney.

"Can I just apologize right now?"

"Sure you can, but that doesn't mean I'll let you get away without punishment. You deserve this."

He groaned and slumped slightly.

"I love pain by the way!"

"Good," she laughed, "because you're going to feel it!"

"Lovely. What are the rules?"

"One sword each. No lethal blows or trying to draw blood, obviously. Duel ends when one of us is disarmed or when I am satisfied."

"These rules seem very one-sided..."

"Of course they are. I get to make them!"

"Fine! Where is my sword?"

She tossed him one of her swords, and he easily caught it.

It was a dull wooden sword; the same as the one she held out before her. That these were not actually steel blades was a little reassuring. It was much safer to be using what was basically a training weapon.

"Defend yourself, Haddock!"

She swung at him with a swift swing that almost completely caught him by surprise. He lifted his sword at the last second and blocked the strike so that her blow glanced off his sword and hit the ground.

"Nice block!"

She stepped back with an awkward flourish of her sword as she retook her stance. Then she went on the offensive again, striking with wide, sweeping blows that were easily blocked.

_Strange..._

She didn't appear nearly as practiced with the blade as Eowyn was, which was not a surprise. The shieldmaiden occasionally trained outside with her brother Eomer or other willing men, and Eowyn could hold her own against any of them.

"Do you know what you're doing?" he asked after pushing her back.

Adney laughed, tossed her hair, and waved her sword in the air.

"Not really! I'm just having fun messing with you! I'm a total beginner!"

"That is not very reassuring..." he grumbled as he angled his sword to meet her next likely strike.

"Are you pointing your sword at me!"

"That's kinda the idea... only for self-defense!"

She laughed again and swung at him, a wild strike that he easily met with his own sword. It was now clear to him that she was not an expert, but neither was he.

They were evenly matched, both very clueless about what was happening.

She was faster and more familiar with using a sword, but he was stronger, judging from the force of their strikes and how their dull blades shoved against each other.

His years in the forge combined with lots of practice with his bow over the last few months had left him surprisingly stronger than he appeared or even compared to how he had thought of himself.

He shoved her back with a heave and took a step back of his own. They both breathed heavily while shuffling in place and glaring. Then he chuckled and lifted his sword again, ready to go on an unpracticed attack.

Dueling was far more enjoyable than he had thought it would be.

_I could get used to this!_

* * *

Toothless purred to himself as he and Moonbeam watched Hiccup pretend-fighting with Adney. It was good that both humans were using wooden swords that would not hurt much if Hiccup and Adney accidentally hit each other. He was also very certain about something else.

They were not actually fighting because of a true challenge or need to defend status. This fighting was a kind of bonding.

But what kind of bonding?

Friend-bonding? Pack-bonding? Future mate-bonding? He did not know these human life-ways.

"Is it normal for human females to fight males?" Moonbeam whispered.

"No, I do not think so. Why do you ask?"

"Because the males are much bigger and stronger."

That was true even for his own kind, though not as much as it apparently was for humans. Night Fury and Light Fury females were almost the same size as males, but the males were slightly stronger while the females were faster fliers.

"True, what is twisted about that?"

She grumbled and watched more of the pretend-fight.

"Would it not be better for her to have him fight other males to prove himself?"

So she was thinking similar thoughts as he was. That was good to know.

"Not truly. Think of this like how you tested me."

She snorted at something.

"But you were the only male. You had no other for you to fight with."

He blinked, suddenly feeling a cold inside after her words. Was there something he had not known about how he and she had become mates?

"What if there had been another? What would you have done? Would you have still... wanted me?"

She hummed softly, looked down at her paws, and lay her tail over his.

"I do not think there is only one male I could be a good mate with and be warmed to be with."

"No?"

"He must have good thinking, be free and strong, be able to provide when he must, know the life-rules, and want cubs; nothing twisted. I am your mate now and always, just as you are mine. Thinking about how life would have been under different winds has no lift."

"True."

He settled down again and rubbed her shoulder, silently watching more of the pretend-fight while thinking about his own life. What she said did have more lift the more he thought about it. It was entirely possible to imagine another female having the kind of inside-strength and life-warmth that he wanted in his life-mate, and that did not lessen what Moonbeam was to him.

But he was uncertain what was happening with Hiccup and Adney.

_We might want to leave them to be alone._

He did not know human ceremonies for taking mates, if that is what is happening here.

Just as Hiccup never wanted to see him and Moonbeam together, so he would leave Hiccup and Adney alone, just in case they wanted to become one.

"We should leave them alone," he whispered as he got to his paws.

"What if he gets hurt?"

"He might, but he might not care."

Moonbeam glanced one more time toward Adney and Hiccup, and then she purred in agreement, following him back on the ground through Edoras. The night was as clear and calm as it always was now. The bugs were singing their nightly songs as everything was peaceful.

They settled down together on the rock they had claimed as theirs. Mystery briefly awoke and then snuggled up to Moonbeam's side as soon as she lay down.

He remained awake much longer, resting his chin on Moonbeam's neck while thinking about what he knew of human life-ways. Then he rolled his eyes and chuffed in amusement.

_Even if Hiccup and Adney are not future mates, it is good for him to bond more with his own kind._

* * *

Hiccup rubbed the bruise on his shoulder during a break in the duel. He had missed a block of one of her wilder strikes, of which there were many.

"Give up yet?" she shouted.

She stepped back and leaned on her sword; she was clearly very exhausted also.

"I'll never give up! I've got stubbornness issues!" he held out his sword, ready to meet the next round of strikes.

She dismissively waved a hand his direction, and then she stuck her sword into the dirt.

"Fine then! I'm satisfied!"

"Wait, you're done?"

"I guess so. You look like you can barely keep up."

"Whatever..."

He knew that they both needed a break since they were breathless and could barely lift their swords anymore. At least he thought that she was exhausted, though she probably didn't want to admit it. They both stood there for a while just catching their breath.

"Hey, where did the dragons go?" she asked.

He looked around for Toothless and Moonbeam and missed them.

_Where did you two go?_

There was one obvious reason why they might have gone off on their own.

"Not sure. Probably got bored of watching the duel."

"Fair enough. We certainly are no good at it."

She came over to him and took his sword since the duel was finished. Then she gestured for him to follow her.

"Where are we going?"

"The southern slope," she answered.

"Alright."

They walked in peace and quiet, occasionally passing a guard on patrol or someone out and about. Past rows of homes, stables, rows of stairs, and drinking wells.

"Adney, I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, but I'm sorry for teasing you, sorry for telling you that now, but... ugh... sorry..."

She laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Apology accepted."

_What's the matter with me?_

They finally arrived on the southern slope. She lay down on the grassy slope first, hands behind her head so that she could stare off into the south along the mountains. The White Mountains flashed with the moonlight upon their snowy and icy peaks.

He similarly collapsed next to her, feeling very exhausted from the long battle, which he was not sure how long had lasted. It had been very fun regardless. He didn't get a scar out of it, but there were a few bruises.

The stars wheeled far overhead along with the faintest northern lights; however, no stars were visible far off in the south. There was more of the dark cloudcover off in that direction.

Then Adney stirred.

"How did you get to know Burning-Star so well? You haven't told anyone the start of that story."

He had indeed withheld certain details, favoring instead to tell everyone in Rohan that he befriended a wild dragon who it turned out was not actually a bad person. Telling them what they needed to hear was more likely to promote the peace. Nothing he told them was false, except by omission of a few key details which only people he trusted should know about.

"Well, there's a reason why I haven't said anything. Keep this between us, but it's because my old people and the dragons were at war, and I shot him down in battle. I... could have killed him, but I didn't do it. I let him go, but he couldn't fly because of his lost tailfin. That is why we got to know each other, and I realized that he wasn't a beast."

"Did anyone tell you the story of the Maeras?" Adney interrupted.

"No, what is that?"

"The Maeras are the smartest and strongest of all horses; they only let the King and his descendants ride on them. They can also understand our speech, though they do not talk. The first one, whom all the Maeras are descended from, was named Felarof, and he was tamed by Eorl, the first King of Rohan. Felarof killed Eorl's father, Leod, by refusing to be ridden and throwing Leod to his death, and Eorl captured the white horse, intending to kill it out of revenge. But instead he commanded the horse to be his mount in payment of the blood-debt. The horse accepted and became his mount for the rest of their lives until they died together in battle. In all that time, Felarof would not be ridden by any other and always refused a saddle"

"That's amazing. Almost reminds me of Shadowfax, Gandalf's horse."

"It should because he is one. Shadowfax was Theoden's until Gandalf was given the horse. Leave it to a Wizard to be the first outside that line to ride one of the Maeras. Theoden's current mount, Snowmane, is also one of the Maeras."

He remembered how Shadowfax had stood defiantly against Toothless and had not shown any fear. That alone made the horse a very brave or foolish one indeed.

A dark shape passed in front of the moon high above. She gave a great sigh as the unknown Fury flew on into the night.

_This is nice and relaxing and..._

Then she reached over and gently clasped his hand. He froze in alarm and shock as she held his hand.

It was the first time she or any girl... woman... person... had shown him this kindness or interest. This was also not at all what he expected would happen.

"It is amazing what you are making here. All the dragon stories that we grew up hearing were mostly about Smaug and Scatha," she said.

He nervously chuckled, remembering to breathe.

"I, uh, yeah, the Night Furies are very different from those ones. Not all dragons are good ones. We met a very bad one: an ice dragon."

"Really! Want to tell me?"

"Sure. It was up in the Grey Mountains north of Erebor. His name was Vorunturth, and he was very blue and big. He wouldn't have fit in the Golden Hall; that's how big he was. Anyway, he was very clever, perceptive, and he... tried to tear me and Burning-Star apart... by making me doubt him..."

"What? Why?"

He stared up at the stars.

"I don't know. Maybe he just wanted to be cruel because he could. Maybe he had another reason. I'm just glad that we aren't up there in the north anymore. The whole pack is happy to be here in Rohan now."

She squeezed his hand and chuckled.

"And I'm glad that you are here, all of you. The cubs especially!"

"Yeah, they're very cute and playful."

A long and peaceful silence followed between them as they rested under the stars on that slope. At some point she let go of his hand and closed her eyes, folding her hands on her chest.

He felt so confused by everything deep inside. On the one hand, she was attractive, unattached as far as he knew, and had several similar interests to his own. He enjoyed being around her and respected her. On the other hand, he hadn't really been looking for a girlfriend or a date. Was that what she was now?

"Can I ask you a question?" she asked.

_Oh gods..._

"You just did. You can ask another..."

He knew without looking at her that she rolled her eyes.

"Will there be another war soon? Will Gondor send word for aid?" she whispered.

There was a nervous, fearful trill in her voice. He hadn't heard anything like that faint fear from her before.

"Probably. Gandalf thinks so."

Worried by her silence, he looked over at her. She had her eyes open now, blankly staring up at the stars.

"You know that my father is a commander in Theoden King's service?"

"Yes, I remember."

"My father would have to lead an Eored in battle. You might have... noticed that my mother, Freka, is not here now. She died years ago to a Wildling attack. I'm afraid that... my brother and I might... lose him too."

A tear fell down her cheek before she wiped it away.

_Well, that is ironic in a sad way..._

"I actually lost my mother to a dragon attack when I was only a baby. I never even knew her, except through a few stories I heard later. No brothers or sisters, no human ones at least, because my father never remarried. He was too busy being a chief to the tribe, as much of a father to me as he could, and... probably couldn't move on from her."

"Yeah, that's my father also. I don't think he's even looked at another woman in that way since her. My grandparents were always there to help with me and Wynfryth."

A long silence followed before she continued only with a whisper.

"I guess after the victory at Helm's Deep, I, and everyone really, was hoping that we could have peace."

He lay a hand on her shoulder.

"My old tribe had been at war with dragons for generations. I can't say that I approve of how everything about their lives was for war, but I understand why they live how they do. All we can do is protect our own and fight for what is right as we understand it. There will be peace eventually."

"I know. It must be. You will leave with them and be part of the fighting?"

He stared off along the mountains into the south toward where the sky looked unnaturally dark.

"Yep, I'll be going with the Furies. Don't worry about me though. I'll be with Toothless. Nothing will happen to me while he's around, and I won't let anything happen to him while I'm around!"

"I believe it. What will you do after the war is over?" she asked.

"Come back here with the pack. Rohan is basically my home now. I've got some projects to work on and... people I care about to be around."

She said nothing for a long time as they lay next to each other in the peaceful darkness. Then she started humming a tune which gradually turned into a song.

"Through Rohan over fen and field where the long grass grows. The West Wind comes walking, and about the walls it goes. What news from the West, O wandering wind, do you bring to me tonight?"

"Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing? Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing? Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing?"

"They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow. The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow. Who shall gather the smoke of the dead wood burning? Or behold the flowing years from the Sea returning?"

She went silent, staring up at the stars.

There were in that song so many similarities to his own former tribe on Berk, and yet there was a very different feeling throughout. The songs sung back on Berk were of defiance, wrath, and glory, whereas Rohan's songs felt more filled with memory, solemn and grim reality, and the faintest hope.

He had also never heard her sing before. She was no great singer, and yet she evidently felt in her heart the words of the song. Her song and voice were beautiful in their simplicity.

"That's a beautiful song. Thank you."

"Glad you like it..." she whispered.

Another long quiet passed, neither of them saying anything as the moon rose higher into the sky. Then she quietly yawned and stretched.

"I should go to sleep. Good night, Haddock."

"Yeah, I should too. Good night, Adney."

She rolled to her feet and walked off into the night after retrieving her wooden swords. He got to his feet and watched her go until she was gone.

There was definitely something there between them, but he wasn't sure what it was yet. Was she just a good friend whose company he could enjoy and whom he could speak freely with, or was she more like someone he might want to... marry or even... have a family with?

He started pacing.

_I mean, she is a good friend and is like me in many ways. But I don't know..._

He'd never seriously given thought to such a thing before, so how could he know for sure? Getting... married was also scary to consider because of all the responsibility that came with it. He already had other responsibilities to the pack and to peacekeeping. Those were far more important than... a small, simple life.

_Oh gods, I am so lost..._

He remained out under the stars a while longer, staring up at the sky while lost to his thoughts.


	53. The Beacons

The Beacons

* * *

Toothless strolled up the slope after stretching early in the morning. Moonbeam and Mystery were still resting, and he wanted to learn if anything important had happened with Hiccup since he had not come back to rest at all with them that night. He had no idea where Hiccup had gone or if anything good had happened.

How human mate-making ceremonies worked was still uncertain to him.

He met Aragorn as the man was walking outside the Golden Hall den and smoking his pipe. Seeing that always made him want to laugh at the humans and Hobbits who were doing the smoking. They looked almost like dragons, smoke rising from their mouth-pipes.

_Maybe the smoke smells good to them. I do not know._

Aragorn nodded to him.

"Good morning, Toothless, or do you prefer Burning-Star?"

He thought about it for a moment before answering. Both names were fine, but his first name felt like a special one which was best used by Hiccup. The second name, the one he was born with, was a proper Night Fury name which everyone in the pack used now.

Further, Aragorn was like an Alpha in his own way, so having a proper name with him was probably best.

"Good morning, Aragorn. Most call me Burning-Star now. I do not mind either way."

"Very well, Burning-Star."

"Have you seen Hiccup?"

"Yes, he is having breakfast inside."

He purred to Aragorn in thanks and then turned for the Golden Hall den. There were more people than usual inside this morning. No other packmates were here, since they rarely had reason to go inside.

Sure enough, Hiccup was there, sitting alone at a table while eating bread.

_And now to learn what happened!_

He strolled over to the table and sat down next to Hiccup, subtly scenting him. But he could not smell anything conclusive right now.

"Brother, how are you this morning?"

Hiccup groaned while tearing apart his bread.

"Tired. I didn't sleep well at all."

"No? Where did you go?"

"Back to my little house."

He purred.

"Did she keep you busy?"

"Very busy. I'm really sore now too."

"Are you? Where?"

"Arms, legs, even got my sides while she was at it. Got a few bruises from that."

He nodded.

"I can see how that would happen. You were... busy a long time."

"Yeah, we kept going until late at night. She didn't want to stop."

"Good for her. I am glad she was with you."

"Me too, I guess. Gods... I'm never going to forget that night."

"I hope you do not."

Hiccup glanced at him, looking slightly confused.

"Where'd you and Moonbeam go by the way? You just left..."

He shrugged while barely hiding his amusement.

"Your duel-fight would not end, so we left to rest on our own."

Hiccup's eyebrows lifted.

"Really? Rest? Is that what you call it?"

"We are not together as mates every day!"

"Could have fooled me..."

"It is true. We are not... lost to that wanting! And how would you know unless you are watching us?"

"Uh, I see you two fly off together, or I just notice that you both are missing at the same time. What else am I supposed to guess?" Hiccup grinned.

He huffed and started poking Hiccup's shoulder with a paw.

"We are not talking about me and Moonbeam. We are talking about you and Adney and why you did not sleep well and are sore now..."

Hiccup looked confused until he finally realized something, at which point his eyes went very wide.

"No! We didn't... do that..."

Hiccup's voice died away as he realized that people at nearby tables were staring at them. Hiccup continued with a whisper and glare while pointing a finger at him.

"Adney and I are not... mates..."

"Oh, I thought you would be."

"Nope! We dueled, talked, and... went to sleep... on our own... apart, ugh..." Hiccup facepawed.

"Do you want her?"

Hiccup sighed and leaned forward until his head fell on the table with a thud. He eventually looked back up at him. There was a red mark on his forehead where he had hit the table.

Hiccup was being more twisted than usual.

"I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not. She's a good friend, yes, but I don't know if she's... more than that."

Toothless's tail tapped on the floor as he thought about what to say.

_He is fouling his flight on this. But he must decide for himself if he wants her._

He gently nudged Hiccup's shoulder.

"You do what you will do. Just so you know, I approve of her if she is your future-mate or not. Your decision with her."

"Thanks..." Hiccup grumbled.

"But think about this... my cubs and your cubs together as family."

"Yeah, that would be good."

"You must have cubs for that to be."

"Really..."

"Yes."

"Thank you for telling me that. I'll keep it in mind..."

Hiccup went back to eating his bread.

"So, what is your plan for today?" Toothless asked.

"For today, don't really have anything important planned. There's a meeting with the farmers in the Westemnet, more archery training with Legolas, forgework with Gimli, and checking in with the pack. Actually..."

"What?"

Hiccup turned to him with one of his grins that always meant he had a big idea. That was worrying.

"I've been thinking about making a training academy."

"An academy? What is that?"

"It's a place where people can go to learn about something. In this case it would be Furies, probably cubs and fledglings, learning things like human history, culture, songs, and stuff like that. Humans could learn about Furies' history, stories, traditions, and the such. What do you think?"

He purred in approval.

"I like it. Having both of our kinds learn about the other is good and will make more bonding."

"That's the plan. Great, one more thing to add to the list for after the war."

* * *

Hiccup finished his breakfast and then followed Toothless outdoors. As usual, it was a bright, sunny morning.

_Could be a good day for some flying. I need more practice with the corkscrew maneuver._

He took a moment to pause on the steps of the Golden Hall and simply observe all that he could see. Men and women were working at their usual tasks, storing and carrying supplies, and coming and going from Edoras. Flame-In-The-Night, Snowfall, Snowflame, and Free-Flight were sitting around one of the Furies' dedicated drinking wells. He had helped modify it so they could draw water on their own using a paw-operated lever.

Everything was peaceful and nothing was abnormal.

Except that Aragorn was running at full speed through the city.

_Where are you going in such a hurry?_

Aragorn ran up the steps toward the Hall.

"Where is King Theoden?" Aragorn breathlessly asked.

"He's inside with his commanders. What's wrong?"

"The Beacons are lit!"

Aragorn pointed toward the distant White Mountains.

"There is a fire!" Toothless barked in surprise.

Sure enough, Hiccup could also see a bright, flickering light near one of the tallest peaks.

Then he realized what this meant: this was a call for help by Gondor.

"Oh gods, that's not good..."

Aragorn said nothing else as he turned and started running up the steps of the Golden Hall.

Hiccup and Toothless stared at each other, seeing the significance of what had just happened.

"Alright, you go get the Alphas and have them meet us in the Hall."

"I will!"

Toothless threw his wings wide and started gliding down into Edoras while Hiccup followed after Aragorn up the steps and into the Golden Hall. Eowyn, Eomer, Legolas, Gimli, Merry, Theoden's advisers and commanders, and common folk were present within. All of them were gazing at the King before whom Aragorn stood, having clearly just delivered the message.

Theoden stepped away from the table with the maps and then paced with his hands behind his back and his eyes downcast. A hush fell over the entire Hall as everyone knew what he was thinking about: riding to war.

Then the front doors of the Hall opened as Toothless, Flame-In-The-Night, and Snowfall nosed their way inside.

Theoden watched them as they walked inside and sat down, and then he nodded at something, apparently having made a decision. He raised his clear, firm voice into the tense silence.

"And Rohan will answer! Muster the Rohirrim!"

Theoden spun around and faced Eomer and company.

"Summon every able-bodied man to Dunharrow. We have two days. On the third we ride for Gondor and war!"

"My Lord." "My King." "Yes, my King."

Eomer and his other commanders snapped to attention, inclined their heads, and began to depart to obey the command.

"Ring the bells!" Eomer shouted as he left.

Aragorn, apparently satisfied, ran from the Hall as Legolas and Gimli went with him.

Bells started ringing throughout Edoras only moments later.

Theoden then turned his attention back to the Alphas and strode over to them. Hiccup similarly joined them.

"Flame-In-The-Night, Snowfall. You understand what this means?" Theoden asked.

"You and your pack are leaving these ranges to go fight for another pack of humans," Snowfall answered.

"Yes, we are. We must. We swore an oath, and we people of the Mark hold to our oaths. It is also the right thing to do."

Theoden paused before continuing.

"I do not command you, nor can I even ask that the pack join this battle. I only want to know if any of you will fly with us."

Hiccup spoke up.

"Burning-Star, Moonbeam, and I will fly there immediately. We can take news to Gondor. Alphas, will you trust me to speak for the pack to the people of Gondor?"

Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall both nodded once.

"Yes, you may speak for the pack," Flame-In-The-Night answered.

"Thanks."

"We spoke with all in the pack," Snowfall added, "and there are some who want to fight. Not all of us will fly because some of us must stay with the cubs and help protect our nest-city here."

"Those who will fight will fly later with the Rohan humans. We want to be there to protect you," Flame-In-The-Night said.

"That aid would be most welcome," Theoden answered.

Flame-In-The-Night then stepped forward and rested his chin on Theoden's shoulder.

"We would not want those we care about to be hurt," Flame-In-The-Night then said.

The two shared a moment of peace, and then Flame-In-The-Night stepped back.

"We will tell the pack!" Snowfall barked.

The two Furies spun around and dashed outside. Theoden swiftly vanished into a back room within the Hall.

"Come on, bro. We should go get ready to fly," Hiccup nudged Toothless.

"Yes, we should."

They both departed from the Hall and saw a flurry of activity outside. They paused on the upper slope to watch as Edoras came even more to life in response to the bells' summons.

Men were coming forth and gathering in large groups, surely to receive their orders and learn what was happening. Horses were being led out of their barns and being saddled. Men were rushing off to the nearest forges and supply rooms. Women and children were already carrying bags of supplies to wagons.

The entirety of Edoras was mobilized in minutes. Several riders on horseback were already galloping away across the plains to carry the summons to the rest of Rohan.

"They're so fast," Hiccup muttered.

"We are accustomed to war and can be ready to depart on short notice. We have been making ready for this since the incident with the Palantir," Theoden said, coming outside to stand with them.

Theoden had already put on a layer of bright armor.

Hiccup nodded.

"My old tribe was always ready for another dragon raid. Everyone had their roles, whether fire-detail, nets, fighter, or watching over the livestock."

Theoden frowned and stared off into the south.

"It is before the walls of Minas Tirith that the doom of our time may be decided..."

"How many riders do you think you will have?" Hiccup asked.

"I pray for twelve-thousand at least, though I know not if that is enough."

They stared together in a grim silence until Merry and Eowyn came forth. Merry stepped before Theoden and then knelt with his Barrow-dagger's tip on the stone steps.

"King Theoden, I know that I am only a Hobbit, but would you accept my service? I would be ashamed to be left behind when all my friends are off to battle."

Theoden's grim look softened.

"Gladly, I accept it. You shall be Meriadoc, Esquire of Rohan!"

Merry beamed with eagerness.

"And he will ride with me to Dunharrow," Eowyn added, "A Hobbit will not be a great burden for me and Windfola."

"You are coming with us?" Hiccup asked, surprised.

"I am," Eowyn answered.

"Not into the battle itself. It is our tradition that the women of the Court farewell the men as they ride off to war," Theoden added.

Eowyn said nothing to that, instead merely staring ahead and holding her peace. Hiccup entirely understood her frustration; she should have every right to fight for those she cares for. At the same time, Theoden was just very concerned for her safety... as his adopted daughter.

"We should fly to the pack now," Toothless nudged him.

"Yeah, we should. King Theoden, we are leaving now. I guess we will see you there."

Theoden grimly nodded.

"Stay safe, Master Haddock. You have a new Hall to build here after the war is won, and I pray that I shall be there to see it and anything else you may bring about."

"King Theoden," Hiccup bowed.

Theoden then strode away toward a group of his commanders.

Hiccup and Toothless glided away from the Hall together, observing all the activity down below. A few rows of men were already riding out of the city on horseback, likely to take news to the surrounding villages.

Unsurprisingly, most of the pack was gathered together on the slope below the Hall.

Toothless touched down among them, and Moonbeam immediately hopped over to nuzzle him.

"I am flying with you," she declared.

"I know, my dear mate. You told us already..."

"What does the rest of the pack say?" Hiccup asked as he dismounted.

"The fledglings and cubs are staying here. The Alphas, your sire and dam, Starlight, Wind-Biter, Wings-Of-Ice, and Growls-At-His-Shadow will fly with the humans. Everyone else is staying here to protect Rohan and the young. Your sire and dam will first fly to take news to other human nests in this range," she answered.

"Good idea," Hiccup mused, "they can carry a message much faster than anyone on horseback. Mystery is staying here, right?"

"Yes, she is staying with the fledglings to do work. Your other brother is also staying here."

They were all very glad of that. Breath-Of-Sky had never seen war and hopefully would not. He also lacked flame, so he would not be able to contribute to a battle.

They were interrupted when Snowflame bounded over to them. She looked very worried about something.

"Snowflame, what's wrong?" Hiccup asked.

"Is Eowyn going to the fight?" she asked.

"She is going with, but I don't think she will be in the fighting."

Snowflame purred softly in evident relief.

"Good. I wanted her to go flying with me soon. Maybe I should fly along with her to keep kinship with her."

"That sounds like a good idea, if your parents are okay with it. You could fly with them to Dunharrow. That is where Rohan will gather to prepare for the fight."

She nodded once.

"I will do that."

"How are your wings? Let's see them again."

She fanned them wide and gave them several firm flaps. There were bright scars on her wings and those scars would likely never fade, but her wings were fully usable now. She had already practiced flying for upward of an hour.

"They are strong again. My belly does not hurt either."

"I'm glad to hear it. Take care!"

He patted her shoulder and then faced Toothless and Moonbeam as Snowflame dashed away toward Windripper.

Toothless and Moonbeam were both shuffling in place with twitching tails.

"You two are eager, huh?"

"Yes, I want to fly this flight!" Toothless growled.

"Are either of you hungry?"

"We ate enough yesterday. We are ready to fly," Moonbeam answered.

"Alright then, I'll see you both up at my house. I've got some stuff to get and something to do first!"

"We will greet our kin one last time," she added.

He left them to have a little more time with Breath-Of-Sky and Mystery before the departure, and he trudged back up the slope to his house. Once there he put on his dark leather armor, his helmet, and his Elven travel cloak, and he slung Inferno over his back. His travel pack had all his necessary supplies, a change of clothing, food, and his wingsuit, and would easily strap onto Toothless's saddle. He also stored his Dwarven dagger found up north into his supplies.

_Alright, that should be everything..._

Then he remembered the other very important thing he had to do before departure.

_Gods, she'd kill me if I forgot to say goodbye. Goodbye..._

He paused, wondering how different everything would be if he and she had more time together without the war in the way. Idle talking and working together in the forge with her had been very enjoyable and pleasant. And then there was everything that had happened last night with the duel and the talking afterwards.

He paused at the front door of his simple house. Just like his forge, this had been a place of peace and refuge from the almost constant activity since his arrival in Rohan. While he needed little stuff to feel at home, the house felt very empty because he was the only one who could live in it.

Then he shut the door and made his way through Edoras.

_Alright, are you at the forge or at home? Probably the forge... to keep her mind off... everything..._

The men he passed made way for him, even greeting him by an assortment of titles.

"Black rider..." "Dragon whisperer..." "Master Haddock..."

_I do look impressive now. A long way from the village screw-up._

He arrived at the forge where she frequently worked. Sure enough, she was inside and working on sharpening an assortment of weapons.

"Adney!"

She spun in surprise.

"Haddock! You heard the news!"

"Yeah, that's why I thought I'd stop by. I'm uh... leaving now."

She crossed her arms after setting aside the sword she was working on.

"Are you? You are dressed for it. So you are the vanguard or something like that."

"I, Toothless, and Moonbeam are flying to Gondor first. We'll let them know that Rohan is coming to help them."

She nodded.

"Sounds reasonable. Do you plan to do any actual fighting?"

He shrugged.

"Not with a sword."

"Good! I wouldn't like your chances if you had to."

"Okay, lots of confidence in me. Thanks for that. I'll stick to the bow and staying on Toothless."

"Probably a good idea."

"Yeah, for sure."

She nodded and stared at him, as if waiting for anything more he had to say.

He blinked.

_Uh, right..._

"Hey, I just wanted to say... I really enjoyed last night, even if I might have gotten a scar out of it," he rubbed his shoulder.

"Oh, come on! I didn't hit you that hard. I tried though!"

"Yeah, you need some practice, but so do I, so that's fine! Anyway, I don't know how long we'll be gone, but we'll definitely be coming back here when all this is done. So I'll see you... not tomorrow, but... eventually!"

"Shouldn't I be telling you to stay safe?"

"Probably."

She sighed and looked away, avoiding his gaze. She was clearly worried for him and trying to hide that.

He stepped over to her without even thinking about it and gently hugged her. She returned the hug. That was when he realized that he was hugging her and she was hugging him back.

It was... nice and confusing at the same time.

"Stay safe if you can," she whispered.

"What? When have I ever done anything stupid?"

She pushed him back and rolled her eyes.

"Want me to make a list?"

"Whatever. Try not to burn down the forge while I'm gone."

"I'm not the one who has a history of accidents in the forge!"

He was about to reply with more teasing when a crowd of soldiers arrived outside the forge and started clamoring.

"Got those swords ready yet?" "Come on!" "Got a long ride ahead!" "Goin' ta war!"

"Just a moment!" Adney cried to them and then spun on him, "I need to get back to work."

"Okay, I need to go also. Bye, I'll be back... not tomorrow, but eventually! Promise!"

"You better come back."

He bowed to her, picked up his bag of supplies, and left the forge without a backward glance.

_Alright, that could have gone worse._

It was still so unclear where exactly they stood since he couldn't figure something like this out in a single day. At least they would have all the time after the war to learn what they were to each other: very good friends or something more.

Toothless and Moonbeam saw him and bounded over to him. They were clearly curious what had been happening.

"I was talking to Adney. Had to let her know that I'll see her... around."

Toothless stepped over to him and nudged his shoulder while purring.

"Yes, you and she can learn more about life when we fly back here."

Hiccup patted him on the neck, fingered Toothless's glowing pendant around his neck, and took a deep breath to steady himself. Then he noticed their parents and Breath-Of-Sky bounding closer.

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer hopped up before them and nervously approached.

He and Toothless faced them, not being sure what to say.

So he said nothing and instead gave them a pair of hugs around the neck. They both crooned softly to him and rested a foreleg on his back in hugs of their own. Then Toothless and Moonbeam both rested their chins on their shoulders, in the Fury equivalent of a hug. Finally, Breath-Of-Sky butted heads with him and Toothless.

"You two cubs must stay safe!" Sky-Dancer barked.

"Mom..." "Dam..."

She huffed and rolled her eyes.

"I am a dam, so I must worry about you."

"We will be fine. Nothing can happen to us while we're there for each other!" Hiccup cheerfully explained.

Moonbeam flung out a wing and very gently hit his head.

"And I will be there to keep them both out of trouble!" she laughed.

"Good, we know you will," Far-Flight purred.

"Fly fast, brothers!" Breath-Of-Sky huffed.

Again, Toothless went to him and butted heads with him.

"And you, little brother. Stay here, be responsible, and help the pack and the good humans!"

"If I must..."

Satisfied, Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer then turned away and leapt into the sky, turning their flights out over the plain into the east to carry the message of war to the far villages. Breath-Of-Sky returned to the other fledglings, probably to talk about what was happening.

Hiccup watched them go and then steadied himself.

_Alright, it's go time!_

"You two ready to fly? Tailfin fine, bro?"

"Yes, it is," Toothless answered.

"Do either of you know where we are flying?" Moonbeam asked.

"Nope," Hiccup answered.

"What?" she and Toothless barked.

He laughed and smirked.

"Of course I know the way. Just twisting your tails."

They both growled amicably at him.

"Just gotta follow the mountains south for now. Let's go!"

He strapped his bag of supplies to Toothless's saddle, put on his helmet, took his place in the saddle, and then they jumped for the sky, turning their flights into the southeast.

Out over the crowd of soldiers and horses assembling throughout Edoras and out on the plains. Over the golden fields of grass that flowed in the warm wind and the small streams that wove through the valleys.

He looked back over his shoulder at Edoras once they were several minutes into flight. The massive Golden Hall stood out sharply up on the central hill, like a flash of golden fire upon the blue sky. It was almost like the Meduseld was a beacon of its own.

That simple, small city was where the Fury pack and the people of Rohan promised loyalty to each other for the first time. They had changed the world there.

So much had happened in Edoras and the surrounding lands in the last month and a half. The pack had integrated well into Rohan and into the individual duties each one of them took on. The incidents that had happened had been resolved peacefully so far.

But what he was having to do right now, leave the place that he called home and was fond of, was too familiar. It had happened now with Berk, the Shire, Rivendell, and now Edoras.

A tear streaked down his cheek.

"Are you afraid?" he shouted over the wind.

"I have you and Moonbeam with me. Why should I be afraid?" Toothless shouted after slowing to a glide.

"I am. I just feel like something will go wrong."

Toothless glanced back over his shoulder.

"Do you want to fly some on your own?"

The joy of gliding was appealing, but it was terribly impractical right now.

"No, that would slow us down. Let's just get there as soon as we can."

Toothless then returned to flying at full speed, swiftly catching up to Moonbeam as she slowed down to wait for them. Then they raced together across the golden field until the land rose in the slope up into the mountains.

Their flight rose higher until they started to pass the lowest level of clouds hovering over the White Mountains. The snowcapped peaks passed underwing on both sides, and the air was cold because of the great height. They passed through the last cloud and emerged in the open sky.

Then they both tensed, staring into the southeast at a massive, billowing cloud towering on the horizon. The cloud was very dark, except for faint flashes of lightning from deep within, and hovered over the whole horizon.

It did not look natural.

Moonbeam winged closer and brushed Toothless's wing for reassurance. Then he and she roared aloud in defiance and continued on toward the cloud of shadow.

* * *

_**Author's Note - The Beacons are not truly canon in the way that they were used in the film. There are practical issues to using them, and the actual method of sending the call for aid was the classic rider on horseback. However, the scene was so grand that it deserved to be included.**_


	54. The City Of Shadow

The City Of Shadow

* * *

Toothless had flown through many dark storm clouds in his time. There was something very twisted and wrong about these clouds: they flew low to the ground and were dark but without any rain.

The dark clouds seemed to fly the highest into the sky in the far southeast. Even the air and the wind felt warmer and drier than they should be. It was as though the clouds did nothing except block out the sunlight.

He, Hiccup, and Moonbeam had stopped earlier to rest and talk about their destination. Hiccup had taken out his map and showed him and Moonbeam where they were flying. One detail which Hiccup specifically pointed out was that this flight would take them closer to the Mordor place where the Enemy lived.

He growled at the thought of that place.

_Is that where these bad clouds are coming from? I hope not. Some dragons can make smoke-clouds to hide in, but they cannot make anything like this._

The clouds eventually became so thick that they could not be seen through from above. That forced him and Moonbeam to fly lower and stay under the layer of clouds.

The mountains and the lands down below were covered in shadow.

* * *

The three of them curled up together on the northern slope of the White Mountains. Toothless lay in the middle with Hiccup and Moonbeam under a wing on each side of him. He remained awake while the other two slept.

There was no clear nightfall; the skies simply grew darker about when he thought it should be night. A flash, as if of green light, got his attention and then faded.

_What?_

He stared up at the still, floating layer of clouds that did nothing except hover and ensure an oppressive darkness. Nothing else happened. Maybe that flash was a strange flash of lightning.

_There are no stars or moon flying now..._

He snorted at the sky and then held a paw to his pendant. The jewel was once again faintly shining with light. He and Hiccup had agreed that wearing it now and keeping it on for the foreseeable future would help make a better impression once they got to Minas Tirith.

_I have a star with me always even after my name!_

Then he chuckled and nuzzled Moonbeam's neck as she slept.

_And moonlight also..._

* * *

Everything that Hiccup could see in the East was green and lush, which was rather different in appearance from Rohan. Rohan had no true forests. However, there were still grasslands and plains here also in northern Gondor. The Anduin, the great river in East Rohan, flowed southeast, more of less tracking their flight. The White Mountains on their right were still snowcapped and beautiful, though they were not as large as the Misty Mountains.

_We should be there soon..._

The White Mountains took a turn directly for the south. He could also barely see another range of mountains far off in the East, perhaps twenty miles away. He remembered well what those must be and what was on the other side of those mountains: the realm of Mordor.

* * *

Toothless stared off into the East while growling softly at that distant sky. There was something about the faint orange and red glow on the horizon which was not warming at all. It was also barely familiar, though he was unsure how.

_Where have I seen that before..._

A very faint echo floating on the wind. That echo was something he had felt once before in a summons to a gathering beyond the horizon. A nudging pull that whispered to him to fly there because that place was where he belonged.

It also reminded him of the Monster's nest in which he had been born and abandoned through no fault of his parents.

That Monster controlled other dragons' thoughts, hoarded the dragons, and used them to feed itself by preying on humans, other animals, and even the dragons themselves if needed. The smell of that bad nest, a mix of rotted meat and dead eggs which was actually just the foul smell from piles of yellow rocks, was so bad and familiar now... the same scent lingering in the cloud and...

A flash of clarity struck him.

"The nest Monster was from Middle-earth!" he suddenly shouted.

"Woah, what is going on?" Hiccup exclaimed.

He eagerly glanced over his shoulder at Hiccup and slowed to a glide.

"The nest Monster, the big one that you never saw, must be from Middle-earth! It, or its kind, was lost in the big fight long ago just as many dragons were!"

Hiccup held a paw to his chin, deep in thought until his eyes went wider.

"You know, you might be right about that. You said it could control dragons' thoughts and that it was very big. That fits with what we know of the ancient dragons here in Middle-earth. Question, why didn't the big ones, the Monster and other Alphas, come here also? They must have heard the call like you did."

"Yes, they would have," Toothless grumbled, "but maybe they did not listen. The old dragons of Middle-earth did what they wanted, not always what the Enemy wanted them to do."

Hiccup nodded.

"Yeah, Gandalf and Elrond said something like that about Glaurung. So... they heard Sauron's call and ignored it for their own reasons. They also kept all their dragons from flying here also. But... you Furies were not so easily controlled by them, which meant you heard the call more easily?" Hiccup reasoned.

"Maybe so. Dragons that do not bow to a controlling Alpha would probably hear and... want to fly here. I still..."

Toothless then gasped as he realized something else that was very obvious, now that he thought about it.

"What if all dragons are from Middle-earth? We know that Night Furies were here long ago and that the Enemy... made us dragons be."

Hiccup looked similarly amazed at the idea.

"That... could be also. I don't know enough history to be able to say. My old tribe didn't really keep records from before they got to Berk. But, if this world is where dragons are originally from, I guess we're back home now!"

Moonbeam winged closer to them and gently batted Hiccup's head with a wingtip. Her doing that made Hiccup crouch very low on his back for protection.

"Save me!"

"What are you twisted ones hissing about?" she barked.

"Dragons that could twist our thinking!" Toothless answered.

"The fate of dragons!" Hiccup shouted.

She rolled her eyes and winged away while muttering something they could not hear. She looked bemused though.

* * *

Moonbeam, flying a bit ahead of Toothless, flew out past a rocky ledge from where she could see farther into the south. Oddly, she then pulled up and began hovering in place; she was clearly startled or surprised. Toothless followed after her and flew out past the ledge.

They all beheld what lay ahead in the massive valley between the mountains.

Hiccup stared in complete awe.

What looked like the ruins of an old city, Osgiliath, lay on the Anduin river. Most of the land around the river was a flat grassland and open plain interspersed with visible farms and fields. But what was most awe-inspiring was the city or fortress built up against the eastern base of the White Mountains.

It was a truly massive place which almost shined with a white glow even in the pervasive gloom. Massive walls of stone and towers ringed the city like it was a fortress. Several distinct levels were visible and filled with what were certainly homes, gathering halls, armaments, and supply rooms. The fortress was built around an enormous spur of white rock that jutted out from the mountain and which stood well over half a mile above the rest of the city. A glimmering silver tower and grey Citadel stood on the highest level on the outcropping while large banners whipped in the wind.

Minas Tirith.

"That is a very big nest-city!" Toothless barked in amazement.

"No kidding. That's got to be the biggest city ever."

_And it wasn't even their main city..._

"It looks different from Edoras. I see more rocks-dens here," Toothless added.

"Yeah, different people built it long ago. Let's go!"

They resumed flying along the mountains, swiftly approaching the city. Several companies of people were going about various activities outside the city.

Minas Tirith's scale only grew larger as they neared it, and seeing how large it was left Hiccup breathless. This place and the craftsmanship on display far surpassed anything he had ever seen before. Even the honorary statues carved back on Berk were tiny by comparison.

_Okay, where to go first? Aragorn said something about the Citadel up on top. Probably there. Hopefully Gandalf told them about us..._

"Let's land up on top! That's probably where we should go first."

Toothless nodded in agreement and angled his flight higher.

Now that they were closer there were more visible details about the city. Countless people in silver armor were on patrol or active within the walls. Other people in normal attire were running about while carrying crates or moving supplies. The streets and seven different levels of the city had fountains and trees throughout. Towers and catapults dominated the walls on each level of the city.

It was as though the city was filled with warriors and an army, which it probably was.

They flew higher toward the upper level on top of the white spur that jutted out from the mountain.

_Gods this is high up..._

The level on top of the outcropping had a courtyard of grass, several more guards standing at attention around a pool, a Citadel and other similar buildings, and a tall white tower that rose like a needle into the sky. Massive banners floated from the tower in the wind.

_Alright, that is some amazing engineering! Rohan has nothing like this..._

They glided down and landed halfway down the courtyard.

Hiccup dismounted as the two Furies stretched and folded away their wings. The elevation was so great that the air felt noticeably cooler chill, and there was a near-constant wind that fluttered his robes and whipped his hair after he took off his helmet.

"All good, bro?"

"Yes, it was a long flight," Toothless groaned.

"Moonbeam?"

She grumbled while staring toward the Citadel.

"Edoras I know and feel safe in, but these humans are different. I do not know these ones..." she said.

Hiccup followed her gaze; there were indeed several guards, the same ones he had seen standing around a pool, now lined up facing them. The guards were standing in front of a withered, white tree and were bearing silver shields and armor, spear-pikes, long black cloaks, and helms with wings like those of sea-birds.

_Alright, they know we're here! One of them can probably take a message for us._

"Let's go give them the good news."

They began approaching the four guards, all of whom remained motionless. Toothless and Moonbeam walked closely behind him.

Something about the guards' gaze and bearing was unnerving. It only got worse when the four men moved in unison, holding their shields and pikes out and pointing them in their direction. The guards were clearly wary of the two dragons, and both Toothless and Moonbeam shuffled on their paws.

_I can't blame these guards, really..._

"Greetings! I bring news from Rohan!"

The guards said nothing and did not move at all.

"We come in peace."

Nothing. No reply.

_Okay, this is awkward..._

Another man clad in silver armor came running from the Citadel.

"Halt! Stay there!"

_No problem with that..._

The new man stepped around the guards and fearlessly approached, his eyes wide in evident awe.

"So it is true what Mithrandir and Master Peregrin told us..."

"Was it about dragons?" he asked.

"Yes, that they are kindly beasts, as difficult as that is to imagine," the man answered.

"Not beasts, kindly or otherwise," Hiccup crossed his arms and frowned.

Toothless nodded.

"No, we are not."

Apparently surprised, the man bowed his head.

"My apologies, old habits are most difficult to break. I am Beregond of the Citadel Guard."

"I am... Master Haddock. These two dragons are... Burning-Star and Moonbeam."

"Well met, all of you."

Curious about the guards and the white tree, Hiccup gestured at the motionless guards around the tree.

"Speaking of guards, what is with these ones? We are not doing anything to them."

The four guards had remained motionless and silent with their weapons drawn and pointed at them all throughout the meeting.

"They are the Guards of the Tree. They are trained to defend the Tree and this courtyard with their lives against any foes," Beregond explained.

"There are no foes here," Hiccup grumbled.

"No, but they will see dragons as a danger unless the Steward himself were to name them as welcome here."

"Pardon my saying so, but the tree is dead. Why guard it?" Toothless objected.

Beregond directly addressed him in response.

"We guard it, good dragon, because we hope that it might flower and live again. If you three would follow me, we might put some distance between ourselves and these guards here..."

They followed Beregond as he led them around the fountain and tree. The four tree guards followed them while staying in formation.

Hiccup thought the four guards' rigid dedication was both admirable and also frustrating.

Stubbornness was good, but could also be very problematic... such as now.

"Are all of you in Gondor like those tree guards?"

Beregond frowned.

"No, these guards have one job only. The rest of us have our various duties. Even so, I can understand that sometimes following orders alone is not enough, should a greater evil follow from blind obedience."

They finally put enough distance between themselves and the tree that the tree guards put away their weapons and retook formation. Their cloaks swayed in the constant breeze.

"Now, may I ask why you are here?" Beregond inquired.

"Certainly. We flew from Edoras and we have news from King Theoden."

"You flew from Rohan! Excellent! Lord Denethor, at Mithrandir's insistence, lit the beacons to send for aid not two days hence. You must tell the Steward at once."

"I will. Where is the Steward?"

"He is in the Citadel. Follow me."

They followed Beregond across the grassy courtyard until they approached the massive Citadel. Another company of guards stood at attention outside the Citadel's front door of polished metal, and they blocked the entrance.

"If you would follow me, Master Haddock. The dragons must stay outside," Beregond explained.

"What? Why? It doesn't look too small for all of us."

"No animals are allowed inside the Citadel Keep."

Hiccup took a very deep breath and mentally counted to ten. He knew that he could ignore this insult and enter on his own, or he could be stubborn and make a point. That made for an easy choice.

"No animals are allowed inside the Citadel? Okay. That excludes me then."

"What?" Beregond looked confused.

"I am an animal. Humans are animals just like dragons are. If they are not allowed inside the Citadel, I am not entering either. Denethor can come outside to talk if he wants to hear the news, though I wonder how he is allowed in there. Is he not a human?"

Beregond stood stunned and not sure what to say.

"You would have the Steward leave his chambers and the Citadel so as to hear a message from Rohan? Are you serious?"

Hiccup crossed his arms and held his head high.

"Yes."

"Very well. I shall inform the Steward."

Beregond departed from them and entered the Citadel. Hiccup turned away from the building and, fuming, strode over to the Furies' side.

"You did not need to do that," Moonbeam said.

"No, but it felt like the right thing to do. I can't have them mistreating us or thinking about dragons the wrong way."

"Why do these humans not like us?" Toothless grumbled.

Hiccup shrugged, already guessing much of why Gondor would not be so welcoming.

"They do not know us since they didn't see the pack fighting at Helm's Deep. These people have been at war longer too. That probably makes them more suspicious of us. Maybe more like Berk in some ways."

Toothless grumbled.

"True, they are more like fighters, even if their enemy is not dragons."

They waited outside on the grass, silently staring into the East toward the faint glow on the horizon.

Motion at the front door finally drew their attention as a group of Citadel guards approached. A lone man at the fore of the procession was definitely someone of status.

He had dark deep eyes that gazed forever into the distance and a noble face with proud bones and a long nose. His hair was long and fell down in curls to his shoulders. He wore a dark fur cloak. Something about his appearance, even given that he was lacking a beard, made him look like a great and proud wizard.

The man's courage was confirmed when he lifted a hand and waved off his guards, though they stood nearby and very alert. Denethor strode up before the three of them without any delay or display of fear.

"This is the one I have heard whispers of: the dragon master," Denethor mildly said.

"You have heard wrong. I am no master."

"Indeed. You have seen far too few winters to have earned such a title. And yet, here you stand in the courtyard of the Tree whilest you would have the Steward of Gondor leave the Citadel so that he may hear the news you bring him."

Denethor's eyes blazed with hidden fire and strength, almost in the same way that he remembered Gothi's or Gandalf's eyes. It felt as though Denethor was looking through him with every glance and every word.

He would once have quailed at such an imposing person.

"I... am not yet eighteen, true. But I have done more than most of your men have done in their lifetimes."

"Is that so?"

"I have seen the waterfalls of Imladris, the woods of Lothlorien, the Dwarven realm of Erebor, and the emptiness of the Northern Waste. I call a dragon my brother and have been adopted into a dragon family. I will not ask for pardon for refusing to enter a place where my brother and his mate are not allowed."

"No? Is it customary for the messengers of Rohan to be so impertinent? Has the courtesy of Theoden's court been so lessened?"

"No. I am not a messenger of Rohan or King Theoden's court."

That surprised Denethor because the man blinked.

"You are here on your own account then?"

"Not exactly. I represent a pack of dragons who are living in peace with the people of Rohan, as I am sure you know. Burning-Star is a Night Fury, and Moonbeam is a Light Fury. We flew here to let you and Gandalf know that Theoden and the Rohirrim will answer the summons."

Denethor stared at him for a long time in silence.

"Will he? That is... reassuring, if it happens not too late for us. Mithrandir convinced me to light the beacons and send for aid, for all the good that will do now against the shadow that spreads over the land."

Hiccup slowly nodded.

"King Theoden said they would rally everyone they could in two days and then they would ride for this city. Not only are they riding here, but there are other dragons, more Night Furies, who will also come here to help in the battle."

Denethor gazed at Toothless and Moonbeam as they reclined on the grass a few paces away. Then the Steward turned away and stared off at the distant eastern horizon.

"Some say that the eyes of the White Tower are blind, but I have seen more than even the Wizard would deem possible. You say that these other dragons fly to our aid?"

"Yes, they already did so for Rohan at..."

Denethor interrupted him with a dismissive handwave.

"At Helm's Deep, I know of it. I have heard whispers of your dragon's deeds even when you lived in the ruins of Arnor. Yet, in these fell and dark days, it is difficult to know where one can place trust. For I have seen and dreamed of dragons like these ones swarming about this city and filling the streets with fire and death."

Toothless grumbled.

"That will not happen. The pack will fly here to help protect you from the Enemy. We hate Sauron also."

Denethor frowned and put a hand to his hip on which there was something like a horn hanging from his belt.

"So you do. Why should I doubt that? Do I doubt what I see and hear now or what I saw and heard before, night after night?" he muttered.

"You should judge us for what we do. Not what we are," Toothless answered him.

Oddly, Denethor nodded while he stared off into the distance. His eyes also filled with a cold, hard gaze.

"I understand that. Everyone should be judged for their... quality and ability to do as they should according to their position."

Hiccup could tell that something was amiss there; Denethor sounded bitter about something, but it was not his place to ask.

"Perhaps you could properly introduce me to these two good dragons..." Denethor then said, seemingly getting himself under control.

Hiccup gestured to them.

"They can introduce themselves."

Both Furies stepped forward and sat down directly before them.

"My name is Burning-Star."

"Mine is Moonbeam."

Denethor barely inclined his head toward them. Hiccup thought his doing so was probably the most respectful thing he had done yet.

_What is his problem? Maybe he is just a very proud and stubborn person; it seems like he is._

"I shall have word sent that you are both... welcome here and may go where you wish, within reason."

Denethor then gestured to Hiccup.

"Would you be so kind as to follow me... Master Haddock?"

"Certainly, Steward Denethor."

He followed Denethor out along the ramparts of the open level past the courtyard. Toothless and Moonbeam followed closely behind, and Denethor did not look at all afraid of them or call for his personal guards to follow him. The uppermost level on the spur of rock was flattened and paved past the fountain, grassy courtyard, and the tunnel that looked like the main entrance to this level. The wide cliff narrowed the farther out from the Citadel they walked. The dry wind whipped his robes all throughout as he hugged the wall to see as much as he could.

The cliff narrowed up to the bare precipice where only one man could stand.

He was not afraid of heights, so he walked straight up to the edge and stood there with his robes flowing in the wind.

The temptation was too great, so he leaned forward and looked straight down. The spur fell vertically all the way down to near the main gate at the first level of the city.

His jaw fell open in awe.

There was something humbling to see how high up he truly was and how massive the city was. The open fields, farmland, and grassland of the Pelennor stretched out miles in all directions before the city. He could also see that the mountains far off in the east were painted with a faintly red, flickering glow from beyond the horizon.

_Gods, I wouldn't want to fall from up here. On the other hand, gliding down could be fun. I should do that as a test flight!_

His actual wingsuit was still in the supplies right now.

"Impressive. I can see that you have no great fear of heights," Denethor observed while leaning against the wall.

"It's an occupational hazard of living with dragons."

"Now that we are away from my attendants, we can speak more plainly, Master Haddock. I heard enough of your story from Mithrandir and the Halfling. I also know of the mission of the Fellowship. Were you there when... Boromir fell?"

"No, we were not with the Fellowship at all until well after that. I heard that he was shot with many arrows."

Denethor's eyes flashed.

"So I have heard also. These are such dark days that the greater fall while the weaker linger. But on that I must drink the cup that I have poured for myself."

_Huh? What does that mean?_

"Do you know where the Ring lies now?" Denethor added.

"I don't know."

Denethor sneered and gazed to the eastern horizon.

"I know that the weapon of the Enemy is being taken to Mordor to be destroyed. Foolishness. It should have been brought here and kept here in the city, hidden deep in our vaults for safekeeping and not used... except in the greatest of need."

Hiccup frowned and glanced at Toothless.

"I don't think we can use it at all. It corrupts everyone; I should know..."

"What do you mean by that?"

Hiccup stared away off to the horizon, remembering the Council and all that had followed from it.

"I had the Ring for a few seconds. I held it. It almost destroyed everything I love," he whispered.

Denethor waved a hand in his direction.

"You are not a man of Gondor. I know the corrupting power of the Ring on those who are weaker. Few indeed can struggle with the mind of the Enemy. But sending the Ring into the land of the Enemy is madness!"

Toothless grumbled and answered him.

"I am stronger than a man of Gondor, and I do not trust myself around the Ring. Even Gandalf does not trust himself with it."

Denethor mostly ignored him, took a deep breath, and stared out toward the ruins of Osgiliath.

"It matters not. The Ring is lost to us, gone beyond stretch of our hand, and we must make our defense with what little strength we do have. Osgiliath holds for now, but it will fall. Will we endure the siege here until aid arrives? Why would we resist against such a mighty foe? That the House of Stewards fail and my line come to an end when even he dies here and there is nothing that can withstand the shadow that reaches out to us when stubborn defiance is in vain..."

Hiccup glanced at Toothless with a confused look which the Fury returned.

Then Denethor sighed, held a hand to his temple, and turned away from the Pelennor. His eyes, filled with a frantic glare, calmed as the wildness faded and as he waved a hand before his head, as if swatting away bugs.

"But let come what must be. We have kept watch, very closely, on the evil in the Mordor for generations. We have not given in before now, and still maybe there is some hope left. Maybe the tree will bloom, maybe the Enemy will fall, maybe a King will return to take the throne again. All that we can do is wait for our doom now."

"With respect, Lord Denethor, we can also fight," Hiccup said.

"Fight? Yes, we can and we do. This whole city is a fortress, and we shall stand defiant while we can. And I shall be there fighting alongside my men in the siege that shall follow. I have not forgotten how to wield a blade."

Denethor's hand went to his scabbard and sword that Hiccup had not noticed until just then. The man was actually wearing a full coat of mail under his fur robes, as though he was always prepared for battle.

_I can understand and respect that. Maybe I should do that with the wingsuit from now on._

Always being ready to fly felt like a prudent measure to take. Being stuck on the ground was wrong, especially with the city having such changes in elevation.

Toothless huffed and stepped forward.

"Do you have a den where we could rest? It was a long flight to fly here."

"Yes, I could find accommodations for the three of you. Beregond will see to your needs. You plan to stay here with us even as the storm breaks?" Denethor asked.

Hiccup nodded.

"We have a flair for the dramatic, so yes, we will be staying here to help you. I'll also help your people learn to trust these dragons and the others once they arrive."

* * *

"These are much bigger dens than those in Rohan," Toothless observed.

"And definitely compared to your old one in the Shire," Hiccup added.

"You slept in one of these dens? That is twisted," Moonbeam grumbled.

Toothless laughed and pranced inside the stable, spinning in place as he settled down on the fresh straw. Moonbeam huffed and bounded inside after him, settling down at his side. They started nuzzling each other and licking each other's neck.

"Do I need to close the door and leave now?" Hiccup teased.

"No, we are not doing that. This is only bonding and rest," Toothless grumbled.

"You may join us," Moonbeam purred.

"Well, if you insist..."

He hauled the supplies inside, went over to them, and sat down with a sigh at her side. She lay a white wing partially over him.

"So, Denethor has problems," he said.

"His thinking is twisted," Toothless said.

"I agree. He feels sad or lost, almost like he doesn't have hope," Hiccup agreed.

"He needs more stubbornness. Like you have."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"You both do," Moonbeam grumbled.

"Did I tell either of you the story about how my first father tried to break a rock by hitting his head against it?" Hiccup chuckled.

"Did he break his head?" Toothless chuckled.

"Maybe. He gave himself a lot of headaches. His father wanted him to become stronger, so he did that to prove himself."

Moonbeam chuffed.

"Humans are twisted..."

"I know."

Toothless yawned, and Moonbeam yawned seconds later.

"Here, let me get that saddle off."

Hiccup took the saddle off Toothless and then began unpacking some of the supplies in a corner of the room. He didn't know if he would be staying in this stable with them all the time, but at least it was a place to store the stuff.

* * *

While the stable they had been given was large and comfortable, it was also up on a circle of the city where many of the guards and soldiers ventured for supplies or to retrieve horses from other stables.

A crowd of men in armor began to gather in the wide street outside the stable. Their gazes were a mixture of alarm, suspicion, and surprise. Boys and girls similarly gathered behind the men and stared into the stable.

"Demons?" "Shadowspawn?" "Daddy, are those fellbeasts?" "Are they tamed?" "What are those monsters?" "Avert your eyes!" "Why are they here?" "Is the Steward mad?"

Toothless's ears fell as he listened to everything being said about him and Moonbeam. None of it warmed his soul-fire.

"They do not like us," Toothless muttered.

"No, they think we are monsters..." Moonbeam hissed.

Hiccup frowned and leaned against her side, gently scratching her neck in reassurance.

"They don't know you, and they didn't see you all fly to defend everyone in Rohan. It will take time for them to trust you. Want to meet any of them?"

"Sure," Toothless answered.

Hiccup got up and walked out to meet the soldiers of Gondor and their gathered kids. He held his posture and tried to be as confident as possible before them.

"Hello everyone! These are good dragons! They are here to help defend the city! Anyone want to meet them?"

Silence and awkward stares followed.

No one moved.

"Anyone?"

"We do not bite!" Toothless smiled a toothless smile.

One lad made to step forward, but a man grabbed him and pulled him back.

_What's their problem? Can't they see what's right before them?_

Their reaction was almost what he expected while also being infuriating. But on the other hand, that they had a lot of progress still to make meant that he had work to do and a purpose to see to with them. He could help them change in time.

Further, the arrival of the Night Furies to help defend the city would help a lot to build good will, just as it had at Helm's Deep.

"What's going on here?" a new, familiar voice cried out.

The crowd of armored men parted from behind as a small figure and a lone man stepped forward.

Pippin and Beregond of the Citadel Guard emerged from the crowd. Both were clad in armor displaying a white tree and seven stars against a dark and silver background.

_What is he doing in Gondor armor now? Hobbits..._

"There they are! My favorite dragons in the world, except for your little brother; he's closer to my size!" Pippin laughed.

Pippin strode straight up to Toothless and gave him a hug which Toothless returned.

"Good to see you too, silly Hobbit!" Toothless purred.

Pippin then respectfully greeted Moonbeam, letting her gently ruffle his hair.

Hiccup glanced around at the audience and was amused to see all the expressions of shock, disbelief, and amazement.

_Bet that showed them up. A Hobbit willing to go say hello to dragons whereas brave, big warriors hang back._

Beregond stood before him and addressed him.

"Master Haddock, I was bidden to bring you and the... dragons to meet Mithrandir. There will be food for all."

"Food!" Toothless spun on him as Moonbeam's ears lifted also.

"Thinking with your belly, bro?" Hiccup laughed.

"Hey, I approve of this also! It's about time for elevensies anyway!" Pippin cheerfully explained.

* * *

Gandalf was put up in a very fine abode on the sixth circle of the city. The house made of white stone had its own bathroom, something Hiccup found an amazing feat of design, a large balcony that overlooked the entire Pelennor, and a small grassy courtyard next door.

Gandalf almost flew out the building in his haste to greet them.

"Master Haddock, Toothless, Moonbeam! What a pleasant surprise! You have news for us, yes?"

Hiccup nodded.

"Yes, we do. Theoden's riders will come."

Gandalf visibly sighed in relief.

"Good. Very good. When?"

"They are meeting at a place called Dunharrow and will leave from there in... two days from now."

Gandalf leaned on his staff and stared into the distance.

"Dunharrow, perfect, that makes Aragorn's task much easier. So they ride and should arrive... yes, yes, we should be able to hold until then."

"This city is amazing. I doubt anything could break it," Hiccup agreed.

Oddly, Gandalf frowned and grumbled.

"Not all of the Enemy's deadliest powers have been fully revealed yet."

Gandalf went back inside his house, and Hiccup wondered what he meant by that.

Beregond coughed to get his attention.

"Excuse me, Master Haddock, Burning-Star, where do you want the food for the dragons? We have ample supplies of salted pork."

"Over here is good," Toothless answered.

Toothless and Moonbeam bounded over and lay down on the grass by the house. Beregond took the bag of salted pork over to them.

"And what would you want, Master Haddock?" Beregond then asked.

"Just some bread and cheese, thank you."

"I will see it done," Beregond bowed and departed.

Hiccup then followed Pippin inside the house. There were few possessions inside save for Gandalf's and Pippin's traveling bags and clothing.

Gandalf was smoking pipe-weed while standing on the outer balcony and staring into the distance. Hiccup and Pippin went over to join him and leaned against the railing. Neither of them said anything for a long time until curiosity got the better of him as he stared up at the sky.

"What is with this cloud? I've never seen anything like this before."

"Yeah, it's so dark, and I can't see the stars," Pippin agreed.

"This cloud," Gandalf grumbled, "is a device of the Enemy. It comes from Orodruin, from Mount Doom. He uses the shadow for secrecy and also to aid his armies' passing. Orcs and even the Nazgul are pained by sunlight, so he covers all the land in shadow. We are already in the Dawnless Days now."

_Yikes, days without dawn? That's discouraging. But..._

"Well, it's a good thing that Toothless and most of the rest of the pack are Night Furies then!"

"Rest of the pack? What?" Gandalf asked.

"Oh yes, I forgot to mention that several others are going to fly here also to help defend the city."

"Will they? That is good also. Having wings of our own in the sky will be very welcome."

"Of our own?" Pippin innocently asked.

"Yes, have you have heard of the fellbeasts before?"

Hiccup nodded, remembering those things being mentioned several times, though he had never seen one himself.

"Yeah, what are those?"

Gandalf looked away into the distance toward Osgiliath.

"They are... almost like Night Furies in appearance except they are truly beasts, have much longer necks, do not breathe fire, have only two legs..."

_That's not so bad..._

"...and they are mounts for the Nazgul," Gandalf finished.

_Oh, right. I forgot. Yeah, that's bad!_

"Wraiths on wings?" Pippin gasped.

"Indeed. Where Sauron found such beasts, I cannot know. But he was breeding them, keeping them in secret to be used at the key moment in the war. That moment is upon us. The pieces are moving."

"What about the Eagles? Why don't they join in the fight here?" Hiccup wondered.

"They are not idle; they have their own aeries to defend. The Elves will also come under attack, if they have not already. The hammerstroke will fall greatest on us though. Osgiliath is already under heavy siege."

Now that Hiccup looked closer, there were columns of smoke rising from the ruins of the distant city.

"Denethor said that it would fall soon," Hiccup muttered.

Gandalf spun on him in apparent surprise.

"You have met with the Steward? Yes, you must have. What did you think of him?"

_Proud, great, stubborn, sad about something..._

"He is definitely a great man, but he felt... did something bad happen to him?"

Gandalf looked away with a flash of annoyance.

"Steward Denethor is Boromir's father."

Hiccup understood with that terrible news what must have been happening. Denethor was a grieving father who still had to be a leader for his people. He was not so different from what Theoden was for Rohan or... what his own father had to be long ago when his mother was taken. And yet they all remained as strong as possible for the good of their people.

"That explains a lot. What will happen next?"

Gandalf resumed puffing his pipe while staring across the plains and fields.

"Faramir will let Osgiliath fall when he must. He will soon fall back to this city, and then we must endure the siege until Rohan and other aid arrives."

"We'll hold. Nothing can break that gate," Hiccup pointed out.

"Yeah, we have the White Wizard. No more hidden Balrogs out there either," Pippin added.

Gandalf said nothing for a long time.

"Did you know that Gondor's lost capital city of Osgiliath had two fortresses? Minas Tirith here, and Minas Ithil among the far mountains of shadow," Gandalf finally asked.  
"No, what is that other place?" Hiccup asked.

"It is better known now as Minas Morgul."

The chill wind flowed around them, ruffling their robes. The sounds of the city faded.

"That place, the dead city, is where the Lord of the Nazgul abides: the Witch-King of Angmar."

The wind gusted with a cold bite and a faint whisper which made Hiccup shiver. A creeping fear was slinking through the shadows, a screeching cry echoing from...

Gandalf held a hand up before them; a faint warmth or flash of fire flowed through the air and vanquished the chill. Gandalf then lowered his hand.

"Who is that?" Hiccup whispered into the silence.

"He is the greatest of the Nine Nazgul, a fallen Numenorian whom Sauron has given much of his power. He is a sorcerer. You have met him before; he stabbed Frodo with a Morgul Blade on Weathertop."

Pippin winced, and Hiccup also remembered that terrible, sickly wound. He also shivered at the memory of how that Nazgul had been different and wielded especially terrifying power.

"Even so, he wasn't hard to stop. He's still a Nazgul and weak to fire, true?" Hiccup warily asked.

"Maybe he was then, but he has grown mightier as Sauron's power has waxed. I do not know how strong he is now... possibly even as great as the Balrog was. He is the only foe in all Middle-earth whom I fear to face, short of Sauron himself."  
"Alright," Pippin groaned, "that's ominous."

Gandalf nodded.

"It is said that not by the hand of man shall he meet his end."

"But you're a Wizard! You can take him!" Pippin clamored.

"Yeah, it sounds like you're here for that. The two greatest Wizards on both sides facing each other..." Hiccup offered.

Gandalf drew a breath while holding his staff.

"Perhaps, or he may meet his end in some way we cannot foresee. It is frequently so with prophecies. Regardless, courage is the best defense this city has now."

"What are we against other than orcs?" Pippin asked.

"Legions of Haradrim, Mumakil, trolls, mercenaries and corsairs, and the Nazgul in the air. All together... a hundred thousand strong at least."

Gandalf turned to them and must have seen something of their grim expressions because he smiled.

"But do not give in to fear. We can indeed hold the city and the gate until Rohan arrives. Between the thousands who will defend Minas Tirith from within, all the riders Theoden will bring, the Furies who will help defend, and my own considerable strength, we stand a very good chance."

Hiccup stared out toward the plains and fields and the smoking ruins of Osgiliath. Then he left to go see to Toothless and Moonbeam and to tell them everything he knew.

They were sitting together on the grass and nibbling at the salted pork Beregond brought for them.

"That bag has food for you," Toothless nodded at a satchel.

The bag had bread, cheese, a few pieces of fruit, and a canteen of water, all of which he started working on.

"So, bro, Moonbeam, what do you think of the city so far?"

Moonbeam softly hummed as she stared out over the Pelennor.

"This is the biggest human nest-city I have ever seen. It is amazing what humans can make with their paws."

"I wish that they trusted us more. Their soul-fires are cold," Toothless grumbled.

Hiccup nodded.

"I know. They've been living under the shadow of Mordor for a long time, and that makes them more suspicious. But think about everyone in Rohan; they learned after they saw us fighting for them at Helm's Deep. This will be no different. We will fight to protect them, and they will learn that we are not monsters."

"Yes, they will," Toothless agreed.

Toothless then chuckled at something.

"What's funny?" Hiccup asked.

"You are calling yourself a dragon now."

Hiccup grinned and nodded toward the saddlepack and all the supplies within.

"Well, why not? I have wings of my own, have dark armor, live in a Fury pack, am part of a dragon family, and I can shoot fire, in my own way."

Toothless huffed.

"I like you as a human."

Moonbeam rolled her eyes.

"You are both tail-twisted."

"I know." "Yep, we are."

Hiccup then turned to Toothless, something far more serious on his mind.

"Do you remember how there was one of those Nazgul that was different from the others: the one that spoke to us up there on Weathertop?"

"Yes," Toothless hissed.

"Yeah, that one is a special leader among the Nazgul. It might be the leader of the attack on this city."

"So we flame it."

"Maybe it's that simple. I hope so."

Everything settled down after that as they all ate their food and rested. The warm wind swirled about their quarters. The sounds and cries of people working and preparing for the inevitable siege carried on the wind.

Their gazes were frequently drawn out into the distance, toward the faintly flickering glow far off beyond the horizon. All while the dark clouds swirled above and covered the Pelennor and the city itself in shadow.

* * *

_**Author's Note – You may have noticed something subtle about my portrayal of Denethor so far. I am going more with how he was depicted in the books instead of the movie. The movie overly simplified him and depicted him as a poor commander and almost a mad villain, which he was not. The movie also almost completely left out and failed to explain the root cause of much of his character arc. It was not mere grief resulting from Boromir's death.**_

_**Also, the site is being strange in that I get delayed notifications of reviews, so don't be surprised if I reply to you later than... immediately.**_


	55. Retreats

Retreats

* * *

The shape in dark, false-hide robes floated toward him. It reached out with a bone-paw that held a sword which glowed with pale light. A hood remained on the shape's head as it neared.

Toothless reared up high, flared his wings wide, and readied his fire as the shape approached.

The shape paused before him, lifted its arms out to its side, and floated high above the ground until it hovered above and before him. Its hissing voice was empty of life, cold and unfeeling, pitiless and cruel.

"Why do you resist your fate? Have you forgotten?"

"I have forgotten nothing! I choose to resist! You cannot control me!"

He flamed it with a constant, roaring flame that swirled high into the sky. The hissing laughter continued even after he stopped flaming.

The shape, its robes floating in the phantom wind, was untouched by his fire.

"You owe me. You do not know what I have done for you."

"Nothing!"

"I am trying to help you."

"How?" he snorted, clawing at the dirt underpaw.

"You are confused. You have been given something you never wanted."

What was this twisted-thing? It spoke truth in that, at least.

"Your master did this to me! I was not... fallen before I was brought here!"

An icy laughter followed.

"No, you were always a monster and killer. That is what you and all your kind were meant for, but I gave you a gift. All you must do is bow to me. You will be free, and you may even keep your human and your female."

The shape's arms went wide, as if offering an embrace. He saw under the hood where two eyes of fire burned in the darkness.

"Join us freely, lost one..."

"And if I do not!" he snarled.

"Then I will break you."

The shape hurled its blade at him, and the glowing sword sunk deep into his chest, piercing through his heart.

He flew to his paws, eyes wide-open and heart racing wildly as the shock from the dream wore off. His gaze went out across the Pelennor as his breaths gradually slowed.

The biting sting in his chest was gone.

Moonbeam grumbled at his side and shifted in her sleep. He lay down next to her and covered her with a wing. They both rested on the grass next to the house where Gandalf, Pippin, and Hiccup were sleeping. They had not bothered to go back to the small barn-den they had been given.

His gaze narrowed again on the mountains in the distance, somewhere off toward where Minas Morgul was hidden. That very bad place was where the twisted-Alpha of the Nazgul lives: the one who has magic or powers of his own.

_Maybe he was talking to me in my dream._

He snorted.

_I will never bow to him._

* * *

"It's the dragon master..." "Whisperer..." "Stay back..." "Is he an Elf?" "The black rider..."

Hiccup was very tired of overhearing all the comments by total strangers as he passed by. Not that he was surprised by any of it; he had heard everything already from the peasants and commonfolk in Rohan.

He had been practicing his archery in a shooting range. Even that practice had been disturbed because of how the Gondor soldiers and archers had gathered around to watch him practice. He had loosed only a couple dozen shots before deciding to take a break from being the center of attention.

All the shots had been in the centermost ring, so there was that to be proud of. He was getting closer to the point that he never missed, which felt important. Missing would have been unacceptable.

He retrieved his arrows and then headed back to his quarters while Toothless and Moonbeam soared freely up above. Their flying also drew a lot of attention from bystanders looking at them and pointing fingers.

Seeing them flying gave him an idea of something he totally had to do: join them in the sky! He could fly too! The sky is where he belonged also!

Finally back at his quarters, he set aside his bow and arrows before retrieving his wingsuit, leather armor, and helmet, all of which he donned. He tested the wings to make sure they would unfurl, and then he began the long walk higher along the lengths of the city, back and forth to the upper levels. More of the women and children were being gathered there, and many of them spared him curious and wary glances as he passed.

It was appropriate that he was doing this without Toothless or Moonbeam there to watch and protect him. He had prove something to himself!

Finally, he arrived at the uppermost level with the Citadel and the White Tree.

"Hiccup, what are you doing here!" Pippin exclaimed.

Pippin, wearing Gondor armor as usual, ran to him in surprise.

He took off his helmet.

"Hey Pippin, I just felt like taking a walk."

"Wearing all that?"

"You just gestured to all of me. What are you doing up here now?"

Pippin shrugged, looking rather bored.

"There's not much for me to do. You caught me on break. Walking on the grass here reminds me of... well, the Shire."

"Understandable.

Pippin nodded.

"I was also... thinking about Frodo and Sam... and where they might be. Anyway, what are you doing up here?"

Hiccup grinned and put his helmet back on.

"Come and see... if you dare..."

Pippin followed him out on the spur. The cold wind whipped and gusted on these heights as it always probably did.

They arrived at the end of the spur, the one place where there was no stone barrier.

He stood right at the precipice, his boots dangling over the edge.

"I bet that's quite a view," Pippin warily shouted over the wind.

"Yeah, it is! Want to see?"

"No sir, I've made a fool of myself enough already and... wait just a moment! You're not going to... jump... are you?" Pippin gasped.

He laughed and unfurled his wings. They tugged at him in the whipping wind. He also saw Toothless and Moonbeam far below, still gliding lazily on the wind.

"Well, walking up here took too long! And don't worry... I can fly on my own!"

"This is so stupid!" Pippin protested.

"Nope! It's crazy!"

He jumped, felt a moment of freefall, and then caught the wind as his wings stretched wide.

Findings the updrafts, bouncing off swirls of wind, tucking wings in spins, and making brief dives came so naturally.

Had he always known how to glide... how to fly like this? Probably so. It was natural that he would.

The city down below, a mix of grey, green, and blue, looked so small and distant. All the humans down there were tied to the ground, living their normal, simple lives. That was all they knew.

But he was not grounded. He was not one of them!

He closed his eyes and let thought fade away as his soul burned with the joy of flight.

It was the freedom to come and go as he wished without being tied down to one place.

The sky was where his heart would always be at home... where he belonged.

_This is what it is to be a..._

Two roars of joy caught his attention as Toothless and Moonbeam flew higher toward him. They arrived at his side and spun around his wings, both of them gently slapping his head with a tailfin.

They would show-off like that!

So he tucked his wings to make himself suddenly drop before again stretching his wings wide with a spin. His spin-dive was not as fast as his brother's or Moonbeam's, but he was still getting very good at it.

Time flew past very quickly, suddenly leaving him gliding down toward the open street on the sixth level. No one else was there, which made it the most open spot available for him to attempt another solo-landing, difficult though those were.

Toothless was at his side, looking concerned for him, but he didn't interfere.

He took a very deep breath, angled himself and his wings to slow as much as possible, tucked his wings, and tugged on the parachute cord. His small parachute shot out and slowed him just enough for him to land in a roll, tumbling on the stone road. Then he came to rest on his back as the parachute fell on him.

The landing hurt and had definitely bruised his knees, but it was a success even if he was completely tangled in the lines.

"Did anyone see that?" he shouted.

"I did! It worked!" Toothless shouted.

He got up and freed himself from the tangled lines and parachute.

"Mostly. I didn't set it perfectly. It shouldn't tangle so easily. Won't make that mistake next time!"

He tugged another line, and the entire parachute popped off so he could begin refolding it for its next use.

"How did you make this?" Toothless asked, gently nosing at the parachute.

"I'm just that amazing... and I had a lot of extra time on my... paws..."

"Sure you did... fledgling. How did you know it would work?" Toothless huffed.

"I didn't..."

Moonbeam landed beside them.

"Good flying and falling!" she chuckled.

"That was landing, thank you very much! No need to pick me up and drop me!"

She laughed again.

* * *

Hiccup arrived back at his quarters after Toothless offered to fly him back there. He took nearly an house re-setting the wingsuit and parachute to make sure it wouldn't tangle next time.

His death-defying streak satisfied for the day, he threw on plain attire and a hood so that wouldn't be noticed. Then he grabbed a coin pouch which Gandalf had given him, and set out for the nearest inn or mead-house.

The streets were clean and quiet. Everyone he passed who was not a soldier was clad in dark attire and looked solemn and nervous. The fountains were filled with still and clear water.

The city felt old, which it definitely was.

He arrived at the nearest mead-house, let himself inside, and took a table at the far end of the house. An attendant came over to greet him, took a coin, and brought back a large mug of ale and some bread. He took his time with the drink, preferring to listen in on everything happening around him.

It was very different from the first time he had been in a mead-hall in Buckland.

The men, it was mostly men inside, were talking about various matters, mostly concerning the preparations for the coming defense. But a few were talking about a certain pair of dragons.

"Can't trust them, I say..." "Dark wings are never a good sign..." "Is Rohan lost to them?" "Gotta admit they are graceful..." "The white one is beautiful..." "Watch them closely."

He took a deep breath and resolved to not dwell on any of that suspicion right now. This was his time to rest and learn more about the city and the people just by overhearing what he could.

Several women and children entered the building and went to their husbands, fathers, or brothers at the tables. The mood in the mead-house or inn lifted substantially as people greeted each other.

His thoughts went far away to Rohan and to one particular person while he swirled his mug of ale.

_I miss her. Her smile, her teasing in the forge, her openness to the Furies, and how... how normal she is._

It was something he hadn't appreciated before.

She was no great singer, accomplished shieldmaiden, or dramatic in her interactions with others. However, she could be playful and teasing. She didn't seem to feel a pressing need to continually prove herself to her tribe. Rather, she was level-headed and did her work for the good of her tribe. She was not weak or timid, but she still felt for others.

There was at least one notable similarity in how life had treated him and her. They had both lost their mothers to war long ago.

_I don't know... maybe... how can I be sure about something as important as this?_

He took a long drink and then stared idly at the foam in the mug.

Why did it feel like being with her was... a problem or not what he was meant for? Marriage meant... new responsibility, changes in life, and... was that even what was best for him? It was as if there was something in the way.

This being apart from her would probably help him resolve his thoughts about what she was to him. Hopefully.

* * *

Toothless and Hiccup waited as Gandalf, his white robes flowing and staff clicking on the paved road, strode out of the Citadel. Denethor also walked at his side. The two leaders had been talking about something important.

Toothless got up from the warm stones to wait for the leaders. They had sent a messenger to him and Hiccup with the request that they come up to meet them on the highest level before nightfall. He was not sure what they wanted from him and Hiccup.

Gandalf walked up to him without hesitation, and the Wizard had a large pouch in his arms.

"Burning-Star, Hiccup... Steward Denethor and I have been in council regarding the city's defense."

Denethor then spoke.

"I agreed with Mithrandir that we have held Osgiliath as long as we can. All of our number holding that city must retreat, or they will fall with the city. I wish for you, Burning-Star, to take a message to my son... B... Faramir, who is commanding the garrison at Osgiliath."

Toothless nodded.

"I can do that."

Gandalf offered him the pouch, and he let the Wizard sling it over his head until the pouch rested against his chest.

"Do your fighters know not to shoot at me?"

"I have previously had word sent to them. Fly to them, request the audience of my son... Faramir, and let him take the scroll. That is all," Denethor briskly answered.

He stepped back from them and stretched his wings.

"Think you can fly fast, bro?" Hiccup grinned.

"Faster than you, fledgling..."

Then he jumped from the high ledge, soared above the white and shrouded city, and turned for the distant, smoking ruins.

* * *

Hiccup walked over to the balcony to watch Toothless's flight over the fields and plains. Gandalf came over to him and stood at his side.

"Even now so long after meeting him, I can say that this is an amazing sight. Did I ever tell you that I have flown also?"

"Excuse me?" Hiccup gasped.

"Yes, with Gwaihir the Windlord. Twice now, actually. He carried... me... from Orthanc and also carried me from the tine above Zirakzigil, above Khazad-dum, to Lorien."

_Right, he and the Eagle knew each other. But where is that place?_

"Where was that second place? That Zirak... something."

Gandalf frowned.

"That is the mountainpeak above Moria... where Gandalf the Grey fought the Balrog, killed it, and died."

"Right."

He didn't understand how this Gandalf was a different Gandalf. But since Gandalf brought up what happened with the Balrog...

"I know you said you didn't want to talk about it before, but what was the Balrog? I want to know."

Gandalf nodded.

"Too eager and curious for a human. At least you have more sense than Pippin. What can I tell you? The Balrog was a being of shadow and flame."

Something about that description sounded... strangely familiar.

"Shadow and flame? Do they have wings of shadow and manes of fire?"

Gandalf's eyes narrowed in surprise.

"Indeed they do. Why do you ask?"

_Hmm, he might want to know what we saw up in the caves in the Waste..._

"Toothless and I might have seen one of those things."

Gandalf started in surprise and shock.

"What? Speak!"

"It was a really big thing hidden in shadow, and it looked like it was made of fire. It looked like it had wings of shadow, but I'm not sure if it truly had wings. It was asleep, and we didn't wake it up."

"Where did you see it?"

"It was deep in caves that the pack used to hide away from the coldest storms up in the Waste. There were... ruins down there."

Gandalf frowned and steadied himself.

"You are most fortunate that you did not awaken it. We knew that some of those beings hid themselves away in the deep places of the world after the War of Wrath."

"I still don't understand. What are the Balrogs really?" Hiccup sighed.

"Perhaps a lesson in the world's history would benefit you," Gandalf answered.

"It probably would."

Gandalf stared out into distance while the wind, cooler at this elevation, flowed around them and ruffled their robes.

"First, there was the Creator, Eru Iluvatar. Eru created the Valar, also called the Ainur, the Holy Ones, and the Powers of Arda. Some have called them gods, though they are not. Eru also created the Maiar, lesser ones, to serve the Valar and aid them. They all sang the Music of the Ainur, with which all Arda was sung into being. The greatest of the Valar was Melkor, who afterwards became Morgoth, the Great Enemy. Morgoth corrupted many of the Maiar to his service."

Gandalf paused.

"The Balrog was a fallen Maiar, far beyond the power of any sword or bow to harm unless the wielder had greater strength. The Elves of the First Age were greater than they are now and could face the Balrogs, as did Glorfindel."

"Wow, uh, I..."  
"It is much to try to understand, I know," Gandalf patted his shoulder.

Hiccup took a deep breath and decided to think about something other than what Gandalf was.

"You said that the greatest of the Valar was Melkor-Morgoth. Why did he turn bad?"

"That is the great question. He wanted the power to create new life according to his own will and design, but he could not give the Flame Imperishable. That limitation made him envious and prideful, even such that he wished the wanton destruction of all life. Sauron wishes to control all that is, but Melkor wishes to unmake creation and remake it in his image."

Gandalf paused and then grinned.

"Do you know how the Dwarves came into being?" he asked.

"No."

"The Valar Aule made them without the command of the Creator. Aule wished only to make new life that could glorify the Creator in addition to the Elves and Humans, the two planned creations, the Children of Iluvatar. The Dwarves which Aule made were not truly free; they had life but no free will or understanding of their own. Aule saw his mistake in not obeying the Creator's will, and he went to destroy the first Dwarves, his own creation, but they shrank back from him in fear. When he saw their fear is when he knew that Iluvatar had gifted them with the Flame Imperishable also; they became the Eru's... adopted children... so to speak."

_They were given mercy after they showed fear. I..._

A tear fell down Hiccup's cheek, though he said nothing aloud.

A brightening of the glow on the horizon brought his thoughts back to the present and to the mission, the progress of which he knew very little about.

"Any idea where Frodo and Sam are?" he whispered.

"No. I have guesses, and my guesses are usually close to the mark. But I have had no word about them, though I am certain that they move toward Mordor even now. All we must do is buy them time."

"How do you know that? How do we know that they are still out there?"

"I am a Wizard. I know these things," Gandalf winked.

_Fair enough. Who am I to question that?_

* * *

Toothless wondered about the ruined city-nest below him as he glided. It looked similar to another ruined place he and Hiccup and flown over along a lake far away in the northwest. The main difference was that this city-nest was very much occupied instead of abandoned.

The great river cut through the middle of the city-nest, and most of the fires were centered on the shores of the river.

He growled and turned tail on the far shore when he saw the countless number of Orcs swarming about the ruins. Instead, he turned his flight for the plain on the edge of the ruined city-nest. Down he glided and landed well outside the ruins. Then he settled down to wait while hoping that they knew not to shoot at him.

A small flight of humans, all wearing green robes, emerged from the ruins and approached him. They kept their bows in their paws but did not aim their weapons at him. That was good of them.

They all looked weary, bloodied or wounded, and suspicious.

One of the humans, whom the others looked to as an Alpha, stepped forward from the pack. He was tall, had long brown hair and blue eyes, and had a confident bearing while not being as large as some of the humans he had seen. This man reminded him of someone else. A wingbeat of thought was enough for him to realize who that was.

This must be Boromir's brother, Faramir.

_Maybe he will be different..._

He bent his head toward the man.

"Greetings, Faramir."

The men shuffled in place in evident surprise, and even Faramir looked amazed.

"It is true what they said... I never imagined that this could be so. Greetings, dark dragon."

Satisfied that this meeting would be peaceful, he stepped forward toward Faramir and nudged his bag with a paw.

"I have a message from Denethor for you. The papers are in my bag."

Faramir, for some reason, trusted him without question and approached, opening the pouch and taking the message. Then he stepped back, unrolled the scroll, and began reading it. His men remained wary, but Faramir, as their Alpha, was not worried.

_He is not afraid of me. Good!_

Faramir finished reading, gave a heavy sigh, and turned back to the others who had come with him.

"Mablung, Damrod, ready everyone! We fall back to Minas Tirith at nightfall!"

"Yes, my Captain!" everyone shouted.

Faramir turned back to him.

"Dragon, is Mithrandir in the city?"

"Yes, Gandalf is in the city."

"Good, I must speak with him as soon as possible."

Toothless growled softly.

"I saw many of those Orcs on the other side of the river."

"Yes, we cannot hold the city much longer. Also, I have heard of you."

"Denethor said that he sent word about me to you."

Faramir paused and frowned.

"Yes, he did... but there was another who also spoke of you. I will explain later. Will you tell Mithrandir that the Nazgul are in these skies, and that I must speak to him?"

"I will tell him!"

Faramir spun around and followed his men back into the ruins of Osgiliath.

He spun away and took to the sky, his mission complete. As he swiftly flew over the fields, he wondered about something Faramir had said.

_How did he know about me from someone else?_

* * *

Gandalf frowned as he stared off toward Osgiliath as evening fell, which meant only that the darkness grew darker. The Wizard grumbled and then turned to him.

"Burning-Star, you and Moonbeam might want to assist me this evening."

"At what?"

"The retreat. I suspect that the Enemy will try to make the retreat a costly one. He has his fellbeasts and Nazgul in these skies, as Faramir asked you to tell me."

He thrashed his tail and snarled.

"I have not seen those flying things, but I already want to flame them!"

"Good. Humans fear them and the Nazgul, but I suspect that both of those enemies have no special power over you dragons."

"When do you want to go?"

Gandalf grumbled into his beard.

"It would probably be best to follow the Rangers as they retreat. I will prepare Shadowfax now."

He hopped to his paws.

"Moonbeam and I will fly with you. I will tell Hiccup to get ready."

Gandalf held up a paw to stop him.

"Master Haddock should not go with you. The Nazgul have a great and terrible effect on any humans they are near."

He remembered how Hiccup had been powerless against the living-dead-shadow in the Barrow-downs. Even the few encounters with the Nazgul themselves had been very bad for Hiccup.

"Good point. I do not need to carry him for this. He will not like it though."

* * *

Hiccup nodded, resigned to the fact that it was best this way. There was no necessary reason for him to go with anyway. Though he would have liked to down a fellbeast. Maybe there would still be another chance to do that.

"Sounds good. You two go help Gandalf protect them. I'll be here with Pippin once he gets off his duties."

Toothless nodded and hopped over to Moonbeam's side.

"Bro, one more thing! Is Shadowfax faster than you?" Hiccup asked, grinning widely.

Toothless froze and slowly turned around to glare at him.

"Hiccup!"

"Just pointing out that you two have never raced."

Toothless snorted and hopped from the ledge. Moonbeam laughed as she followed him into the darkening sky.

Hiccup watched the two dear Furies as they soared over the city while waiting for Gandalf and Shadowfax to arrive down at the main gate. It was getting noticeably darker out there beyond the walls.

Then he went back into his quarters, collapsed in his chair, and felt generally miserable.

_Now what?_

There were no forges that needed working, his brother and Moonbeam were being useful and helping to protect people, and Pippin was busy doing something as a Citadel guard. But he was just sitting there.

Doing nothing important.

It was in these quiet moments, all alone, that he remembered those terrible words that had been behind so many of his mistakes.

Was he nothing without Toothless?

So much of his life and what he was now did come from his knowing Toothless. He had always been stubborn on his own; there was no doubt of that. But stubbornness alone could not do anything.

He lay down on his mattress and resolved to find some rest while he could. Nothing was wrong with finding a little extra rest before a major battle.

"Haddock, you in there?" Pippin cried out some time later.

"Yeah, I'm up... I'm up!"

"Get out here and look at this!"

He flew to his feet, walked outside, and joined Pippin on the balcony. The entire city down below was shrouded in darkness, save for the many signal fires and lights lit in the streets or on the walls. Dozens of armored men were standing on the walls, gazing out into the distance.

"What is it? I can't see any..."

A pair of bright flashes lit up the distant plain, revealing several sets of wings, two of which had just been struck by a pair of Fury shots.

_Fellbeasts... oh my gods..._

There was a little fear in his heart on Toothless's and Moonbeam's behalf, but he reassured himself that they knew what they were doing. Both of them were grown, powerful, and dangerous dragons. If one Fury was a terrifying force in the night, two would be even deadlier, especially if one of them was invisible or able to go invisible.

But it still felt like he should be out there helping them... somehow.

"I wish I could be there to help him," Hiccup frowned as he watched the distant flames.

Pippin patted him on the shoulder.

"I know. Being on the edge of a battle I cannot escape is terrible. I see fighting and I want to go kill some stuff! That's who I am!"

He slowly spun to face Pippin.

"Huh?"

They stared at each other in silence before they both grinned and burst out in laughter at the same time.

"Who am I kidding? I'm just a Hobbit. Sure, I'm wearing Gondor armor, but I'm not a fighter."

Pippin then sighed and leaned against the stone wall.

"I miss the Shire so much. I miss my cousin Merry, Frodo, Sam, Diamond, even Farmer Maggot..."

"Wait," he turned on Pippin in surprise, "Diamond? Who is that?"

"Diamond of Long Cleeve. I think she is... pretty..." Pippin shrugged.

He grinned at that. He had not known that Pippin had his eye on anyone back home.

"Is she? Well, my home is Rohan now, definitely. As for ladies, well, I think Adney is special... but I'm not sure what she is to me."

Pippin smirked.

"You'll figure it out eventually. I'm sure that Sam won't have a problem with Rosie once he comes back. Just think about how much good this adventure will do him!"

"Yeah, it probably will. When he comes back."

They stood there a while longer, just watching for the occasional flash of fire beyond.

"What was your home like before? Not the people, the place. I know it was cold and snowed nine months of the year."

Hiccup chuckled.

"That is an exaggeration, but it's not far from the truth. What was Berk like? Cold. The cliffs were very high in places, but there were also docks down by the shore. The forests were thick, even though they were only really green for a few months in the year. The sheep and yaks did well and had lots of room to graze. Even with all that I can't understand why my people stayed there. They should have just left for somewhere warmer and safer. It shouldn't have been hard to relocate the..."

A sudden flash of light almost blinded them as they closed their eyes. The light swiftly faded, letting them look back and see what had happened. They both stared, dumbfounded by what they saw.

Gandalf, for it could be no other, was racing on Shadowfax across the fields. The Wizard's staff was held aloft, and a burning white light, like a star, was radiating from him across almost all the Pelennor. The light then focused into a narrow beam aimed at the large, winged things swarming over a convoy of retreating horses and riders. All the winged creatures, save two, immediately turned away and beat their flight back into the distance.

While the light was intense and powerful, it did not pierce the cloudcover floating in from the East and shrouding the entire Pelennor, city, and mountains.

"That just happened," Pippin gasped.

"Wizard things," Hiccup nodded.

The light gradually faded as Gandalf, the riders, and the two Furies turned for the city, still perhaps a ten minute gallop away for the horses.

"Shall we go meet them?" Hiccup asked.

"Yeah, no chance I'm going to sleep after that. Follow me... I know a shortcut," Pippin agreed.

"A shortcut? How?"

"Underground stairs that soldiers use to move faster. Race you down?"

"That sounds dangerous... not that I'm opposed to it."

Pippin smirked, "Yeah, but there aren't any mushrooms at the bottom of this shortcut, so we'll be fine!"

* * *

Toothless glanced back over his tail and gave a derisive snort. His status had been defended!

_Shadowfax is fast for a horse, true, but he has no wings!_

Still, he had to race that Eagle one day. That would be the truest test of speed! Let none think that their wings were faster than his!

Then he looked ahead again and snarled.

The first he saw of them were dark wings flying low above the horses. He had already heard their screeching cries... or maybe those cries were from the Nazgul.

The description he had heard from the pack, twisted-into-wrong-dragon, was very appropriate. The fellbeasts, as humans called them, were almost like Night Furies, except that these beasts had bigger wings, only two legs with large pinions on the paws, much longer necks, and larger mouths. They would certainly have been a danger to fly against if they also had fire like true dragons.

They did not have fire.

He brushed Moonbeam's wing as they both raced toward the horses and humans.

_She is strong and brave. We can do this as one! Time to flame things that need flaming!_

His roar filled the sky and was joined by hers.

The Nazgul riding on the fellbeasts shrieked a cry that terrified the humans down below, though they and their horses kept riding onward. That cry did nothing to him and Moonbeam.

Their first shots struck two of the fellbeasts in the chest. Both of the fellbeasts reared back, winging higher in pain even though they were not grounded. The unflamed fellbeasts turned for him and Moonbeam, but they could not possibly get close enough to claw at them.

Night Furies and Light Furies were much faster.

Several more shots went at fellbeasts, forcing them back away from the humans and keeping their flight focused on him and Moonbeam. Every wingbeat the Nazgul and fellbeasts used chasing them was time not used hunting the humans below.

Then it was no longer night as a bright light started burning from behind his tail. He glanced back at the light and stared with awe into a burning light coming from Gandalf.

_Is that his staff? His ring?_

The pendant secured around his own neck started glowing brightly also in the light that was so warming to his soul-fire.

All of the Nazgul and fellbeasts turned away, shrieking in pain from the light.

He roared defiantly in their direction, watched them flee, and then turned to follow the humans.

There were only a few downed horses and dead humans left behind on the ground. There would have been far more without him, Moonbeam, and Gandalf flying and riding to their defense.

Moonbeam flew in at his side and gently brushed his wing. They shared no words, needing to say nothing. They were both safe.

Gandalf and Shadowfax ran in to join the front of the flock of fleeing horses and riders.

They flew in peace until they arrived at the massive front gates of Minas Tirith. The gates opened wide to welcome the horses and humans inside.

He and Moonbeam dove down into the large courtyard and hopped up next to Hiccup and Pippin. They were both standing out of the way so that the horses could run along their path without facing him and Moonbeam.

"Nice job out there bro, Moonbeam! I saw your fires from all the way up there," Hiccup smiled.

"We are fire dragons! What do you expect?" he huffed.

"Ice, obviously!" Pippin laughed.

Moonbeam snorted.

Hiccup's smile vanished as he became far more serious.

"What are the fellbeasts like? All I could see was that they have wings."

He clawed at the ground while snarling.

"They look like they might have been dragons once, but they are not. They have long necks, big mouths with teeth, no tailfins, and only two legs, as Gandalf said."

Moonbeam huffed.

"I scented one of them. They smell like rotted meat!"

Hiccup winced.

"Yikes. Anyway, good to have you both back here safely!"

Hiccup hugged his head and then Moonbeam's.

"We were not gone long... not even a short-nap amount of time," she chuckled.

"Yeah, still... I kind of want to be there to protect you," Hiccup explained.

Toothless purred at that and refrained from teasing Hiccup about needing protecting. Then he had an idea that might help with this problem.

"Maybe I should wear the saddle now so we can fly if we need to."

"Good idea. I'll keep my armor on and weapons with me from now on," Hiccup agreed.

Gandalf and Faramir rode up last inside the gates. Both immediately dismounted from their horses which were then led away to their stables. Faramir stood before Gandalf and looked around at all the fellow soldiers who were watching everything.

"Take your rest while we can and then attend to your posts!"

"Yes Captain!" they roared back.

Faramir watched his men begin to depart, and then he approached Gandalf.

"Mithrandir, can we speak somewhere in private?" Faramir asked.

"Certainly, up on the wall?"

"That will work."

Faramir must have noticed Pippin because he stared at the Hobbit in surprise. Then the man looked away and started for the stairs that led up the wall.

Toothless, Moonbeam, Hiccup, and Pippin followed Faramir and Gandalf up onto the wall and onto a secluded area away from any other men on patrol.

"What is the news, Faramir?" Gandalf asked.

Faramir put his paws behind his back and turned to them. He had a very wary look on his face as he glanced around at everyone with him.

"Mithrandir, am I correct that I may speak freely before these dragons, this young man, and the Halfling?"

"Yes, you may."  
"Very well then. This is not the first Halfling I have met in the last few days."

Everyone except Moonbeam gasped at that, realizing what this had to mean. She did not know.

"You've seen Frodo and Sam!" Pippin cried.

"Yes, and I know of their errand," Faramir nodded.

"Where! When!" Gandalf eagerly asked.

"Ithilien, three days hence. They were being guided by a creature called Gollum."

"Gollum, how curious. Where to? What was their path?" Gandalf clutched the ramparts and breathed heavily.

"They were going to the Morgul Vale and then the path of Cirith Ungol," Faramir explained.

Gandalf began muttering and pacing. The Wizard looked old and weary.

"Did they... well, they might... I suppose... that might work if they got there before the march... yes, we would know by now if they were too slow."

Gandalf sighed in evident relief.

"So it must be. We will stay here in Minas Tirith and keep the Enemy's gaze on us. Let us not speak of them or their errand again."

Faramir nodded.

"I understand. The one named Frodo told me about the good dragon whom he knew. I also heard from my father yesterday."

Toothless stepped closer.

"It is not only the two of us. There is a pack of my kind now living in Rohan. Several of us will fly here to help you defend the city."

"Rohan will also come here," Hiccup added.

Faramir's eyes widened.

"Rohan will ride to our aid?"

"Yes, they should probably be here within a couple days," Hiccup answered.

Faramir faced Hiccup and considered him.

"Who are you, young man?"

"My name is Haddock, of the Fury pack. I speak for them. I, me and Burning-Star actually, both met your brother in Rivendell."

"You knew Boromir?" Faramir whispered.

"We did, for a very short time. We were not part of the Fellowship though."

Toothless grumbled.

"Your brother did not like me, but he was a strong fighter who died well. That is what I heard."

Faramir slowly nodded.

"My brother was always the pride of Gondor. He could do no wrong in my father's eyes. I was always the disappointment because I was not known as a fighter."

"No?" Hiccup asked in surprise.

"Indeed. I always had more love of poetry, history, and music than my older brother. There is a place for warriors, but I love not the sword or the bow, only that which they protect."

Faramir then stared out into the darkness. There were already tiny dots of light far out in the distance, probably from torches.

"I have led my people under the threat of black wings and flitting shadows in the night, and now we have black wings on our side. How strange are these days?"

"We can flame the fellbeasts! They will not freely attack the city once the pack flies here," Toothless growled.

Faramir grimly nodded.

"That aid will be most welcome. My rangers have reported more of those beasts in the dark skies recently, possibly because the Nazgul are gathering for the assault."

Another long silence followed as they all stared out into the darkness. There was no light of star or moon to illuminate anything.

"It is time for us to man the walls and endure whatever will come for us," Faramir said.

Then he turned away from the beyond and looked down from the wall into the inner courtyard. There were still many dozens of soldiers within, evidently waiting for him.

"I should greet the men and encourage them before I report to my father."

Gandalf stepped over to Faramir.

"And I will come with you for that meeting. Your father will be relieved that you are back here without injury. Still, something is weighing on your father's mind, more than only grief from Boromir's passing."

Then Gandalf turned to him, Moonbeam, and Hiccup.

"You should all get your rest while you can before the storm breaks. There will be no dawn."

_Perfect!_

"It is good that I am a Night Fury!" he growled.

Gandalf and Pippin both chuckled at that.

"What?" he grumbled.

Hiccup answered with a laugh of his own.

"I said you would say that."

"Because it is true!" he barked as he crouched down to let Hiccup climb on.

He, Moonbeam, and Hiccup flew up from the outer wall and ascended the levels to the one that had their den. There was far more activity now with all the extra defenders inside the walls.

They landed, bounded over to the den, and lay down inside with Moonbeam under one of his wings as always.

"Mind if I sleep here too?" Hiccup asked.

He lifted his other wing and nodded. Hiccup closed the den's door and lay down at his side after wrapping himself in a fur-blanket.

As he lay there in the dark, listening to the sounds of activity out beyond in the city, and with the two most important people in his life around him, he felt a chill of worry for them. Even though this was the biggest nest-city of humans that he had ever seen, he now knew for certain that the Enemy had flying creatures.

It would take only one of them to snatch up Hiccup or claw at Moonbeam.

The sooner the pack got here, the better.

* * *

_**Author's Note – The suicide charge Denethor sent Faramir and a company of knights on was not an appropriate change from canon. I see why it was done, but it was unnecessary when compared to book events (in which Faramir was struck by an arrow during the retreat). I do not believe that Faramir would have obeyed such an insane command even if he was distraught by his father's words. That suicide charge will not be happening in this version.**_

_**Next week will be another two post week.**_


	56. Siege

Siege

* * *

Hiccup shuffled anxiously, unable to fall into a restful sleep. Completely lost to his restless thoughts, he rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. Meanwhile, Toothless and Moonbeam slept in peace at his side, purring softly and apparently undisturbed by any bad dreams.

Wagons carrying supplies rolled down the road outside the stable, and soldiers in armor marched in formation closely behind the wagons. The whole city was, even now in the darkest of night, active and on the move.

There was no way of knowing for sure how large the enemy army was going to be. Additional light at daybreak would have helped, but he knew that there would be no clear dawn now.

The darkness even made the Smothering Smokebreaths he read about in the Manual seem like nothing.

He briefly reflected on how Dragon Island had been surrounded in a constant mist and low-level cloudcover. That unnatural mist which persisted even through the day had wrecked countless ships on the rocks and sea-stacks around the island itself. Was the Queen somehow responsible for the mist, or was it a natural occurrence from the volcano on the island? He would probably never know.

"Come on, son. Gotta get you to safety..." someone muttered from outside the stable.

"But da..." the lad's voice trailed off.

Even into the night, parents and soldiers had been shepherding women, children, and the elderly deeper into the city to be further from the walls.

He stared at the ceiling.

_Mom... dad... please get here soon. The rest of the pack too. We could use the help and..._

He blinked.

_Wow, did I just think of Far-Flight as dad and Sky-Dancer as mom?_

It was strange that his thoughts naturally went like that now. Or... maybe it wasn't strange at all. Maybe this was just his accepting what truly was now. Being apart from them had helped to reinforce the truth that they were his parents now. True, they had not and did not need to do many things that parents normally needed to do, but they were still encouraging and supportive of him in every way. Parents did not necessarily need to be blood-relations.

He then thought about the island that he would never see again. In a way, Berk was like Minas Tirith. Both were filled with stubborn, defiant people who stood against a menace that had threatened them for many generations.

The dragons were not completely innocent victims either, though their situation was terrible: being trapped between dangerous humans and the Queen. However, they would not be trapped forever.

Toothless had mentioned that the Queen was getting very old, and its strength to control dragons was fading with its age. It would die eventually or it would lose control over the other dragons, and at that point... all the dragons in that nest will be free to... what would they do? They would likely fly back into that hidden world that Far-Flight and several others had mentioned.

The dragons would be hidden from humans, probably never to show themselves again, if that world was as hidden as it seemed. That would lead to peace, more or less, since both sides would not meet again.

Even as he thought that he realized that there was an obvious flaw in it. That flaw was part of his own justification for why the Fury pack had to leave behind its isolation in the Northern Waste. That peace from isolation and segregation wouldn't last forever. The dragons would be found eventually, would have forgotten about humans entirely, and then... it wouldn't be good for anyone. Everything would be right back where they had been when the first Viking met the first dragon.

But there was no reason to dwell on that. That world was not his own anymore. He was only responsible for what he could actually change here in this world.

He pulled the blanket back over himself and settled down to try to get what rest he could. Focusing on nothing but Toothless's and Moonbeam's soft purring was what finally helped him calm, still his restless mind, and fall asleep.

* * *

Dawn finally came as a slight brightening of the darkness. It was not much, but there was enough light to let everyone see much of the Pelennor. Hundreds of Gondor soldiers stood on the ramparts of each level and stared out over the plain and fields.

Hiccup and Toothless slipped out of the barn while leaving Moonbeam to sleep a little more. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder on the edge of the wall and stared out into the distance. Long lines of dots and entire companies of soldiers were already in formation, digging trenches, and lighting fires. The visible stream of soldiers extended all the way out into the far shadows where nothing was visible. It was difficult to hear over the constant noise of the city, but there was a constant murmuring from far away. The occasion drumbeat also was audible.

"Well, that doesn't look good..." Hiccup grumbled.

Toothless growled.

"How many are there?"

"A lot."

"Good."

"Good?"

"Yes, there might be enough that you can hit one with your arrows by chance."

Hiccup punched him in the shoulder.

"I'm not that bad a shot!"

Toothless toothily grinned at him.

"Maybe not, but you live in a Night Fury pack. You must be like us and never miss..."

Hiccup scowled and crossed his arms on his chest.

"I do not miss! Not anymore! I'm a very good shot now, thank you very much!"

Toothless shrugged.

"You still need to prove that to me."

"Fine. How?"

"By shooting something!"

"Something? Sure... I'll shoot down a something and mount that something head on a wall! Care to be more specific?"

Toothless hummed in thought until he smirked.

"How about you shoot down a fellbeast?"

"Yeah, that'd be impressive. Gotta find some fellbeasts first. On second thought... we don't need to go looking for them. They will come to us."

"And we will be ready for them!" Toothless growled.

They watched as the many thousands of shapes out on the Pelennor continued working and gathering, slowly filling the entirety of the plains before the city.

* * *

They flew up to the highest level without looking out at the gathering army.

Toothless and Moonbeam touched down, and Hiccup hopped down onto the grass. He was clad in his dark leather armor, complete with his wingsuit, his Lorien cloak, his Dwarven dagger, and his dark helmet. Inferno and his arrows were back at their temporary lodging, but he would be keeping those with him before too long.

Toothless stepped over to him and roughly nudged his shoulder.

"Huh?" Hiccup asked.

"Just admiring how you look like a dangerous fighter now."

"Good! I am one!"

Toothless chuckled.

"But where is your tail?"

"Really... what are they even for? Why would I need one?"

"Balance," Moonbeam answered.

"Faster turns," Toothless added.

"Spins," Moonbeam also added.

"Holding tails..." Toothless chuckled.

The Furies rubbed each other's neck while purring.

Hiccup sighed and rolled his eyes.

"You two are hopeless. You coming with or not?"

Then he started for the Citadel with them bounding after him.

"They will let us inside this time?" Toothless asked.

"Yep, animals are allowed inside now," Hiccup grumbled.

They calmly walked up before the massive and majestic Citadel framed on the right by the glimmering Tower of Ecthelion.

Hiccup marveled again at how high it rose up above the tallest level. It was a marvelous feat of engineering and construction.

_Who knows what it is for? Probably just to be impressive or see really far away._

The Citadel guards on duty outside the Citadel stood to attention and stepped aside after opening the massive doors.

Hiccup gazed in surprise and awe when he stepped inside and saw the interior. The building was constructed with shining floors, pristine columns of black stone, many massive sculptures of rulers, glass windows, and a large, elevated white throne. A large table stood in the center of the throne room, and Gandalf, Faramir, and Denethor, all deep in council, stood around the table. Pippin stood off to the side, waiting to see to Denethor's requests. Another table had plates of tomatoes, chicken, and vegetables.

The entire inside of the Citadel had a feeling of nobility and grandiosity which Rohan completely lacked. However, the simpler buildings of Edoras felt more... inviting and homely, in his opinion.

Toothless and Moonbeam followed him up to the table and then sat down. Moonbeam looked around at the statues in surprise; it was certainly her first time being inside such a building.

"You wanted to meet us," Hiccup bowed to them.

"Thank you for joining us; we were discussing the coming defense," Faramir greeted them.

Denethor frowned and looked very weary, "Have you not seen the number of foes out on the Pelennor? I know not if we can withstand them. All may be in vain."

Faramir turned to him.

"Father, we can hold. We have all my Rangers, Rohan's army inbound, and more dragons flying to us. We can hold."

Denethor stared across the table at Faramir. The Steward's eyes were narrow and his voice was cold.

"We thought the same about Osgiliath and yet it has fallen... twice now."

Faramir averted his eyes, but Toothless growled softly.

"You did not have us then."

Gandalf nodded.

"Indeed. You and the rest of your kin who are flying to our aid will be most helpful in the coming siege. We wish to discuss tactics with you three."

Hiccup stepped forward and stood at attention with his arms behind his back. He was eager to get to this. Planning and careful attacks are how dragons attack best, after all.

"Good idea. What is the plan?"

Gandalf started pacing, his hands behind his back.

"The army of Mordor is not as advanced as Saruman's was. However, it is much larger. I expect a minimum of a hundred thousand Orcs. They will have siege towers to scale the upper walls and many catapults to rain fire and ruin on the lower levels."

Faramir spoke up.

"My Rangers have spotted men of Rhun and Harad; there are perhaps ten thousand. They even have Mumakil, massive beasts of war for open combat."

"What about the fellbeasts? What will they do?" Toothless growled.

Gandalf frowned and clutched his staff.

"The Nazgul will use them to spread fear through the city. The Nazgul's cries from the shadows above can have a terrible effect on even the stoutest warrior."

"They might try to destroy our catapults or lay waste the lines on the walls," Faramir added.

"How many fellbeasts are there?" Hiccup asked.

Faramir answered.

"We do not know. There are nine Nazgul, each of which will likely have a mount. But even that might not be all of the winged beasts, from what I and my men have seen recently."

Gandalf frowned.

"I can help to hold the Nazgul at bay. I am more... at liberty to show my strength now, if I deem it necessary."

"How many dragons can we expect to fly here?" Denethor asked.

"Eight more, all like me. What do you think the best flight would be for us? How can we help the most?" Toothless asked.

Gandalf, Faramir, and Denethor silently looked between themselves.

"Am I correct that the cries of the Nazgul do not affect you?" Gandalf inquired.

"They make me want to flame them. Does that count?"

Gandalf nodded.

"Yes, it does. I believe the best way you and your kind could aid in the defense is to help keep the Nazgul and the fellbeasts from the walls. Burning down the siege towers would also help. Of course, aiding the Rohirrim in their attack would also be most beneficial."

Moonbeam stepped forward and held herself proudly.

"I can help with flaming enemies beyond the wall. I can hide from all eyes when I am in the sky."

Faramir, Denethor, and Gandalf looked confused, so Hiccup explained.

"She can fly through her own fire and she... vanishes in the sky. The enemy won't even see her until it's too late."

"Fascinating," Faramir breathed in awe.

"Is that so? Concealment is very useful indeed," Gandalf nodded, looking amused.

Denethor braced himself against the table.

"This is all well to speak of, but we are considering only common foes which can be felled by sword, pike, and bow. What of the Sorcerer of Minas Morgul?"

A deathly silence followed the mention of that name. The light filtering in from the windows and glowing from the candles faded slightly.

"We know that he will be leading the assault. What is your plan to bring about his end, Mithrandir?"

Gandalf leaned against his staff, thought for a moment, and then answered.

"I have none."

Denethor nervously laughed.

"So you admit you are outmatched?"

"Perhaps, but I have not tested myself against him."

"But you can challenge him, right? You are the White Wizard, and that has to count for something!" Pippin interjected.

"Yes, Master Peregrin, it appears that I must face him in a test of might. If I do face him, no others may interfere. He wields sorcery and foul magics. Merely standing in the Witch-king's presence will drain strength, any blade that strikes him will be destroyed, and anyone who harms him will be stricken."

"You have my fire!" Toothless growled.

"And mine also!" Moonbeam added.

"That fire will be welcome, and I do hope that it will prove useful. All we must do is survive until Rohan arrives. The enemy's greatest strength will fall on the main gate. We hold that and we can hold as long as we need."

Gandalf walked over to Hiccup and put a hand on his shoulder.

"If you would take my advice, Master Haddock, I would have you stay out of the combat so that Burning-Star and Moonbeam can fly freely without burden."

Hiccup frowned, not liking this proposed plan at all.

"With respect, I will not sit here and do nothing while people I care about are fighting. And I am a good shot with the bow. They might need my help."

Toothless stepped over to him and gently nudged him with a paw.

"I would feel better if you were not in the worst fighting. It would be harder for me to fight the fellbeasts up close with you on me."

"I..."

"Stay with Gandalf, bite from far away with your bow, and stay safe. Please."

"I just want to help..." Hiccup whispered.

"And you will by staying safe. I do not want you to get hurt," Toothless whispered back.

Hiccup glumly nodded.

"Fine... fine..."

He didn't like this at all, but... he could see the sense in what Gandalf and Toothless pointed out. There was a noticeable difference between a Night Fury bearing a saddle and rider, and one without that burden.

Still, he wanted... needed to prove himself! Somehow...

Gandalf resumed pacing.

"Faramir and I will lead the men in the defense and help to sustain their courage. Steward, will you bring your blade also? Your presence would do much to muster the city's strength."

Denethor said nothing for a long time; his gaze was unfocused, and his eyes looked heavy and weary, as if he had not been sleeping well.

Hiccup thought he understood why. Denethor was obviously very worried about the city and not sleeping well because of it.

"Steward?" Gandalf muttered.

"Yes," Denethor blinked, "Yes, I will join the final stand. If we must die, we might as well bring as many of the enemy with us as we can. Will someone... send for my son, that he may battle at my side and die with me?"

"Father, I'm right here..." Faramir stepped over to him.

"B... F...aramir..." Denethor wearily sat down in his chair and held his head in his hands.

"Father, are you well?" Faramir knelt before him.

The Steward's eyes, normally blazing with strength, were very weary when he looked back up. His hands shook and his voice became more frantic as he spoke.

"I... oh my son... my dreams... I see more than any can know. He is so many. So strong. What can the West do against him? Fire and lightning and death and betrayal and the Tree will die... and burn... we shall burn..."

Faramir gently shook his father's shoulder.

"We can stand defiant and not give in to fear! How long has the city stood and the line of Stewards protected the city? You will not fail now."

Denethor exhaled and closed his eyes, holding a palm to his brow.

"Fara...mir, I need... rest now..."

Faramir made a gesture and summoned several attendants over to see to Denethor.

"Father, go rest. We will need you this evening once the siege truly begins."

"Yes... yes. And we can all die then... die and burn with honor..."

The attendants led a stumbling Denethor into the back rooms of the Citadel and left them alone.

Gandalf scowled as soon as they were gone.

"There is foul craft at work here. Denethor was never one to give in to despair as he has now. Has he been taking council from anyone else?"

"Not to my knowledge," Faramir answered.

Gandalf grumbled again.

"I must think on this. Fortunately the men followed you and your brother more than they did your father. Your presence alone will lighten their hearts."

Faramir winced and nodded.

"As much as I wish that I could be there for my father, I understand that the city needs me more."

"Excuse me," Hiccup interrupted, "where do you want me?"

Faramir almost smiled at him.

"My my, aren't you eager. You, Master Haddock, have stubbornness issues, am I right?"

"Yes, sir, I do."

"You also have a very fine bow which I assume you know how to use?"

"Also true."

"You might be surprised and pleased to hear that you have a reputation among the men."

"Really?"

"Indeed. After all, you have a fine Elven weapon, mysterious dark armor, and you are kin to friendly dragons. You should join us above the main gate. You could still help out with the defense while also being around Mithrandir."

Hiccup eagerly agreed. While it was not the same as flying with Toothless, this would still be him directly contributing to the defense.

"Alright, I'll do that until the rest of the pack gets here. Then I'll help lead all of them in the defense."

Gandalf spoke up.

"Now that the Steward has returned to his chambers, I can share that Aragorn will also arrive here by another road than with Rohan. He will be bringing a company of his kin and the knights of Dol Amroth by the river. I expect they will arrive roughly at the same time as Rohan, if neither are much delayed."

Faramir nodded.

"I understand. My father is not well, and the pressure of... transition may be much for him. So... Rohan and other dragons will arrive from the north, and more reinforcements will arrive from the west and the south. We must only endure."

An attendant entered the Citadel, gave Faramir a report, and then was dismissed.

"How long do we have until it starts?" Hiccup asked.

"They will have some catapults ready perhaps by day's end, but the siege does not truly start until the towers reach us. I hope that you, Burning-Star and Moonbeam, might help us greatly with destroying those," Faramir said.

"What about me? What can I do?" Pippin piped up.

Faramir crossed his arms while smiling at the Hobbit.

"You, Master Halfling, I would have tend to my father. Open combat is no place for a Hobbit. You can also give assistance to the healers who tend the wounded."

"I understand, Captain. I can do all that," Pippin answered.

"Go now and summon Beregond and all the other Citadel guards. I would have all the Citadel guards who can be spared join in the defense of the walls."

Pippin ran off to obey his orders. Faramir then turned to Toothless and Moonbeam.

"And I trust that you will both act without direction. It is not my place to give you orders."

Toothless purred and bowed to him.

"We know what to do. What are the best targets for us?"

"If you are able, the catapults and siege towers should be your primary targets."

Hiccup nodded.

"I'll tell you both what to look for."

* * *

Hiccup stood between Toothless and Moonbeam; he had a hand on both of their necks. The three of them stood together far out on the spur on the highest level of the city.

The eastern wind whipped around them while the dark clouds swirled high above. Even from so far away and high up, the wind occasionally carried a shrill cry or howl, a beat of a drum, or some other sound from out on the plain.

They silently gazed out toward the Pelennor. None of them said anything about how large the force was, for they could not find words for it. There were countless Orcs and even a number of large creatures, probably trolls, making formations.

Lines hundreds deep filled the entire fields and plains before the city but just outside the range of any archers. The defending catapults were silent, saving their shots for important targets such as towers and siege engines.

"I have never seen so many things," Moonbeam grumbled.

"Me neither," Toothless sighed.

"And we have to wait here until the attack starts," Hiccup frowned.

Toothless bumped his shoulder.

"We will be fine! We will stay high and fast, and you will stay with Gandalf. I want you to get your first kills with your bow."

"Yes," Moonbeam purred, "you can be a hunter also."

"Alright, I should get ready. Everything fine with the tailfin?" Hiccup asked.

Toothless chuckled.

"Yes, it is. You should put on your hide and wings."

"Will do! Could be helpful."

"I will fly you down there, but first... there is something Moonbeam and I should do."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? What is that?"

"We should let everyone know that we are here."

Toothless and Moonbeam stepped up to the edge of the spur, took deep breaths, and roared in defiance. Their united roars echoed off the stones, and Hiccup felt his own breath shiver with the force of their cries which he could not tell apart. He had to cover his ears, so loud were their roars.

Then they went silent as they caught their breath.

"Well, if anyone didn't know you two are here... they do now!"

"Let them know! They will fear the fury of both night and light!" Toothless snarled.

"And about that, you ready for this?" Hiccup stepped over to him and offered him the pendant.

"Yes, I want it for this fight!"

Hiccup looped the pendant over Toothless's head and tied off the pendant so that it had no room to swing on his neck.

Toothless instantly felt warmer with his precious and warming starlight with him, though that light was hidden now.

Hiccup started chuckling at something.

"What is twisting your tail?" Moonbeam asked.

"Oh, nothing. It's just... a dragon flying into battle, bearing the light of a star feels so... right."

* * *

The light began to fade as evening approached. There was no visible setting sun.

Toothless kneaded at the stone underpaw as he watched the tower-dens approach beyond the wall. He and Moonbeam were perched on a tower on the first city-nest level. They were waiting for the fight to begin.

The roar of a horn would announce the start of the attack.

The rhythmic booming of large drums beyond was growing louder. His soul-fire burned hotter as he breathed heavily, gathering strength.

This nervous energy and building snarl inside was a very familiar one which he had felt many times before.

_'The dragons circled above the human-nest while searching for the prey to take. All was peaceful now but would not be in only wingbeats. It was his job to hit the things that threw rocks and would ground his fellow dragons.'_

He blinked and remembered where he was.

"How are you, my dear mate?" he softly asked her.

"I have never... been in a fight like this. This is even bigger than the one before."

"Yes, but you can hide from eyes. You will be safe."

"And what about you?" she nuzzled his neck.

"I will be fast! Remember to flame the rock-throwing things and the moving tower-dens."

"I can do that," she whispered.

Her ears fell as she stared into the beyond. Something was chilling her soul-fire.

"What is it?"

"I hope they are not here," she barely whispered.

"The twisted-into-wrong dragons? Let them come here. We flamed them before," he snorted.

"Yes... them. If the rest of the pack gets here first..."

He grumbled at that. It was a fair concern of hers since there were nine of the Nazgul, probably each of them with a fellbeast of their own. She had never fought against a Nazgul, as far as he knew.

"Gandalf will help hold the fellbeasts away."

He glanced over to the main gate where Gandalf, Faramir, and Hiccup were sure to be. That was the most important place along the wall.

_Today Hiccup will get his first kills. That will spark his soul-fire!_

"Eyes on the prey, watch the skies for wings, and stay above the biting-arrows," he growled.

"I can flame while hidden in the sky. I will stay safe, and so must you!" she growled back.

Then he held her tail and let them sway as one.

"Contest to kill the most tower-dens!" he challenged her.

"I will win!"

"You will try..."

They waited together, glaring in silence as the moment built and as the cries and cheers from beyond grew louder.

A familiar voice echoed out from the rocks. It was a voice that he had heard twice now: once by a road in the Shire and once at the Council in Rivendell.

_What is the Wizard doing?_

Then there was a flash of light from near the front gate. The light flowed out in a wave above the city, as though the clouds had parted to reveal sunlight. The entire city was covered in the light.

He gave a grunt of approval. This light was warming in the same way that his pendant was.

The light was answered by a cheer from the defenders and the roars of horns throughout the city. The arms of the many rock-throwing towers moved and hurled rocks through the sky.

He watched the large rocks fly high and then fall beyond the walls. A couple of the tower-dens were hit and collapsed; the Orcs inside were crushed or fell to their deaths.

But there were many more tower-dens still approaching.

_Time to fly!_

He roared aloud and jumped into the sky with Moonbeam at his side. She shot a flash of her fire before herself, spun into it, and vanished except for a shimmering. He could still hear her flight next to him, and her purple eyes were still visible when she looked at him.

Seeing nothing but her eyes was very strange. Then they were gone.

_Eyes on the prey..._

He glared at the nearest tower-den and flew high above it. There were very big and fat troll-things pushing it toward the wall. There were many Orcs with bows standing around the tower-den. None of those were his target.

He tucked his wings into a dive and readied his fire as the wind screamed in pain. He loosed his shot and pulled out of his dive before any arrows could be loosed at him.

The rear base of the tower-den exploded as his shot tore inside and set it aflame. The tower-den began leaning backwards as it collapsed. Several Orcs, themselves on fire, jumped from the destroyed and burning tower-den and fell to the ground.

_One for me!_

He glanced around and saw another tower-den burst into flame further down the wall. There was nothing visible in the sky around it.

_One for her..._

The entire city was still brighter with the hovering light that had definitely come from Gandalf somehow. While the city was brighter, as if under a midday sun, the darkness beyond grew darker by contrast.

The drums boomed out in the shadows as many pawsful of fires suddenly blazed in the Mordor army. Catapults hurled burning rocks high through the sky.

He watched, helpless, as many burning rocks fell down inside the walls and erupted. Columns of flame poured into the sky from the first two city-levels. Few actual fires started because most of the buildings were made of stone instead of wood. But there were some fires that started burning throughout the struck levels.

_Okay, new targets to flame..._

He flew back out over the walls and positioned himself for another dive above a group of the catapults. Orcs were working to load another burning rock to be thrown.

He dove and readied another shot. Again, he pulled out of the dive before any arrows could bite at him. The catapult was torn apart and set on fire, exactly as he knew would happen. Then he turned back for the walls.

A wary glance went to the skies above; there was no sign of other wings.

_Where are they? The Nazgul will want to fly against us. As long as they are not here..._

He looked around for the next target to flame. There was another tower-den now on fire near the first one she had struck. Then he realized something terrible.

_I did not say that catapults count also! She has two to my one now! Grr!_

Another rain of rocks came flying from the city, and he easily dodged all the falling rocks, several of which struck the catapults. More of the Mordor catapults threw their own rocks.

The countless horde of Orcs raced for the gate, though there was no way they could possibly break it. Then he turned for the nearest tower-den. It would need to die for him to catch up to her kill count.

So it would burn.

* * *

"To your posts! To the wall! Defend the wall!" Gandalf cried.

"With me, Men of Gondor!" Faramir shouted from astride his horse.

Hiccup ran along with the company of soldiers following after Gandalf and Faramir. While the men had been afraid before, now they summoned their courage, help their pikes and shields high, and ran in formation.

But they did occasionally glance at him.

He was fully clad in his dark armor; his bow slung over his back, his dagger in its sheath, and his Elven arrows in his quiver.

While the other soldiers were larger and definitely stronger than him, they looked at him in awe.

_I have a reputation after all..._

Many lengths of paved, cobbled streets passed underfoot as the soldiers filtered down toward the main gates.

Faramir arrived there first and dismounted to greet his dozens of Ithilien Rangers and the other soldiers. They all stood to attention at his arrival.

"To the walls! Watch for the catapults, keep your shields ready, and do not fear the dark wings!"

"My Captain!" they cried in unison.

The Rangers departed at his command, bows already in hand as they ran up onto the outer walls. Their green and brown cloaks swayed as they ran. The rest of the soldiers clad in armor followed Faramir's orders and ran up to the wall and the causeway over the main gate.

Faramir then approached him and Gandalf.

"Mithrandir, you know what will happen if the Nazgul show themselves."

Gandalf clasped Faramir's shoulder.

"Yes, I said that I can hold them at bay for a time, and I shall as long as I can. You are above their strength, and you can inspire your men to master their fear, for they love you."

Faramir then drew his bow and ran off to join his men on the wall. Gandalf then gestured Hiccup to follow him up the stairs to the top of the wall.

They both stopped on the rampart above the main gate. Men carried barrels of arrows out of the supply wagons and placed the barrels along the wall. Commanders shouted orders which were immediately followed.

There was a nervous energy in the air despite the darkness above and beyond.

Hiccup breathed deeply as he looked around at all the soldiers and archers preparing for battle. Everything around him reminded him of those nights Berk stayed awake because there was going to be a raid. It was sure to happen, but no one knew when it would start.

He glanced back over the houses and saw the two Furies perched together, waiting for battle to commence. A part of him still wanted to be aloft for this battle, but he also understood the need to not burden Toothless or make it difficult for him to fight.

The dark clouds swirling high above and the wind which carried the howls, grunts, and cries from beyond cast a pall over the defenders. And that was not even including the countless number of opponents beyond the wall.

A nameless, creeping fear began to grow on him as he beheld how hopeless this battle was. A handful of nearby soldiers agreed as they turned to the Wizard.

"Mithrandir! It is so dark!" "The Shadow!" "The dark wings will come for us!" "Wraiths on wings!"

Gandalf stared out into the horde of Orcs. Then he turned around and gazed at the city.

"Yes, the Enemy sends this foul cloud to smother your courage and darken your hearts! What we need is more light!"

Hiccup entirely agreed that would help. The large torches Berk used had been invaluable during the raids.

Gandalf raised his staff high and closed his eyes. His white robes swayed in the faint wind. Then he raised his voice with power and clarity that shuddered the stones.

"Galad tirith a-leithian ost od goe!"

He slammed his staff down onto the rock wall.

There was a flash of white light.

And it was as if day had emerged above the city in spite of the dark clouds above. Everything was brighter: the rock and stone of the city almost glowed white, the soldiers' polished armor gleamed, and Gandalf's staff shed light as if he or it were a star. The light hovered above the city, forming a barrier between the ground and the clouds and darkness beyond.

_Oh my gods..._

The moment passed, and Gandalf appeared again as only an old man as he leaned on his staff. But the light that filled the air above the city and brightened it did not fade.

All the soldiers gave a defiant roar and blew their horns in unison. The catapults answered. Then Toothless and Moonbeam answered and took to the sky. He raised a fist at their passing.

_Go get em!_

He could do nothing for the moment except watch their flights, which then became only Toothless's flight after Moonbeam vanished. Then even Toothless became hard to see in the darkness beyond.

_Alright, you've got time for a couple of the siege towers before the volley..._

Sure enough, a pair of the towers being pushed by trolls burst apart into flame and collapsed in a pair of explosions. The men on the walls pointed out at the fires.

_Nice shots! Hard to miss those towers though..._

Dozens of fires flared to life out in the darkness. Those could only be one thing.

_Great, counterattack..._

Then the sky was filled with flaming balls that flew over their heads. The shots struck empty homes, shops, barracks, and other structures. Many of the shots broke apart and spilled flaming liquid on the ground where they shattered. Some of the shots were more solid and designed to collapse their targets.

Several fires were set in the first level of the city, and a handful of buildings collapsed.

_Could have been worse. Is that all they've got?_

Gondor's catapults began launching dozens of boulders, several of which he watched in flight. Their accuracy was very impressive.

A wild and foul cheering began echoing from beyond the wall as the army approached. He vaguely noticed another flash out in the darkness, probably Toothless striking something, because the horde of Orcs had his attention as they rushed toward the gate. They waved their pikes, swords, or bows as they ran. A company of the Orcs carried a battering-ram. These were the first true Orcs he had seen, and they looked just as hideous as Uruks.

_Really, no shields? Terrible strategy._

The Gondor archers, which were all the men on the wall for now, nocked their bows and aimed down into the horde approaching the main gate.

He drew a deep breath to steady himself as the shouting, roaring horde neared the gate. Then he fitted an Elven arrow to his bow. His plan was to save the Elven arrows since there were thousands of Gondor arrows available, but he wanted to be sure that his first shot was a kill.

Proving his worth to himself felt important.

"Fire at will!" Faramir roared in a voice that carried over the din.

Hundreds of shots rained down on the horde of Orcs, felling dozens of them as squealing and roaring of pain filled the air.

_Okay, plenty of targets to shoot at. Which one?_

He settled on the armored Orcs that were carrying the battering ram. Those ones appeared to have thicker armor. Everything else, the din and chaos around him, fell away as he focused on the one in front, a large and in his opinion very ugly Orc. But of course they were all ugly, so that was nothing special.

He paused, frozen as he tracked his target. What if he... missed?

His soul-fire answered him in the silence.

He was part of a family of Night Furies.

That meant he did not miss.

The Orc stumbled as his arrow pierced through its chest. The fallen Orc tripped up the others running behind it, and the battering ram fell to the ground. The Orcs went to pick up the battering ram, but he didn't care.

_Yes, I hit it! Did anyone else see that? Oh whatever... there's plenty more where that came from!_

The battle became more worrying when Orc arrows flew overhead from the archers down below. But he wasn't too concerned since he only needed to show himself for a few seconds to take a shot. Most of the Orc arrows flew overhead and fell among the armored, shield-bearing soldiers within the wall.

There were so many Orcs down below outside the gate that he almost didn't even need to carefully aim.

He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"So?" Gandalf asked.

"One!" he grinned.

Gandalf nodded back to him and then spun away to resume shouting commands and encouragement.

Hiccup stepped over to the nearest barrel of arrows, grabbed a handful, and filled his quiver. Then he wove back between the archers, nocked another arrow, and found a target down below.

_This will be a long night._

He loosed the arrow and closely followed its flight.

"Two..." he smirked.

* * *

_**Author's Note – Gandalf's Sindarin chant is meant to be translated 'Light, guard and free the city from fear.' The articles and prepositions might not be correct, but I made an effort to use proper Sindarin grammar. If any of you are Tolkien scholars who can correct any errors in the Sindarin, it would be appreciated.**_


	57. Reinforcements

Reinforcements

* * *

The long night continued in a hail of arrows and growing piles of bodies beyond the wall.

Hiccup had stopped counting after fifty shots. His arms were weak, and it hurt to even draw his bow.

Weary and needing a break, he stepped away from the ramparts and retreated into the safety of shelter given by the wall. He scrambled down the stairs after stowing Inferno away. Just like the other archers taking a needed break, he had to remain close to the wall for cover.

The soldiers unlucky enough to have been struck by rock or arrow but still able to fight were being tended to there also. The shouting in the outer courtyard and the pounding on the gate continued, but the small battering rams used by Orcs were too weak to even dent the main gate.

But there was something far more ominous than countless Orcs. There were other wings in the sky now.

Dark wings of fellbeasts, a horrifying mix of enormous bat-birds, were circling above. The Nazgul rode the fellbeasts and filled the skies with shrieking cries that filled the defender's hearts with momentary terror. The soldiers upon the wall visibly quivered and quailed when those shrieks sounded on the wind.

At least the Nazgul stayed away from the light that Gandalf was holding, but it was likely they could do great damage if they truly joined the fray. They could probably destroy the catapults and decimate the lines of archers on the wall.

He stepped aside from everyone else, found the nearest supply crate, got a canteen of water, and a loaf of bread. Dozens of stone buildings on the first couple levels were collapsed from hurled boulders. Fires blazed throughout the city from flaming shots.

Everything around him felt so similar to the terrifying raids he had been in through the years. Staying inside, sharpening axes for the real fighters, or staying hidden behind buildings, all while wings swarmed above and the dragons threatened to carry him off or eat him alive. But there was no fear now... as long as the Nazgul stayed away.

Every time one of them neared filled his heart with fear and unreasonable terror. Why did that happen to him? Why did Nazgul cries affect him so much? They should not.

He finished his snack and noticed the two Furies resting on the other side of the courtyard, so he went to join them. Toothless and Moonbeam had done their part by setting over fifteen combined towers and catapults on fire. A stray Orc arrow had struck Toothless's side, though without injury, prompting both of them to take more cover or stay higher in the sky.

Further, the arrival of the fellbeasts had forced the two Furies from the sky for safety. It was too dangerous to stay in the sky beyond the wall. Unhindered, several siege towers had then reached the wall and let battle be joined up on the wall.

He ran up to Toothless and Moonbeam as they rested.

"How are you doing?"

Toothless grumbled and leaned against Moonbeam's side.

"We are tired," Toothless yawned.

Moonbeam nodded once with her head on her paws.

"So am I. I have never flamed as much as I did this night..." she said.

"Me too. I can't shoot anymore for now," Hiccup sighed.

"Rest with us..." Moonbeam hummed.

"Glad to..."

None of them said anything else for a long time. They had to stay awake, keeping their eyes on the sky just in case.

Faramir and Gandalf ran back and forth on the wall to help reassure everyone and keep them fighting. The drums boomed in the distance while the flicker of flames and the occasional stray arrow flew overhead. A few fires were burning in the storehouses and caches of supplies.

"Got many shots left?" Hiccup wondered.

"Yes, we do. Why would we not?" Toothless asked.

"Well, every dragon has a shot limit, right?"

Toothless and Moonbeam hummed in thought.

"I used all my fire in other fights, but I am not sure now..." Toothless mumbled.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Toothless shrugged while growling out of curiosity.

"My fire feels different now. I do not think I am near my... shot limit, as you said."

Hiccup briefly thought about it and then decided to think more about it later.

"Oh well, your shot limit changing wouldn't be the strangest thing that has happened to you..."

"No, it would not. Losing is worse..."

"Losing?"

Moonbeam smugly purred.

"I won our contest by one burned tower-den!"

Toothless rolled his eyes and huffed.

"Speaking of strange things happening, I saw Denethor out here earlier," Hiccup offered.

Toothless blinked.

"Truly? That is impressive of him."

"Yeah, he's not fighting so much as he is just being there with the men. Having him out here probably helps the soldiers be braver, so there is that. I still wonder what's wrong with him."

Moonbeam grumbled and hissed.

"He has a cold soul-fire and wants to stop fighting... he would let the attackers take his city..."

A rock soared overhead and struck a stone structure up on the second level. They watched as the elegant building collapsed in on itself in a cloud of smoke. Shouts and cries went up as a few people ran in the streets.

_Yikes, hope no one was in that..._

"Yeah, he almost wants to give up, but from what I've heard he wasn't always like that."

A shrieking cry echoed from high above, and they glanced up at its source. One of the fellbeasts had flown closer to the wall. The Nazgul's shrieking cry covered the city in darkness and smothered the light.

He wanted to hide and pray that it would not find him, and he shrunk back against Toothless's side. Other soldiers cried out and hid as the catapults went silent. He knew that he would have bad dreams filled with shrieks for a long time after today... if he survived at all, which was unlikely, and he should just drop his weapons and accept the end, and there was no reason to fight and resist, and...

"Courage, brother..." Toothless hummed.

The shadow passed as both Nazgul and fellbeast retreated higher into the darkness. The dark wings still circled high over the city.

"Why does it do that to me?" Hiccup whispered, shivering.

"It is not only you. Those living shadows are hunters of humans. They put fear in your soul-fires only by being near you," Toothless calmly said.

Hiccup bristled, very uncomfortable by that.

"False-life should not be," Moonbeam hissed.

Another rock flew overhead and struck a tower on the second level. The bottom half of the tower shattered, and the entire structure crumbled and pitched forward, falling onto the first level and crushing a barracks as it fell. That was the second such tower struck in short succession.

Several screams went up and were swiftly silenced, covered by the crashing roar of the stone structures topping into the street.

"Where are they... the rest of the pack and... everyone?" Hiccup gasped, looking away from the collapsed buildings.

"They should be here the next sun, whenever that is. It should be soon."

Hiccup frowned. Why was Rohan taking so long? More likely was that they were not coming at all.

"If they didn't give up on us..."

Toothless growled and nudged him.

"They would not do that! Do not be twisted!"

Hiccup knew that was true even before Toothless pointed it out to him. Rohan and the pack would never have betrayed them. They were just... delayed.

_What's wrong with me? Maybe this is the Nazgul somehow..._

"Yeah, you're right. They'll be here, eventually."

He stared up at the swirling clouds being battered about by the wind high above the mountain the city was carved into. The clouds were twisting and rolling as if two winds, one from the east and the other from the west, were doing battle up above. That was oddly appropriate, though it would be very nice to see actual sunlight again.

Howls, screeches, drums, the roar of flames, the cries of commands, and the twang of bows continued to fill the air as the night dragged on.

* * *

The ground outside the main gate was covered in a black sludge, which Hiccup knew was actually Orc blood. Countless hundreds of Orcs had fallen out there without even denting the main gate. There were so many bodies that it was hard for the Orcs to advance.

Faramir and Gandalf ran back and forth along the wall and shouted encouragement to the defenders. The shrill cries continued up above and out beyond the wall. Arrows kept raining down from the ramparts.

Then all the Orcs pulled back away from the walls. Even the fellbeasts and Nazgul pulled back from the skies above.

Hiccup stepped back from the overhang above the gate as all the bows went silent. The catapults kept hurling rocks into the night on both sides. He glanced back into the city and saw Toothless and Moonbeam resting on a rooftop.

_What is going on?_

Soldiers crowded around Gandalf and hounded him with questions.

"Mithrandir, what is happening!" "The Orcs!" "Have we won?" "Is it over?"

"This is not over! Be on your guard!" Gandalf cried aloud.

Denethor stepped up on top of the wall. The Steward was clad in silver mail underneath his dark fur coat. Denethor said nothing as he stared out beyond the wall. Then he suddenly stiffened and spun toward Gandalf while shouting frantically.

"They come for us! The wolf of fire will consume us all!"

"Steady yourself, Steward! What do you speak of?" Gandalf rebuked him.

Denethor openly laughed as a fell light gleamed in his eyes.

"I see so much more than you, Wizard. Open your eyes and listen to our doom..."

_He's crazy..._

But there was something different about the chanting in the beyond. The countless thousands of Orcs were shouting a very deep battle-cry.

"Grond! Grond! Grond!"

_What does that mean?_

Gandalf stepped over to the edge of the wall, and Hiccup similarly stared out into the darkness.

There was something very large, something like a siege-tower, being pushed toward the main gate. The siege engine, designed almost like a crouched wolf, looked like it was partially on fire. The fellbeasts flitted above it, as if protecting it. There was certainly no chance that either of the Furies could strike at it past the winged escort.

Toothless and Moonbeam must have realized that something was happening; they flew over and landed on the wall next to him.

"Grond! Grond! Grond!"

"What is that?" "The wolf's head!" "Ruin!" "Trolls!" "Woe!"

"Find your courage, Men!" Gandalf cried.

Toothless stepped up to Hiccup's side and snarled as he glared beyond.

"What is that?"

"I... think it will... break the gate..." Hiccup whispered.

They both saw all the fellbeasts flying above the siege weapon.

"And we cannot stop it?" Toothless sighed.

Hiccup gave him no answer since there was no need. The nine fellbeasts provided too much protection.

"Grond! Grond! Grond!"

The massive battering-ram drew closer, being pulled and pushed by great beasts and trolls over the mounds of the fallen in its path. Even as he watched, a troll turned away from the construct and ran out into the ranks of Orcs, killing wildly as it went on a senseless rampage. Another troll stepped in to take its place. The Orcs advanced at its side, archers with bows at the ready.

"Grond! Grond! Grond!"

Gandalf drew a heavy breath.

"Grond, they named it for Morgoth's mace. Spells of ruin and sundering lay upon this device."

"What can we do?" a random soldier asked.

Gandalf had no chance to answer before there was motion out beyond the city. A lone fellbeast, what looked like the largest one of all, flew closer to the city until it almost touched the protective bubble of light above the city. Shadows flew behind it and flowed from its wings as it hovered in place, or maybe the flowing shadows were only a trick of the light.

The Nazgul riding it shrieked a painfully piercing cry that sent most of the defenders on the walls to their knees in fear. It was so much more intense than the cry any other of the Nazgul had made so far. A wave of dread and despair flowed over all.

"Grond! Grond! Grond!"

Hiccup wildly clutched Toothless's neck while Moonbeam purred at his other side.

The Nazgul raised its sword high and cried aloud in an unknown tongue. There was a flash of darkness, and the protective light faded from above the city like a fire snuffed out by a rush of water.

There was a moment of silence.

Unhindered, the other Nazgul and fellbeasts raced forward into the darkness and filled the sky with their cries of despair. They dove for the catapults and crushed them. Defenders were seized in massive claws and thrown from the heights.

Shadows grew longer and darker. The stones whispered of ruin and hopelessness. The city was abandoned, betrayed by its allies. No reinforcements were coming. Men dropped their weapons and turned to flee the walls. They were all alone.

"Stand to your posts! Have courage, Men of the West!" Gandalf's clear and powerful voice broke through the spell of despair woven about the city.

Hiccup remembered to breathe and found his courage in the glow of Toothless's pendant and his and Moonbeam's soft purrs. And he remembered.

He was not alone.

"We are staying with you..." Moonbeam whispered and nudged his shoulder.

"Yes, you are flying with me from now on..." Toothless added.

"Okay, I will..."

They did not need to say why. They were not going to abandon the city while hope remained, but they needed to be able to flee together if the worst were to happen. If Rohan and the pack arrived too late or not at all...

"Grond! Grond! Grond!"

* * *

Faramir rallied the archers up above the main gate; their bows kept singing as a rain of arrows fell. Grond was in position directly before the gate. Nothing the archers could do could stop the massive, armored trolls, which were unharmed by arrows, from drawing back the battering-ram and then releasing it.

The flaming wolf's head struck the massive gate. The gate did not break, but the entire wall trembled with the strike.

"Grond! Grond! Grond!"

"To the gate! Follow me! Hurry!" Gandalf, still astride Shadowfax, led several battalions of Gondor soldiers from the walls and the barracks down into the courtyard behind the main gate.

The main gate shivered at another heavy strike.

Toothless, Hiccup safely on his back, hopped down from the house he had been perched on. He and Moonbeam landed to the side of the courtyard and stood together, glaring at the main gate while Gandalf and Shadowfax stood beside them.

Toothless looked around at the many soldiers, and he was very impressed that they showed no fear of him or Moonbeam. That may be because they had something far more scary to be afraid of.

He rolled his eyes and snorted, amused that they were not so afraid anymore

All the soldiers were wearing their thick, metal scale-armor, and they carried long pikes, big shields, and bows. The fighters up on the wall were still biting from up there with their arrows.

Even Denethor, despite his soul-fire of ice and fear, was here with the soldiers to give them courage.

The gate boomed with another strike.

"Grond! Grond! Grond!"

All the soldiers shuffled in place and wavered.

"You are soldiers of Gondor! You will stand your ground!" Gandalf roared in his voice of power.

Everyone else around him cheered.

And then a hush fell over all.

The countless bows went still. Voices were silenced as a cold darkness flowed in the air. The dust and fire-ash under his paws was disturbed by a wind.

Was there a voice on the wind? Some fell chanting from beyond the wall?

Motion up in the skies, high above the city, caught his gaze. The clouds themselves swirled in place, growing thinner as the winds fought with each other. A faint orange glow, a fore-flier of dawn, was barely visible for an instant.

Then the lightning flashed between the gate and the clouds with a deafening boom as the fire-wolf-machine struck.

The massive gate broke in two and swung open with a crash. But there was no horde of Orcs or trolls that rushed inside.

Smoke and mist flowed in through the destroyed gate.

"Steady! Whatever comes through that gate, you will stand your ground!" Gandalf shouted.

The fighters remained in place, pikes lower and shields lifted, as silence fell again. The mist stilled and began to fall away as something stirred within its depths.

He and Moonbeam bared their teeth and snarled as they saw what was approaching. They had fought these things in the sky from afar, and even that fight was a terrible one.

These fellbeasts might have been dragons once, maybe even something like Night Furies, but they were not now.

The largest fellbeast of them all, its gait awkward as it shuffled inside through the mist, roared aloud at the hundreds of humans gathered to fight. As terrible as it was, the black rider on its back and holding its reins was far worse. He knew its name, for he had dreamed of this Nazgul's twisted voice and heard how terrible it was.

The Witch-king strode in atop his fellbeast through the gates. No arrows flew forth to bite either of them. All was silent.

The Witch-king lifted a sword, which burst into flame, and screamed.

_'Join us freely, lost one...'_

Even he winced at how terrible the cry was, at how it pierced straight to his soul-fire and filled his thoughts with what would happen if he did not obey.

Hiccup would die. Moonbeam would die.

_'You and your kind will serve me!'_

Everything he loved would die. He would die.

Another will and soul-fire burned inside the empty shell of the Witch-king. That other will was one which he had felt before: Sauron himself.

_'No dragon can resist my command and my strength of will!'_

There was no hope. He had no choice. He had to obey.

Or did he?

Accepting the possibility of death was a choice also. He could always disobey and accept the consequences for as long as his will was his own.

If his own death might save Moonbeam or Hiccup, then so be it. He would give his life for them if he had to.

A power he had only barely felt before, now burned freely and drove out all weakness and fear.

No force or will from beyond his own soul-fire could control him now that he feared not for himself.

He opened his eyes and saw the blue glow surrounding him. That power-light, his pendant, and Gandalf's staff were the only lights in the courtyard now. Moonbeam rubbed against his neck out of fear, so he lay his tail over hers. Hiccup's whining of fear stopped, and his grip tightened around Toothless's neck.

He still grumbled when he saw what was happening in the courtyard. All the human fighters were fleeing in terror, their weapons and shields abandoned. They could not stand against this enemy.

None remained except himself, Moonbeam, Hiccup, Gandalf, Shadowfax, and a trembling Denethor, all against the Witch-king and his fellbeast.

The Witch-king reached up and removed its hood. An iron crown floated above the shoulders, and red eyes blazed without a head.

"A worthy effort, Wizard, but futile. The world of Men will fall!" the Witch-king's hissing voice from an unseen mouth filled the air.

"Go back to the void that awaits you and your master!" Gandalf shouted.

The Witch-king said nothing to that, and instead pointed its flaming sword at Toothless and Hiccup. So he shot a blast of flame at the Witch-king, just because he wanted to. The Witch-king waved an armored paw and deflected the shot into the wall.

"Lost one... you are a traitor to your kind. Do you not know the truth?"

He only snarled in answer while the fellbeast's maw dripped with mouth-water.

"I brought you and all your kind here to serve!"

Through twisted skies. A summons to a gathering.

Confirmation of what another had suspected. This was the creature that had brought him and the pack into this world. Or was it actually Sauron who acted through the Witch-king? Was there a difference between the two?

"I will not serve you or your Alpha!" he snarled.

"Yes, you will. I will break you."

Gandalf slammed his glowing staff into the ground and drew his sword. His blade was sparkling and crackling with lightning. His voice was filled with power and boomed from the sky.

"You are Nameless and Formless, craven shadow of Angmar! I am a servant of the Secret Fire, and I do not stand alone!"

The Witch-king remained motionless on his fellbeast, as if uncertain what to do as he stared with flaming eyes at Gandalf. Then the Nazgul raised his sword high as flames ran down the blade.

Everything paused as a very familiar sound echoed high in the sky above them. A shrieking that was different from the Nazgul grew louder.

_They are here and not a wingbeat too soon!_

Several Night Furies roared aloud from high in the sky as they dove. He watched them as they neared, only to realize that there were about half as many as he expected to see.

Five Night Furies touched down high up on the wall above the courtyard. Their mouths were aglow with purple fire which they immediately loosed.

At him and Gandalf.

He knew in that instant in which time flew very slowly that these were not his packmates. These were other Night Furies that flew for the Enemy.

There were others.

A blinding white light filled his vision as he reared back to take the hit instead of Hiccup. But nothing hit him.

Gandalf's white power-light had blocked the shots, much as the Witch-king had blocked his own fire. He still had no idea how that just happened, but he was very glad that the Wizard could do that.

The five Mordor Night Furies roared in defiance down at them.

"Azat agh dig goi!" the Witch-king commanded.

The Mordor Furies roared again as one and jumped from the wall, turning their flight out along the city wall.

"There were others..." Hiccup whimpered in shock.

"We are betrayed by the dragons! Flee! Flee for your lives!" Denethor scrambled to his feet and fled, screaming wildly as he ran.

"No! It's not them! It's..." Hiccup went silent.

The Witch-king pointed his flaming sword at Gandalf as a suffocating silence fell again. All the screams and sounds of battle faded entirely.

"Do you see now, Old Man? This is my hour! Die now and curse in vain!"

Gandalf held both his sparkling sword and staff out before him. Fire, as if kept secret until then, appeared, burning on his hand.

The fellbeast prepared to jump while Shadowfax fearlessly whinnied. Toothless also readied his fire to aid Gandalf however he could.

And new horns sounded from beyond the wall, breaking the silence. They were horns that he remembered from before at Helm's Deep and many times around Edoras.

Everything stopped.

The Witch-king's flaming sword died down as the flames and shadows retreated. Its burning eyes dimmed.

Then, at some silent command, the fellbeast launched itself aloft from the courtyard, flew up into the sky, and vanished over the wall.

In the stillness that followed, they could all see outside the ruined gate. The hordes of Orcs outside were running in chaos with the city and the assault apparently forgotten.

The horns blew with the northern wind. Further, faint roars echoed from beyond.

Rohan and the pack had arrived at last.

* * *

_**Author's Note – I'm a little rusty on my Black Speech, but the Witch-king's command is roughly 'Kill and burn [the] city.' Also, there were hidden hints of the big reveal, Mordor Night Furies, throughout the last couple volumes. Mordor deserved to have dragons too, right?**_

_**I understand why Peter Jackson had the lower levels of the city actually fall, but the gate showdown between the Witch-king and Gandalf would have been better. Plus, we don't actually know what the outcome of that battle would have been. The extended edition scene of the Witch-king easily defeating Gandalf did not do justice to Gandalf's strength.**_


	58. Hide And Prey

_**Author's Note – I'm not sure where the line is for T/M violence, but this chapter is probably a strong T for violence. Also, I hope you appreciate the title.  
**_

* * *

Hide And Prey

* * *

The triumphant horns continued to blow out beyond the wall. Hiccup barely noticed that glorious sound which announced Rohan's arrival. He could only think of one terrible thing now that the horror of the Witch-king was gone.

"There were others! Other Night Furies!" Hiccup shouted.

Oddly, Moonbeam spun and faced him. He had only seen such fear in her eyes once before: after the incident with the Palantir when she was first exposed to Sauron's will. Her voice trembled as she spoke.

"They were... of the pack before, but they flew away... long ago with the living-shadow thing."

He stared at her, unable to say anything in response to this terrible news. These other Night Furies had left the pack and flown with the Nazgul. Somehow, the existence of these Night Furies had never been brought up before.

"Why?" Toothless barked.

"They most wanted... revenge on humans. We named them Packless for leaving us."

Hiccup held his head in his hands as he tried to steady himself and his breaths.

_So they flew with the Nazgul to Mordor and got... enslaved? Oh gods... this is bad!_

Viking tribes completely denied the existence of anyone named Outcast, which is part of what made that so terrible a punishment. That those Furies had been basically outcast was probably why they had never been mentioned. This was information he and Toothless absolutely should have been told about before.

Gandalf ran up the stairs onto the wall, surely to get a better look at the beyond.

"We should... see what's happening out there!" Hiccup shouted.

Toothless growled in agreement and leaped with a beat of his wings as Moonbeam also jumped. Together, they touched down next to Gandalf, and they beheld the Pelennor.

Despite everything that had just happened, they gasped and stared in awe at the northeastern hills.

What had to be thousands of Rohirrim were galloping forward down the slight slope, pikes lowered to skewer the countless Orcs. Night Furies raced above and ahead of them, raining explosive blasts into the Orcs and scattering their formations before the cavalry charge met them. The ground trembled as a distant roll like thunder and a roar filled the morning air. Thousands of voices united in one word that rolled over the fields and the city.

"DEATH!"

A flash of fire and an explosion tore their gazes away from the charge beyond the wall. One of the remaining towers just inside the wall had been struck by the Mordor Furies' blasts. The tower crumbled and collapsed, certainly crushing all the archers that were within or on the wall there. More flashes of fire followed as a dozen soldiers were struck by an explosion and hurled from both sides of the wall.

The Mordor Furies were killing freely as they flew, raining devastation on all below.

Hiccup almost retched. The horror of a true attack on a city by Night Furies that were trying to cause damage and kill was something he had never seen before.

"Gandalf, what should we do?" Toothless growled, also watching the attacking Furies' flights.

Gandalf clutched his staff while watching the attack as the distant Furies rained fire down on the defenders.

"I feared this might happen. The fellbeasts were terrible enough, but they have no flame and cannot be used to as terrible effect as dragons. Grief will likely follow if I do not face the Witch-king, and grief will follow if I do..."

The roar of the cavalry charge continued as the pack Furies faced the fellbeasts that had flown from the city. The first fellbeast was struck by several blasts and then fell with torn wings. Several of the distant Furies were glowing bright blue. But it appeared that the fellbeasts were gathering to put up a fight and thus occupy the pack Furies.

They could not rely on their kin arriving to help the city, not until more of the fellbeasts were taken out.

The Wizard's momentary pause of indecision passed.

"We must stop these dragons here! I will aid you from below as I can! Fly!"

Gandalf then spun around and ran down the steps toward Shadowfax.

Toothless did not need to tell Moonbeam what to do. She already knew. She jumped into the air, fired a blast of flame before herself, spun into it, and vanished from sight, though he was sure that she was staying nearby.

_She can probably ground one of them before they know to look for her..._

"Are you ready?" he growled.

"Almost, give me a second."

Hiccup checked his wingsuit, just in case he needed to do any gliding of his own, and then tightened the last strap on the saddle. Now he could stay secure on Toothless even through the most violent spins.

He patted his dagger, for all the good it would do, grabbed his bow, and closed the quiver. There were only a few arrows left, though he did not want to have to use them. Something felt different about using his weapons against actual dragons, against Night Furies no less. The act of killing, while necessary for mindless Orcs, was too terrible and went against so much of who he was.

He was not a dragon-killer. It was his decision to not be a dragon-killer that gave him almost everything he had in life.

"What is wrong?" Toothless huffed.

"I... don't want to have to... kill them..."

Toothless growled and glanced over his shoulder at him.

"What! They would try to kill you or me! They are killing now!"

"Yeah, but I don't want to be like them..."

"How was killing Orcs different?"

"It just... was."

Toothless snarled and stretched his wings as he prepared to jump.

"Eyes on the prey! I trust you to bite when you must!"

Then they were aloft, flying low above the empty wall toward the attacking Night Furies.

Toothless glared ahead at the visible Furies; none of them were looking his direction. Their flights had separated as several of them flew elsewhere in the city.

_Okay, they do not know about me or Moonbeam flying against them yet. They probably think their master took care of us._

That would actually give him and Moonbeam an advantage. She knew to follow his lead on this attack. The Mordor Furies were more in number, so he and she had to take this fight one at a time.

Even that little planning did not help him feel much more confident about the attack. He had never truly fought another Night Fury.

His flying was much improved from when he first got his new tailfin. However, he had to fly this flight while also keeping Hiccup safe. The extra weight he was carrying made him not as fast as the others probably were.

One of the Night Furies flew away from the others and turned for the outer wall while the others flew higher into the city. He followed the lone Fury while staying low above the buildings. This one looked like a male about his size.

Any chance he had of trying to argue with it or stop it from fighting went away when it aimed its flight straight at a group of archers down in a street. The archers saw its attack-flight and began to dive out of the way just when its shot struck in a large explosion that sent up a cloud into the air. The shot also caught several wooden structures, crates, and a wagon on fire.

Its explosion was far larger than any he remembered making, as if its fire was somehow hotter.

_Okay, wings or tailfins... wings are a bigger target!_

The hovering Night Fury did not see his attack from behind as it stared down at the ruin and death its shot left behind. His shot flew straight and struck its right wing with such force that the wing ripped, sending the screaming Fury falling to the ground. He felt no sympathy for it as the Fury fell heavily and crashed into a house. The house fell in on itself while the dragon tumbled onto its side in the street among the rubble.

But it was not dead.

The downed Fury rolled onto its paws and glared up at him. He dove and touched down on a roof near it.

"Stop!" he roared.

It gave him no answer. Instead, it glanced at its ripped wing and then turned to face the approaching pawful of Gondor soldiers. They had shields, bows, and long pikes, all aimed at the Fury.

_It cannot fight that many! Can it?_

Another glowing shot flew forth, struck the soldiers in a massive explosion, knocked many of the soldiers to the ground, and filled the street with smoke.

The screaming started after the Fury, heedless of its torn wing, leaped into the smoke.

He remembered humans screaming in wrath and anger in the raids long ago. He remembered their screaming of pain after being wounded in Helm's Deep or even in this battle.

Never had he heard true screaming of fear like this as flashes of flame and purple light briefly broke through the cloud.

"It's... killing... them..." Hiccup stuttered.

His shot flew forth, straight at where he was certain the other Fury would be. The smoke cleared slightly after his shot struck.

The downed Fury, one of its wings completely shredded and the other missing, and with a dagger and a sword sticking out of its chest, stood amid a pile of shredded or smoking bodies in torn, melted armor. The street was filled with red and body-parts.

Then the Fury turned to face him, though it was greatly pained by doing so. Pure hate burned in its eyes while blood dripped from its teeth.

It fired another shot straight at where he perched, destroying the roof he had sat on and had just jumped from. A quick change of his flight dodged its second strike. How many shots did it have? Did it have no limit?

A fireball struck it from the open and empty air above. The Fury was stunned and fell on its belly as its head bounced off the stone ground.

He heard unseen wings dash up at his side and saw narrowed, purple eyes pass next to him as the air itself shivered.

There was no time to say anything to her before several soldiers arrived in a charge and acted without hesitation. They hurled their spears, several of which struck the Mordor Fury's chest and neck.

The Fury gave a strangled howl, collapsed in place, and did not move even after the soldiers ran up to it and kept striking with spears and swords.

Now it was very dead.

He had directly helped to kill one of his kin, or at least one of the same type of dragon as himself. This thing was not his kin!

Hiccup was softly whining while holding onto his neck.

_Brother..._

Hiccup had never seen anything that bad before either. Seeing that death had to hurt Hiccup's soul-fire, so he winged away from the terrible sight and perched on another rooftop by the wall.

"Look out there!" he pointed with a paw.

They looked out beyond the wall and took a moment to relax and see what was happening outside the city.

Rohan was still charging further into the packs of Orcs, which had completely fallen into chaos. The fellbeasts were being flamed and falling from the sky, or else they were fleeing while being chased by his packmates. Several fellbeasts were missing. There was even another very big pack of humans, probably Aragorn's pack, approaching from the western river. There were also strange and very large walking four-legs in the distance.

The fight was going very well out there.

But there was no time to wonder about that before a shot flew at him from behind. That shot missed and flew past him as he quickly jumped and beat his flight faster to put distance between himself and the new pursuing Fury.

The hunt was back on.

Between towering spires, twisting on his side to dip down into narrow streets, and ascending over large buildings. Through clouds of smoke and over freely-burning fires rolling through parts of the city. He was fast.

But not fast enough.

A shot struck his side with such great force that the saddle was torn and Hiccup was torn with the saddle from his back.

_Hiccup!_

He spun upward in a loop to go back for Hiccup, but he changed his plan entirely when he saw that Hiccup was gliding, his wings already thrown wide. Hiccup had already learned how to fly, and he knew how to come down safely. Better, the pursuing Fury was not following Hiccup, probably because it did not care about Hiccup or think him dangerous.

His brother would be out of the fighting, which was very good. Humans do not belong in a fight among dragons.

It also helped much that the entire saddle-rig had fallen from him, which let him fly a little faster with less weight on him.

_Now for a real fight!_

Another shot flew at him and struck the tower in front of him. The blast made a cloud of fire that he had to fly through.

He pulled up into a steep dive as the tower began to collapse behind him. The Fury in pursuit wove around the falling rock and continued after him in a chase. There was only the one pursuing Fury, which made this almost fun.

_What was that game he mentioned we should make? Dragon racing..._

* * *

The ringing finally faded from Hiccup's ears as he glided through the smoky skies. The blast had struck Toothless's side with such force that the entire saddle had been torn from his back. Fortunately, his own wings were unharmed, he had quickly unhooked himself from the saddle, his weapons were still with him, and he knew the best technique to land safely.

Not that it wouldn't hurt at all.

Toothless was still being chased by one of the Mordor Furies and certainly would have no chance to come pick him up right now.

The wind buffeted him to the side, so he dipped a touch to glide toward the nearest wall on the second level of the city.

_Alright, a nice easy glide in and a rough landing if I can..._

A black blur was shooting for him from the side. Toothless had not flown off in that direction.

An instant of terror passed as he tucked his wings in to drop in place in the sky.

The snarling Fury's extended claws passed only inches above his head. Then the Fury spun up in a loop to come back around at him.

He threw out his wings again and angled himself for one of the nearby flat roofs. There would be only seconds to do this, or he would probably die. No, he would be fine since he had learned how to fly already. Coming down was just another part of flying.

He angled his wings up to slow his momentum, pulled a cord to release his small parachute, slowed slightly more, and then touched down as lightly as he could on all fours. It was probably his best solo-landing yet, but it still sent a jarring pain through everything as his hands and feet stung with the impact.

But he had a snarling, murderous Fury hot on his tail. He unstrapped the parachute, scrambled toward the edge of the roof, and dropped down to hang from it as the screaming intensified. The drop was about three body-lengths to the pavement, but there was again no choice.

He dropped just as the Fury flew overhead with a roar, a blast, and a rush of fire that rolled over him. His landing was very rough on the paved stones as small chunks of roof and plaster clattered around him. His palms were rather scratched and bloodied, but he was alive.

_Ugh... might have gotten a scar from that..._

Then he rolled to his feet, wiped his stinging palms clean, checked that Inferno was undamaged, and dusted himself off as he looked around, trying to figure out exactly where he was. The second level of the city had taken a lot of catapult damage, and most of the buildings had collapsed in whole or in part. The house that had stood next to the one he landed on had completely fallen into rubble, furniture and fabrics strewn randomly.

The narrow street was devastated with fires burning freely from several collapsed homes. Small alleyways were interspersed with the remaining homes and barracks. Smoke billowed freely, choking the air and flowing over the roof where he had landed. Visibility was limited.

He took one step forward and then froze in place at the flash of lightning and thunder which quickly faded.

Everything was then still and calm out there.

Nothing was moving except the flames and the smoke which drifted on the breeze.

It looked safe.

But he had played so many fun games of hide and seek with Toothless, Breath-Of-Sky, and the pack's cubs. Hiding behind trees or bushes to try to get as close as possible to the Fury without him noticing was a very fun game. Toothless was a natural hunter and almost always knew when someone was creeping up on him.

Something, some instinct or feeling deep inside, warned him against showing himself or moving at all.

The distant thundering continued out on the Pelennor, but he barely noticed any of that. None of it was important.

The hunt was not over.

And he was the prey.

How many nights during raids had he and the rest of the tribe looked up in fear while awaiting that diving scream and flash of light that everyone would always recognize?

Playing with Fury cubs and talking as equals with everyone in the pack had led to him forgetting or not appreciating what they truly were.

They were hunters and extremely dangerous.

He backed away from the open light, preferring instead to keep to the shadows where he could hide and pray that nothing could find him. Hide there and stay safe until Toothless could come back and save him. Pray to the gods or the Valar that help would come and fix his problem.

As he always did.

Useless and unable to fight his own battles.

There was shouting as a trio of soldiers appeared through the smoke and ran along the street. They quickly checked inside the standing structures.

"Look for survivors! Find anyone!" "Yes, Captain!" "Yes, Captain!"

He could shout to get their attention, but he didn't... couldn't. He was frozen in place by fear for himself and fear of what would happen. There was nothing he could do. There was no time to...

"Captain, do you see..."

He closed his eyes when he saw the shadow strike from hiding atop one of the buildings.

Screams, the clang of steel, shouts, roaring, and the rush of flames followed.

Useless.

A weak coward.

Unable to act.

Useless.

_'Eyes on the prey!'_

He remembered how he had fearlessly run out into a raid, on a mission to shoot down a Night Fury no less. He had been so eager back then.

_'I trust you to bite when you must!'_

As terrible as it was, this was his chance to prove himself and to show that he could fight on his own and do what had to be done. He couldn't let these men die without trying to help them.

He silently drew his bow from his back and fitted an Elven arrow to the bow. Then he crept forth from his place of hiding, stepped around the rubble into the street, and aimed at the Fury that was mauling the soldiers.

It was a perfect, unobstructed shot, straight at the Fury's exposed neck.

He was sure that he would not miss; he was an adoptive Night Fury after all.

But the arrow was still on the drawn string.

He could not let it go.

Frozen and unable to act, his hand and heart trembled at the thought of being the one who struck a killing blow on another person, on another dragon.

It seemed to go against everything he was trying to be as a peacemaker.

He was not a killer.

Not a dragon-killer.

The Fury hurled one of the unarmored men to the side to crash into a wall and fall stunned to the ground. A blast of fire flew at what was presumably one of the soldiers, and then the Fury stilled, heaving in place with its opponents dead or motionless.

Why couldn't he take the shot? Was he so weak and afraid that he couldn't even kill a true enemy? Was he guilty of their deaths also for not helping them?

Just how useless was he?

The Fury turned toward the body it had thrown aside and then stalked toward it.

He knew what it was going to do, and he could not look away as the Fury tore off the head and ate it whole before starting on the rest of the corpse after tearing away the armor.

Songs and glorious tales told in the mead halls never mentioned this side of war. They never told how battle made the stomach churn and want to empty itself.

Watching the bright red blood drip from the Fury's mouth as it ate mouthfuls of flesh and bone changed something.

It killed a tenderness in his heart.

This dragon, this monster, would kill freely without remorse or reason. Beings that kill without remorse or reason could not be reasoned with. It was not possible to peacefully talk to everyone and be understood.

Not everyone wanted peace.

Was his own reluctance to kill only a type of hidden pride and blind trust that he could change everyone? Who would this monster kill next: a woman, a child? Could he stay idle and let evil happen without even trying to defend the innocent?

The arrow flew true and pierced deep into the Fury's neck.

He knew he could not miss. How could he, given what he was?

The Fury jumped with a howl of pain as it bucked, flailed, and spun toward him. It lifted a paw and tore off the outer part of the arrow, the shot not being deep enough to pierce all the way through. The dragon still whimpered in pain and trembled as its neck dripped blood.

It slowly steadied itself, and its red eyes narrowed on him as it bared its red teeth.

But there was no fear in his soul-fire. Not even when the Fury started stalking toward him. This was all part of the plan.

He turned, dropped his bow and quiver, and ran as the Fury hopped to pursue him, howling and roaring. The dragon was clearly pained and in a senseless rage, which was an advantage. It would not plan or be careful as a Fury should be.

He ducked to the side into a small alleyway, ran a short distance inside, and then turned around with a snarl as he drew his dagger. The Mordor Fury would bound inside in only seconds.

_'Eyes on the prey...'_

A calm breath followed, and thought fell away as he broke into a sprint. The heavy footfalls of the pursuing Fury drew nearer. He knew so well, far better than any soldier of Gondor or any human, exactly how Night Furies could move and twist. Months of knowing them and playing with them taught him more than enough.

He jumped from the alleyway at the same instant the Fury turned the corner in a reckless sprint.

It happened too fast for him to see, though he felt it.

His dagger struck something as the Fury twisted in surprise and swung at him. A strike on his back spun him around in the air.

He crashed down, rolled and tumbled head over feet, and came to rest on his back, breathing heavily and staring up at the dark clouds and smoke swirling over the city.

Dazed, pained, weak, and struggling to rise.

Then he coughed and groaned as he shuffled in place, feeling for whatever he could feel. His dagger was gone, and he was completely defenseless. But he was not dead yet.

Even as he slowly got up and stood on his shaky feet, he stared at the Fury lying in the street. The dragon was not moving, and there was a growing pool of blood by its head. However, there was no way to tell for certain from his angle what had happened.

He took a single step toward it, but he then felt that something was wrong with his armor. While keeping his attention on the motionless Fury, he stuck a hand over his shoulder.

The Fury's claws had somehow torn at his back as he jumped through the air in his desperate strike. Maybe the dragon's swipe was what had struck him. While there was no pain and it did not feel like his back was injured, his wings were definitely shredded, torn, and basically useless.

_Well, finally broke something..._

It was a terrible shock to be so suddenly grounded like that. So wrong to be downed and for his wings to be hanging there, useless. Being downed was basically the same as being dead in so many ways.

Then he swallowed, took a sharp breath, and limped closer to the motionless Fury in the pool of dark blood. Creeping around its head to get a better look at the...

At the dagger buried in the Fury's skull.

At the blood dripping from the other hole in the dragon's neck.

At the motionless chest and back.

It was dead.

He killed it.

He killed a Night Fury.

He was a dragon-killer.

There was no churning in his stomach and no grief. No pity, no sorrow, and no regret.

Only cold need.

A game of hunter and prey where the roles had changed because of blind, unthinking fury... ironically. And maybe a little good fortune on his part.

He spun away without retrieving his dagger and left the body behind, trembling slightly as he walked and stumbled. The street was desolate and filled with red spots and shredded bodies further ahead. He turned aside from them, not wanting to see any of that up close, and found where he dropped his bow and quiver.

Finally with a moment of peace, he unfurled his wings properly... or as much as they could. The wingsuit was torn and useless for flight, as he suspected.

The street around him was silent as the smoke flowed overhead.

Then the nervous, frantic laughter started.

"Finally did it! Did anyone else see that? Bet you're proud of me now!"

He fell to his bruised knees as the tears started flowing. He had done something that no Berk Viking had probably ever done before: this truly grisly deed of killing a Night Fury by hand. The very deed he had refused to do in the past had been necessary to save himself and to stop a monster, but that didn't mean it hurt less.

Maybe the Fury hadn't started out bad. Maybe it had truly been wronged and suffered because of humans in the past.

But that did not change the fact that it chose revenge against people who had never harmed it. It and the others who had attacked the city had killed many people already.

In only a few minutes, the Mordor dragons had probably destroyed all the progress made in getting the people of Gondor to trust the Night Furies. After everything that he, Toothless, and Moonbeam had...

He flew to his feet in fear and worry for them.

There was no time to waste sitting here and mourning what was done out of necessity. There were three more Mordor Night Furies somewhere, and they had to be stopped however was necessary. It was unlikely that he could do anything against them, but action was better than not acting. He had to get out there and make a difference to protect those he loved.

He grabbed his bow and quiver and started running. There was no exhaustion or pain from his small bruises. He ran without looking back.

* * *

Toothless barked in alarm as the heat of another blast warmed his scales while he dodged around a tower. The Fury behind him definitely wanted to flame his tail. Fortunately, he was fast and could dodge the strikes much better now that he was not carrying Hiccup.

Unfortunately, the towers could not dodge, and more of them had been struck and collapsed or were set on fire inside. Every one which collapsed spilled large piles of rocks down off the level to fall into the lower levels. That would not be good for any humans down on the lower levels.

He twisted onto his side to pass through the narrow space between two towers.

And the pursuing Fury kept flaming at him long after he thought it should be able to. Making fire, something almost all dragons knew how to do, was simple. Bring up the can-be-fire-air from inside, want it to be fire, shape the can-be-fire-air in his mouth to make the type of fire, and then flame. There should be a limit to how much can-be-fire-air a dragon had inside.

Unless there was another possibility. Maybe flame was different in Middle-earth, more magical and not as limited. If that was so, how could he...

He barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes at how rock-headed and blind he had been. He had almost touched on precisely this possibility earlier when talking with Hiccup. The other Night Furies had a much higher shot limit.

And so did he.

_Enough fleeing!_

He angled to land on all fours on the side of a tower. He heavily crashed into the rock wall, kicked off, and jumped into flight straight back at the pursuing Fury. It twisted to the side to hide behind a tower. But he guessed where it would fly out.

His explosive shot, normally used to stun fish, exploded in the air straight before the attacking Fury, and the shot fouled its flight. It howled in alarm while shaking its head of the ringing in its ears. Then it winged away from the towers and flew out over the more open air.

_Okay, Wizard, are you going to help at all? I wonder how..._

Regardless of whether Gandalf could do anything, there were only two options for this attacking Fury. It would flee or die.

Lightning jumped from the clouds and struck the Fury, making it vanish completely.

_Great, forgot about that. Too bad for it._

He knew what to do. Hiding from eyes could not help it hide from sound-seeing, so he shrieked.

And there it was. Spinning toward him in a wide loop while something else dove from above it. He intimately knew that shape which was subtly different from that of a Night Fury.

_I knew you were there!_

However, she probably did not know where the hidden Night Fury was. His sound-seeing would not help her on her attack.

He gave another scream of sound-seeing and he saw them both circling above a spire on which the Gondor flags were flying. Both hidden Furies again faded from his sound-sight.

That was the problem with fighting against things that were hidden from eyes. He could see them only when his sound-seeing was bouncing in the air. There was not enough passive sound flying and bouncing for him to always sound-see where they were. After his loud shrieks faded, he had to guess at where they would be until his next sound-seeing shriek.

Guessing meant that he might miss, which was a terrible possibility that could not happen!

_Come on, Burning-Star! You do not miss! Trust your soul-fire!_

Another shriek and he saw them. His fire flew forth again exactly where he wanted it.

The shot struck the hidden Fury in a bright flash as the Fury howled in pain. The hidden Fury was made visible as an empty space in the small cloud of fire.

Then lightning jumped from the ground and struck the fire only to flow around the hidden Fury and dance on its scales.

He glanced down toward where the lightning had flown from, and then he stared in shock and surprise. Gandalf stood down there, his sword lifted high and pointed their direction.

_Oh, he can do that. I am impressed!_

The Mordor Fury, whining in great pain, turned tail on him and flew away from the city. He confirmed that by following its hidden flight for several wingbeats. There was little chance that the Fury would come back for more fighting, given how weak and shaky its flight already was. It was fleeing and whining in pained retreat, so he winged back toward the city.

The soft rush of unseen wings flew up next to him as purple eyes appeared. Then an invisible wing brushed his.

"Where is Hiccup!" she shouted in alarm.

"Safe on the ground! Where are the others?"

He had no sooner asked that than several flashes of light erupted from high above, all the way up on the highest level.

_Found them!_

They both flew up there without hesitation, rapidly ascending higher and higher up the steep spur of rock. Then they flew out onto the flat of the highest level and landed on the grass. One Mordor Fury blasted open the Citadel-den's front door and then dashed inside.

They had missed the fighting.

The dead, white tree by the fountain in the middle of the grassy field was now more dead because it was on fire.

The guards, who so did not like him or Moonbeam, were not around the burning tree. He was not sure if that was because they were down in the fighting or if they were now dead to the attacking Furies.

_One of them went inside that den. Why? Maybe they wanted to kill Denethor as the Alpha here..._

A massive explosion flashed as a shot struck the tallest tower on his right paw side. The Fury that had fired at the tower shot one more blast at its base, knocking out large chunks of rock. Then the Fury spun around the other side of the tower, folded its wings, landed outside the main door of the Citadel-den, and whipped inside, its tail vanishing into the Citadel-den.

_What was that for?_

The tall tower that stood so high up over the city, had flags blowing in the wind, and gleamed bright white... began to crumble on its far side. The entire tower slowly leaned out into the open air as the structure began to fall.

His chilled soul-fire turned to ice as he understood.

The Furies that had flown up here had wanted to destroy as much as possible and kill as many humans as they could.

They burned the dead, white tree because the tree was something that gave hope to the humans' soul-fires, and they struck the tallest tower so that it would collapse and fall into the city below.

He stared, numb inside, as the white tower collapsed and fell from view.

The humans had hid their non-fighters, their females and their young, deep in the city to be away from as much of the fighting as possible. How many of them were...

Killing fighters was normal and understandable, but killing non-fighters...

The crashing from far below made the ground shake underpaw. The trembling, grating sound was worse than the strongest lightning and thunder-growling he had ever heard. Then the crashing ended as a softer quiet fell and the tremors stopped underpaw.

He turned for the Citadel-den and raced for it, hop-flying to get there as fast as possible. These Furies would die. He had to kill them to protect the rest of the city and to avenge everyone that was already dead!

He touched down before the Citadel-den and waited for Moonbeam to touch down, which she shortly did. There was nothing but a faint shimmering in the air except for her eyes.

"I will go first..." she whispered.

He softly grunted in agreement. She could enter unseen and get ready to bite and flame. This fight was two against two, but it could easily be two against one. He heard her enter, and then he started waiting, tail swaying as he thought about how many ways he could kill these false-kin. Bite off their wings and tailfins first...

There was a shriek of sound-sight from within.

_Why would they look for..._

He dashed inside, fire readied and claws extended. They would not have been searching unless they knew there was something to search for.

A dark blur crashed into his side as he leapt within. Teeth snapped, claws dragged against scale, and fire flashed over the snarling and yelping.

The other Night Fury was fierce, wild, dangerous, and smelled of human blood.

But he was stronger and bigger.

A fast swat with a paw struck the other Fury in the head, which made it whine and shake its head in confusion. It tried to claw his neck, but he dodged and rammed into it from the side, knocking its extended forepaw into a rock-column. The Fury hopped back and then tried to snap at his nose, but he easily ducked under the strike and shoved the Fury back, his shoulder to its chest while he held its neck in his jaws. With a great heave, he threw the other Fury toward the wall and fired a blast at its chest.

The Fury crashed into the wall, hit its head, and fell to the floor. The enemy Fury was unconscious and defeated.

He wasted no time and spun around to look for the other Fury. Was it the one which had felled the tall tower? Probably so, since the one he fought had looked smaller than the one whose fire had brought down the tower.

Wrath and fear poured into his soul-fire when he saw them fighting. Her fade had fallen away, and the male had pinned her on her back, holding her down and moving on her as if trying to force-mate her.

Red was all he saw.

He crossed the entire room in one leap as she flamed at its head. The male reared back to avoid the face-flaming.

His teeth closed around its head as he jumped, twisted its neck, and tore the male off her with a crack.

They crashed to the ground and struck a statue and a rock-column. The other male went still and did not move after he dropped it on the ground and hopped back to roar his wrath.

Its neck was very snapped and twisted into a wrong-shape.

Heaving, snarling, furious... his wrath faded as he spun around and bounded over to her. She lay on her side while whining softly. It was all he could do to nuzzle her head and purr peace and presence to her as his wrath dimmed into fear and concern.

Neither of them said anything for many wingbeats.

"Burning-Star..."

"Moonbeam... are you... well..."

"Yes... is it dead..."

"Very dead. Did it... hurt you..."

"No... it wanted to..."

She closed her eyes as he nuzzled her nose. He kept nuzzling her in complete relief that it had not harmed her in that so terrible way.

"I... did know it... from before," she whispered.

"What?"

"He wanted me when he was still in the pack... but I did not want him... and he flew away. He never tried to be so... wrong-twisted... before..."

He licked her cheek and whispered.

"It is dead now, and you are safe."

She whined and stumbled to her paws. A single glance went over to the dead Fury, and then she snorted before turning away from it.

As much as he dearly wanted to stay here with her to comfort her after what almost happened and though he very much wanted to go relieve himself on the dead Fury, there was still one more enemy Night Fury somewhere. He also needed to find Hiccup as soon as possible.

"We should fly. There is one more rotted dark wing," he whispered.

She grunted once without saying anything.

Together, they walked out of the Citadel-den; the living but grounded Fury was still asleep and would be so for a long time after how hard he hit it. What would the humans do to that dragon?

_Cut off its hide or wings? I would not object..._

Then they jumped for the sky and glided out above the city. Even though he knew doing so would hurt, he still looked over toward where the tower had fallen. It had crushed the dens down below across three levels. There was even now a cloud of dust that covered over that part of the city while smoke flowed from other parts of the city. Maybe it was good that the cloud blocked much of the destruction.

And still the fighting continued out on the Pelennor. The Orcs were falling back while very large four-leg things with tusks walked around in the fighting. He had no idea where those things had come from; all he knew was that they were enemies because they were stepping on horses and being flamed from the sky. It looked like the entire flight from the pack was busy fighting those things. He could not see any of the fellbeasts anymore.

Then he turned all his attention back to the city-levels below. Someone whom he needed to find was down there.

_Alright, where are you?_

* * *

Hiccup stumbled along through mostly empty streets, past the occasional wounded soldier, and all the while keeping his eyes to the sky.

While he was grounded now and had left behind his dagger, he still had Inferno ready to draw were there a need to defend himself.

It was plain good luck, maybe the gods or the Valar had been watching out for him, that he was not in the northernmost part of the city when it happened: when the Tower of Ecthelion somehow crumbled and fell from the highest level of the city.

Being honest with himself, he knew that the disaster had to be because of the Mordor Night Furies. Nothing else made sense or could explain what happened. The reason behind that part of the attack was completely uncertain. That tower was not a strategic target at all.

"Get a medic over here!" "Hold on!" "You'll be fine!"

Two men ran past, carrying someone on a stretcher.

His fear and worry grew slightly with every passing minute of not seeing any dragons in the sky.

Then, after an unknown but too long amount of time had passed, he saw two shapes, one dark and one white, flying together and obviously searching for someone: him.

_Oh thank the Valar... they're both safe..._

He ran to the edge of the wall.

"Here!" he shouted as loudly as he could while waving his arms.

Toothless and Moonbeam eventually saw him and turned their flights for him as he ran out to this level's outer wall where they could freely meet up. They landed on the wall and immediately hopped over to him. He held each of their heads in turn as they all purred to comfort each other.

"You are... what happened to you?" Toothless barked, his eyes narrowed on him.

"Uh, well... I might have been... chased by one of the other Furies..."

Toothless and Moonbeam gasped and growled as they looked around.

"Where is it?" Toothless snarled.

"Dead."

"Dead?" they barked in surprise.

He winced and looked away from them.

"Yeah, I... it killed some people and... ate one of them... tried to kill me... and... I killed it!"

"You killed a dragon?" Toothless gasped.

"Yep, bow and dagger. It tore my wings, but I... oh gods..."

He took a very deep breath to steady himself against Toothless's purring neck. Moonbeam also stepped up behind him and nuzzled his side until he calmed.

"I don't want to... talk about it. Not now."

"Later then," Toothless whispered.

"Later. So, what happened with you two after I went... flying?"

"We drove one away with Gandalf helping us. The last two flew up high and made the white tower fall..." Toothless answered.

It was a terrible confirmation of what he already knew.

"Why?" he whispered.

Toothless warbled in heartfelt pain.

"They probably wanted to cause as much hurt and death as they could. They also burned the tree up there."

That made sense if their goal was to cause as much pain as possible. The white tree, despite being dead, was a symbol for the people of Gondor.

"They went into the Citadel-den. I hit one of them so that it fell asleep, and I killed the other one when it... tried to force-mate Moonbeam..." Toothless snarled.

Hiccup spun on her. She was staring down at her paws while softly humming, so he held her head in sympathy.

He hadn't appreciated that such a thing could happen in war. But now that he thought about it, he recalled how some of the Viking tribes did exactly that in the raids. The stronger clans and the victors would do... whatever they could get away with and wanted to do, even rape the women out of dominance and to show that the conquered were property.

It shouldn't have been surprising that the same could happen with dragons fighting each other.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes, we killed it before it could... hurt me..." she whispered.

"Good. Very good," he sighed.

They passed a long moment together in silence, merely comforting each other.

"The five bad Night Furies are dead, grounded, or fled. What should we do now?" Toothless asked.

"Find Gandalf, probably. We should let him know that the attacking dragons are... dealt with," Hiccup proposed.

A company of archers ran behind them in the smoke on the street while shouting indistinctly.

"Good idea. He can help with the fighting out there now," Toothless pointed with a paw toward the Pelennor.

Hiccup looked out and saw the fighting continuing beyond the walls. They could not see any fellbeasts anymore. One of the very large, four-footed creatures with huge tusks, he couldn't remember what they were called, was burning, or rather the equipment it was carrying was burning. Several of those creatures were dead or had fled.

"More of them! Fire at will!" someone shouted.

_Fire at will?_

He and Toothless spun around. The dozen archers that had arrived had drawn their bows and were aiming at them.

The archers were going to shoot, and there was no time to talk to them or do anything to stop them.

Toothless noticed what was going to happen, and he fired an explosive shot into the ground before the archers. The blast knocked them all back before they could shoot, but also without hitting them.

"Get on!" Toothless shouted.

He hopped on Toothless's bare back and held the base of his wings. There was no time to do anything else, think, or plan.

They jumped along with Moonbeam into the sky and soared out away from the city. Moonbeam, probably afraid because of what had almost happened to her with and almost having been shot at, raced ahead of them.

They were speechless and shocked at what happened, at the apparent betrayal. Then they leveled off and glided so they could speak.

"What was that? They were going to shoot us!" Toothless growled.

"They... probably just saw dragons and thought you were enemies... just a misunderstanding... oh gods, this is bad..."

It looked worse and worse the more Hiccup thought about it. Was that what was going to happen now? Had the city fallen into 'kill on sight' because of this attack? Was everything ruined?

It was too terrible to seriously consider. Being on the ground felt very dangerous now.

"We should look for Gandalf..." he whispered.

"Yes, we should. He can help," Toothless agreed.

They flew higher up above the city while looking for the bright white that would mark the Wizard down below. It was hard to see past the clouds of smoke on the lower levels. Being aloft also better let them see the extent of the terrible destruction below.

The white smoke was flowing out over the Pelennor, making it look from above as if the plain was covered in snow. Countless horses and men on foot were swarming as a constant drone and crashing sounded from beyond. Dark shapes fired glowing shots at the massive creatures and the remaining large groups of Orcs.

Hiccup didn't want to think about how many were dead down there or about what would happen next. There was so much horror even though the battle was almost over in victory. The whistling wind carried with it a shrill cry and a smothering fear that was so familiar to...

Something big crashed into them from above.

Sharp talons closed around him and lifted him into the air as the fellbeast kicked off from Toothless.

Caught in its tight grasp, he knew only fear and shock at how suddenly it had struck. Then came disgust at how hideously it smelled like rotten meat. He barely avoided retching as he was carried higher and higher up into the thick, swirling clouds that smelled of sulfur and stung his eyes.

Then came the smothering dread in his heart from the Nazgul's presence. Resisting was pointless.

There was no strength left to defy his doom.

All the sounds from the battle below faded away entirely as he stared down at the clouds below. Was that absence because of distance, the wind, inability to hear, shock, or all of those together? He was alone, abandoned, betrayed by his brother who left him to...

Toothless, burning blue with power, burst through the clouds. He was getting closer, flying as fast as he could.

Hope still glowed in his soul-fire. His brother had not abandoned him after all. No, that fear was only the Witch-king's magic and presence of despair. Toothless would never give up, and the fellbeast could not fly as fast as a Night Fury.

They broke through the last clouds and into the clear, blue sky. The clouds covering the city billowed like a tall stormcloud from the east. The stormcloud was lit from behind by the rising sun which he could not see and which filled the sky with an orange hue.

The fellbeast leveled off above the ocean of clouds. It was hovering in place as if it knew that escape was not possible.

If only he had a weapon of some kind, but his dagger and Inferno were gone now. If only he could fly on his own, but his wings were broken. If only he was not useless in these battles in which he really didn't belong, but everything was going to be fine. It had to be. He and Toothless would never fail each other.


	59. Freefall

Freefall

* * *

The fellbeast broke through the last of the thick-wrong clouds. He flew after it while death blazed in his soul-fire. Power burned between his split-fins; the faint blue glow in the clouds revealed that. The lightning sparked in the cloud around him, ready to be called if he dared risk it out of great need.

He chased after the fellbeast while it snarled at him, but it was no threat.

The Witch-king's eyes of fire blazed, but the Nazgul had no magical power over him anymore.

_'I gave you the chance, lost one...'_

A blast of his much more powerful fire at the Witch-king would not hit Hiccup as he was under the fellbeast's belly. Kill the Nazgul or at least his mount, and he could easily catch Hiccup after the fellbeast dropped him. That was the way to get Hiccup out of here.

Nothing could hurt them as long as they were there for each other.

_'A chance to fulfill your purpose...'_

He would never serve the Enemy.

_'You chose this...'_

He was free!

The fellbeast dropped Hiccup.

Hiccup could not fly on his own since his wings were broken.

Torn between two flights, two goals.

As much as he wanted to flame the fellbeast and the Witch-king, his flight was forced. There was no option but to go catch and save Hiccup. Doing that was all that mattered. Revenge and killing the monster could come later.

So he tucked his wings and dove as fast as he could. If Hiccup could only slow his flight a little... slow down on the wind as much as possible by using his torn wings... it would be easy to...

Something stung his neck.

In annoyance, he batted at the sting. A small, black dart fell away.

_What the..._

He glanced over his shoulder as the fellbeast pulled up from its dive above him. He had been so focused on Hiccup that he had not seen the fellbeast dive after him or seen the Witch-king shoot that dart at him.

The blurred, dark shape of the fellbeast was winging away toward the distant clouds much further out over the Pelennor. Why was the Nazgul uninterested in him now? That did not matter anyway.

Hiccup needed saving... again...

Right there in the sky before him, reaching out toward him not so unlike their first fouled flight when they learned how to fly together... as one...

Nothing would happen to them as long as they were there for each other...

Were the clouds twisting around him?

Why was it so hard to keep his eyes open?

Why was he so weak?

They would always be there for each other...

As the clouds flew past them both...

So weak and weary...

There was nothing...

Only darkness...

* * *

Hiccup's roar of fear was lost in the wind.

It was nearly impossible to breathe with the wind whipping past him. He had no chance to warn Toothless that the Witch-king's fellbeast had dived after them.

A cruel trap, that is what he was. The Witch-king used him to lure Toothless up away into the sky where no one else could aid him. Toothless, ever loyal, had to dive to save him and had been struck by doing so.

His own wings were shredded and slowed him slightly, but not enough to matter. Toothless was falling, tumbling on his back, with his wings fluttering uselessly.

The euphoria that had always come with weightless freefall and flight was not there. There was nothing except terror and fear and panic and breathlessness.

The fume and clouds spun around them and thinned as they fell.

_Toothless!_

There was no response.

As if Toothless could hear his thoughts and know his feelings. Others like Galadriel had such magic, but not himself.

He was nothing special... only a mere...

The world narrowed to only limp Toothless falling on his back to his death. Nothing else mattered.

The fear and terror for himself... vanished and was replaced by clarity... as he knew himself, as if for the first time in a long time.

His shredded wings and dark armor were a fraud: a way of hiding from and denying what he truly was.

Unable to be accepted among human tribes but accepted by the Fury pack, he had started identifying with them too much. He had been slowly starting to pretend that he was something he was not.

A lesson that Gobber had taught him long ago and which he seemed to have forgotten. Stop trying to be something he was not meant to be.

He was only a human, not a dragon at all.

But, doing the hard work of bringing two very different worlds and peoples together was what he was meant to do.

Changing the world was his destiny.

It made him useful, gave meaning to his life, and kept him from being useless to others.

Had he been using dragons even in wanting a better life for them, just as he had been possessive of Toothless without even knowing it?

Was that his true motivation? Did he truly want a better life for them, or was he only using them to give himself purpose and a place in a world that would have no other need for him?

Was it just out of fear of not having a place and not being needed in the world... just the same fear of being useless again?

Perhaps... and that might have just gotten Toothless killed, let alone himself.

There was nothing he could do about it now. He could not save his best friend and brother.

He was, once again, useless in the end.

Down through the last clouds and out into the darkness above the city.

A terrified glance below revealed where they were: high above and beyond the massive spur that separated the city in two halves, almost directly over the fallen main gate.

So much smoke billowed from the ruined lower levels of the city. He could not see well over the rushing wind, the clouds of smoke, the haze in his thoughts, and the tears welling in his eyes.

But he could tell that the Rohirrim swarmed out beyond the walls as the Mumakil ran rampant while burning to the Furies' fire. Aragorn and his reinforcements had arrived from the west and joined the battle. Soldiers of Gondor were pouring out of the broken gate to join the battle.

A flash of motion dragged his gaze to the open sky below them but above the city.

His meager, gasping breath departed when he saw the approaching white blur.

Moonbeam had seen them in freefall. She was flying as fast as she could. There was still hope.

_Catch..._

Who?

He had no idea how strong a Light Fury was or how much weight she could carry. He and Toothless were also far enough apart that there was only time for her to catch one of them and fly over to the top of the massive spur.

She would save whoever she wanted, almost certainly Toothless.

But who did he want her to save? It would make no practical difference, since he couldn't influence her choice at all, but the answer felt important for him to decide for himself. His thoughts now were the only part about his life that he could control.

The guilt was so strong. His memories of how he had kept Toothless grounded far longer than he should have been were so terrible.

Toothless was so strong in fighting against the temptation of gold, learning from his past mistakes in relationships, and working hard to help the pack.

And there were Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, and Breath-Of-Sky to think about also. For them to so recently find their lost true son or brother and then lose him again forever would be too terrible.

She was so close, only seconds away as they approached the height of the spur.

_Forgive me, brother..._

If Toothless survived this day, he himself would be at peace with that. He could hopefully look down from Valhalla, or whatever the equivalent was for this world, and be at peace that the better person lived.

Losing his own life for a friend and brother was something he could gladly do.

He caught Moonbeam's gaze for the briefest and most everlasting instant. Fear, concern, and something indistinguishable were in her narrowed eyes.

_Save him!_

There was no way that she could have understood or heard his thoughts, but she dashed forward, threw herself at Toothless, roughly grabbed him out of freefall, and carried the limp Fury over onto the top of the spur.

He briefly saw them as they crashed down in a roll on the edge of the spur, the burning white tree alight in the background. Then that was all gone from his view as the carven rock that formed the spur started flying past him.

They might have had a rough landing, but Toothless would surely live.

It was done.

There was nothing more he needed to see, so he closed his eyes and lost himself in the weightlessness. There was nothing except the roaring wind. Then even the roar of the wind faded because it didn't matter.

Nothing else mattered anymore.

Nothing remained for him to do.

Everything else faded.

The fear withered.

In the silent and weightless freefall, peace and acceptance filled his heart.

_His father sat in the Great Hall while sipping an ale and looking out over the entire tribe. Stoick stared right at him and gruffly nodded in approval._

Toothless would be there for Moonbeam and the children they would have together.

_Frodo's, Sam's, Merry's, and Pippin's clear laughter in the Green Dragon filled the silence as they downed their mugs of beer._

Toothless would be there for Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, Breath-Of-Sky, Mystery, and the rest of the pack.

_Gandalf's wisdom, hand on his shoulder, and acceptance of Toothless as being a good creature and person._

The pack would be safe in Rohan for as long as they wanted to live there in peace, hopefully forever.

_The banners with white horses on a golden and green background flowed in the wind sweeping across the golden plain._

There was only one thing that chilled his heart and disturbed the peace.

_Her hair whipped about as their wooden swords crossed under the stars._

He had promised Adney that he would come back, but he was going to have to break that promise. She would hopefully understand why it had to be this way. She might even be best able to help maintain Toothless's automatic tailfin, which she would surely do.

Why did facing imminent, unavoidable death help to clarify so much about what was important in life by stripping away everything else that did not matter? Pride, plans, stubbornness, busyness, insecurities, all of it was nothing. None of that mattered compared to...

Too late in his case.

Not to be.

It would be best to not know the moment. Let it be sudden and hopefully painless; he really didn't love pain that much after all.

But a part of his heart would forever want to fly, even if he couldn't. So he opened his eyes and looked to see the sky and the tall mountain behind the city one last time.

Moonbeam was right there only a few fathoms above. Her wings were tucked, and her eyes were narrowed on him in determination.

_What..._

She came back for him also? Could she... was there any chance?

Certain death was nothing to fear because the outcome could not be changed. But now, with some small hope, he could not bear to look down as the wind suddenly roared to life and his heart furiously beat again.

Falling so fast, his back to the ground, he had already passed the highest levels of the lower city. Minutes or seconds, it was unclear how much had passed in that timeless freefall.

Even with his spread arms and torn wingsuit helping to slow his fall slightly, there was not enough time.

Or was there?

Unable to breathe as the panic and fear built and as vision started going cloudy and his head began hurting with pressure building within.

Closer and closer, only a couple fathoms now, as another level of the city flew by.

She could not possibly get under him or even grab him with her forearms.

The roar of the wind pounded in his ears, drowning out all other sound... or was that the beating of his frantic, desperate heart?

There was nothing except her purple eyes, now wide in fear from only feet away.

Right past a spire...

No breath left...

He could almost touch her...

No time...

She lunged toward a flailing leg, her teeth flashed, there was a burning like fire as his head erupted with pain...

And then there was nothing except the merciful darkness.


	60. Destiny

_**Author's Note – The two opening sequences are confusing at first read, though that is intentional.**_

* * *

Destiny

* * *

It was quiet in his den hidden deep under the mountain. He was the Alpha under the mountain.

Toothless's rest had been very long and deep with nothing disturbing him. But then his dreams started bothering him more. Small shapes flitted among the mountains of treasure.

Suddenly, panic and alarm flew through every limb as he woke up, shifted on his hoard, opened his eyes, and stared toward the entrance of his cave. The only path inside was covered in spikes of ice.

Nothing appeared to be moving there. Neither could he smell anything different on the air. But as he remained attentive and listened, there was a very faint shuffling. Something was coming to take his hoard!

Not if he killed it first!

He readied his flame as the unknown enemy approached with a faint clicking sounding from the entrance. Then he saw it, another dragon like him: a dark wing with green eyes.

The new dark wing walked alone into the cave while ignoring all the treasure around him.

Toothless stared back at the fellow Night Fury sitting on the pile of unimportant treasure. The dragon looked so similar to him. It had the same green eyes as he did.

So Toothless leapt to his paws, slithered off his precious treasure hoard, and strode toward the possible challenger. Just glaring at it put confusion in his soul-fire because of how similar this dragon looked to himself. It was almost as though they were kin.

Did the hoarding Night Fury plan to fight him now? He could if that was needed. They were very evenly-matched in strength, and he knew everything this dragon could do. He knew it intimately.

"You!" he growled.

"You," he answered.

"What? What are you!"

"I am what you could be. Great and free," Toothless whispered.

"No, I am great! This is my hoard!" Toothless roared.

"Do you not remember the sky?" Toothless asked.

Yes, he remembered the sky. Why was he hiding from the sun now, and why was there another dark wing who looked almost exactly like him? Why did the sky matter?

He nosed closer toward the snarling Night Fury that was closing on him. They both held their wings out and bared sharp teeth in display.

He roared and leaped at the other in challenge. Teeth snapped, claws flashed, and flame was hurled. But every strike on the other only hurt both of them. Every scratch that drew blood appeared on himself also. Every wound faded as soon as it was given. Every broken wing immediately snapped into place and healed.

"How are you doing this?" he snarled.

The dark wing shook its head.

"No, there is no you or me."

Recognition and understanding poured into their soul-fires at the same moment. Their fighting ceased as they realized how futile it was.

Toothless stared at his shadow, at the other self he could be if he wanted.

"I wish that we were different. Then I could destroy you and throw you out of our soul-fire, but that would be to destroy myself also."

"True. Why did you bother coming here?" Toothless snorted.

Toothless turned tail and started to leave the den; there was nothing he wanted in this cave.

"Just to see you once. Now I will go fly in the sky while you stay here in the dark. Never come out and foul my flights."

Toothless laughed at how blind the other him was.

"You will never escape me or the pull of the hoard. I am part of you. I am you."

Toothless nodded in reluctant acceptance. Then he glared at the other Toothless that was climbing onto its hoard.

"True, you are me, but I can fight and grow stronger while you sit here and grow weaker. Maybe I will be strong enough to destroy you one day."

Toothless flashed his teeth as he shifted on the gold.

"You are wrong about that. You cannot bury in the shadows what you want; your wants will only grow stronger the more you hide from them and deny them. I will only grow stronger. Join me and stop resisting..."

Toothless growled.

"I do not hide from them. Every cub strengthens its wings with small flights at first, and I am still learning to fly the winds of life."

"What?" he growled, confused.

"You might be right that I cannot escape from you or fight you on my own. No one flies on their own in life. There are always others who fly with you and give you reason to be."

"I need no one else! Needing others is weakness."

"Well, I do, and that is my strength; that makes me different from you. Stay here and rot."

Toothless laughed as the other him left the cave. The pile of gold was so warm on his belly as he burrowed into it. The shining gold, always so bright in his eyes, almost looked a little duller, though no less precious. The other could not understand why this gold was precious.

Keeping what was good to himself, preventing all others from enjoying the good, was strength. Living for himself was all that mattered.

When Toothless stepped out into the open sunlight, he beheld two other people waiting for him. Two instead of the one only he feared he would see? They were both precious in different ways which all the gold in the world could not compare to.

Sharing his life-flight with others, making other's life-flights warmer and the world better, was strength.

* * *

Hiccup wasn't sure if he was ready to go into the crypt yet. These crypts were reserved to criminals and betrayers of the tribe and of kin. But something had been spooking people around here, and that something had to be dealt with.

It made for a good test of his worth to the tribe, now that all the dragons were gone.

_Let's see: shield, check; ax, check; armor, check; torch, check; Hiccup, always..._

Then he glanced over his shoulder and imagined the entire tribe there, cheering him on or cheering at his inevitable defeat; it was hard for him to tell them apart sometimes.

But this was his chance to prove himself!

"It's go time!"

Shield and torch in hand and with his ax at his hip, he strode inside the wide crypt, past the flowing mist that was so strange and which was a certain sign that something unnatural lived inside. He walked in through the darkness as his footsteps echoed on the rock walls of the crypt.

But everything was motionless within the large burial chamber. None of the interred were walking around as draugr, which was good for him. He didn't want to have to fight anything undead. He carefully looked around, but there was no sign that anyone else had been living here. Even the dust on the floor was undisturbed.

_Hmm, guess there's nothing here. Shame, I really wanted to kill... something... that's who I am..._

He sighed.

"Well, this was stupid..."

There was no further reason to stay there, so he spun around to leave.

Then he screamed and jumped back in alarm at what was standing there in the entrance to the crypt. It was an undead dragon, and not just any dragon, but a Night Fury no less!

The dragon, missing patches of scales and much of its hide and wings, glared at him out of empty eye-sockets.

He was so dead. No one said anything about fighting undead dragons!

Then it spoke to him.

"You did this..."

_I did... what!_

"You killed me!"

The undead Night Fury jumped at him, slashed aside his shield and ax and pinned him to the ground with a clawed paw. The dragon was definitely not toothless either.

"No! I'm not a dragon-killer! I swear!"

It reared up and tried to swat at him, but he dodged its strike and rolled aside.

"Then why am I dead!"

The undead Night Fury bit his foot, seized him as he screamed in pain, and then hurled him screaming through the air to crash into the side of the crypt. He hit the cold stone wall and then fell down into an open coffin which closed on him.

The coffin had no bottom.

His mangled foot burned as he screamed and fell through the unending, timeless darkness.

In weightless freefall.

Everything was confusing with flashes of light, muffled voices, and pain, so much pain where he had been bitten.

_'We must do it...'_

Soothing comfort.

_'Not safe here...'_

Warmth again.

_'Get out...'_

Restful peace beckoned down below in the shadows where he belonged.

_'Please live...'_

Was there a warm light like a star high above in the darkness?

_'My little one...'_

Was he falling down or up? What was the weight dragging him down?

There was a very large chain in his hands, and a large ball of dark rock, a Seeing-stone, was attached to the chain. Within the depths of the Seeing-stone swirled memories and deeds and feelings and insecurities and fears and, most of all, guilt.

Why was he carrying this thing that weighed him down so much? There was no good reason. He should just let it go and be free; however, his hands were clenched tightly to the chain because it was all he knew. Carrying this thing with him gave continuity to his life. It was familiar and what he deserved. It was him, in a way.

Part of him knew that it would be good to let it go, but he could not because part of him needed to hold on. He was not whole. Habit was something he could not break out of on his own.

Maybe he was not him, confusing though that was. Maybe no one was truly whole, free, and strong enough on their own. Maybe he just didn't truly know himself.

He looked up to the light and wept at how beautiful and pure it was and how thoroughly it burned away enough of his remaining pride to admit that he could not do this on his own and that...

"Help me..."

No sooner did those words whisper into the darkness than the thick, heavy chain melted into ash which faded on a warm wind as the Seeing-stone fell away into the dark. The light was so bright as the stars spun above.

The warm wind, flowing over a sea which had changed to silver glass, blew from above a far green country with white shores all under a swift sunrise. The wind felt like gentle arms in which he could lay down his weary head. All his fears would pass away, and he would be only sleeping in peace. That good land beckoned with a whisper on the wind.

But he knew that land was not for him. It was not yet his time to go.

His work was not finished.

He wanted to fly, but he had no wings. No sooner had the wish entered his heart than there were wings in the sky with him. The dragon, whom he knew so dearly now, flew up under him and wordlessly agreed to carry him. Up into the sky where another dear shape, a darker one, flew out of a cloud as they all soared together.

Toward light and life.

* * *

Toothless woke up splayed out on his belly in short grass. There were voices murmuring from far away. He felt incredibly weak and hungry,

_Grr... what? Where am I?_

He opened his eyes and noticed that he was in a tent. He was also not alone.

Moonbeam lay at his side with her tail around his. Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer were resting against each other on the other side of the tent.

His memories were so confusing for some reason. There was a battle over Minas Tirith, Mordor Night Furies had attacked and been defeated, the Witch-king had attacked by taking Hiccup and...

His head flew up from the ground in fear. Hiccup was not here. Where was he and...

Hiccup was in freefall before him, plummeting to the ground as his own vision failed. Why had he fallen?

A dart fell away from his neck: his neck which even now pained him from underneath a bandage tied to his neck.

_Wait... we both fell, but I am here..._

Someone had to have caught him. There had not been any other Furies in the sky over the city other than Moonbeam. She must have caught him.

And Hiccup was not here in the tent.

Hiccup was not here.

Surely he was not...

He could not have...

How many times had he been there to keep Hiccup safe? How many dangers had they faced together and survived together?

Gone?

"No..." he gasped.

That sound must have been enough to wake all three of his kin at once.

"Burning-Star!" they all cried and flew to their paws.

Their purrs, licks, and nudges did not matter at all or warm his soul-fire.

"Are you well?" "My cub..." "My love..."

It was such a terrible question that he closed his eyes. He both needed to know the truth, and he feared knowing the truth if it would confirm what had probably happened.

"Where... is... Hiccup?"

Moonbeam nuzzled his head, avoiding his neck.

"He is... well in another tent," she said.

Hiccup was well?

He was alive?

"He... lives?" he gasped.

"Yes, your brother... lives," Sky-Dancer warbled.

Lives?

Hiccup was alive.

His human brother and best friend was alive.

Warmth replaced the cold in his soul-fire after that realization and reassurance. They would know whatever had happened while he was asleep, and he trusted whatever they said. There was just one detail that was confusing. Hiccup had been falling just like him.

"How? How... is he... alive? He was... falling..."

"I caught you both," Moonbeam whispered.

He opened his eyes, turned to her, and stared at her in disbelief and awe. But he trusted that she was telling the truth and had somehow caught him and Hiccup. How was irrelevant.

She saved them both.

She saved Hiccup.

She...

His head fell onto her muzzle as the whine broke out from deep inside. No strength was left in him to do anything but weep hot tears.

Was it his dam on his other side, snuggled up against him and purring with sympathy? Was it his sire before him, resting a chin on his shoulder?

Tears had been so infrequent in his life. None of the other dragons he could remember cried out of great feeling. Him and Hiccup talking together about the idea of brothers and family had been the first time he recalled. His meeting his sire, dam, and blood brother for the first time was another. His first true talk with Moonbeam as a possible mate, in which she rejected him because he was still grounded then, was the most recent.

Only those most important parts of life could make him feel as he did now.

The tears stopped, probably because he had no more to give, and the other three had not moved from his side.

He wearily sighed and lay his head on his paws, trying to be gentle and not disturb his neck.

"My... love... you are... amazing... thank you for saving him..." he whispered.

"He is my kin too. I had to save him," Moonbeam whispered back.

"Well, most of him," Far-Flight also whispered.

What did that mean? It did not matter; all that mattered was that Hiccup was alive.

"What happened... to us after... you caught us?" he weakly asked.

"I found Gandalf and brought him to you both. Gandalf had other healers come to help. You had..." Moonbeam paused and whined, "rot in your hurt. That rot took much strength from you, but you will... be better."

He did feel very weak right now. How long had it been since... everything?

"How long... have I been... sleeping?"

"Three days," Sky-Dancer whispered.

There were so many questions he needed answers to. What happened to the pack? What had happened generally? What did his sire mean just before when he mentioned Hiccup?

"Did something... happen to Hiccup?"

Moonbeam froze in her nuzzling his neck, and Far-Flight winced.

"He... was hurt... my cubs were both hurt..." Sky-Dancer whined.

"How was he hurt?"

* * *

Hiccup groaned heavily as he pulled the blankets over himself; he had no desire at all to wake up. The constant, gentle fluttering of fabric and steady, deep breaths eventually roused his waking mind enough to wonder.

_Uh, what happened? Where am I?_

He opened his weary eyes and looked around, slowly knowing more of the world around him. He was in a fur bed on grass in a very big tent, and the sides of the tent gently rolled in the faint wind.

A small table lay next to his bed, and a bowl of a fragrant mash was on the table.

Moonbeam and Toothless were resting across from him on the other side of the tent. They both looked like they were asleep in restful peace, their backs slowly rising and falling with their breaths. Toothless did have a large bandage beside the pendant on his neck, roughly where the...

Recollection finally returned.

A trap in the sky, freefall, despair, and...

She did it.

She caught both of them and saved both of their lives.

He wiped the tears from his eyes, gasped, sat up, and groaned very heavily as he did so; he felt very, very weak and light-headed.

_How long was I out..._

Moonbeam's head flew up from the ground and turned toward him. Her purple eyes were very wide with concern.

"Moonbeam..." he whispered.

She silently got to her paws and strode the several paces over to his side. Then she knelt before him while faintly crooning.

"Hiccup... are you... well?" she whispered.

What was he supposed to say in such a situation? How could he possibly thank her for saving his and Toothless's lives? No words seemed sufficient.

"Yeah, you... you caught me. You saved me... both of us..."

Oddly, she winced and stared down at her front paws while whining very softly.

"What's wrong?" he weakly asked.

"You still... got hurt..."

"What?"

She faintly nodded toward his blankets while avoiding his eyes.

"Take off the furs," she whispered.

He was wearing nothing but his underwear, but neither of them truly cared about such details, so he complied, pulling off the comfortable and warm blankets until...

He stared, disbelieving, numb, and in total shock. His left leg was gone halfway down the shin. Thick, stained bandages were wrapped around the stump.

Gone.

Only now that he saw the injury did he feel that something was wrong. There was a warmth and a faint throbbing in that leg. And of course he could not feel that foot at all since it was gone.

The tears began falling anew as he realized the terrible truth that he was now a cripple.

_Oh gods..._

He covered his lower body with the blankets and then faced her. She looked very worried and upset by what she had seen.

It was very obvious to him what had happened, but he wanted to hear from her, partly so that he could reassure her.

"What happened?" he whispered.

She did not meet his eyes, and her ears fell further.

"You were falling so fast, and I had to grab you. My teeth... tore your leg so bad that... it had to come off or it would go rotted. I am sorry I hurt you..." she whined softly.

"Come here... please..." he held out his hands.

She warily leaned forward until he held her muzzle with both hands and rested his forehead against hers.

"You saved me. Thank you. You are... so amazing," he gasped.

She purred softly as he stroked her chin, never wanting to let go as he wept. Weeping, sobbing, and shaking, unsure if any words could possibly be enough in such a situation.

Finally, he let her go, wiped her muzzle dry, and leaned back in his bed. Then he gave a weary sigh, already completely drained of any energy.

"How is he?"

"He is sleeping much. The Nazgul's arrow-bite put rot in him, but Gandalf and Aragorn helped him get the rot out."

There was probably more to it than that, but it was still good to hear regardless. Satisfied that Toothless would be alright, he asked the most terrible question which he was afraid to know the answer to.

"What about the rest of the pack? My... parents?"

She blinked and looked directly back at his eyes.

"Far-Flight has small hurts, nothing bad or grounding. Sky-Dancer has no hurts."

He sighed in profound relief that both of his parents would be fine.

"Good, where are they?"

"They are helping Wings-Of-Ice because he... lost a wing."

"What?" he gasped.

She nodded once.

"A fellbeast bit it off in fighting on the ground. He flamed the fellbeast and killed it, but he is always-grounded now."

A broken wing could heal. Lost tailfins could be replaced. But an entire lost wing was too much.

The Fury would never fly again.

"Is that all?" he whispered, hoping that it was so.

"No. Growls-At-His-Shadow was killed."

The softly-spoken words echoed terribly in the silence that followed.

Killed.

The Fury, who had started out so angry and violent and had actively hunted humans in the previous world, had made so much progress getting to trust, letting go of the past, and being peaceful, if not friendly. He and Dreamcatcher had been the most fervently against bringing the pack down from the Northern Waste precisely because of the danger of doing so.

And he had died.

Dreamcatcher's mate was gone.

Tail-Hunter's father was gone.

He felt like weeping anew except he could not since he had no more tears to give.

"H...how?" he choked out.

"He was hit by one of the Nazgul rot-arrows. He fell from the sky. In all the fighting, no others in the pack were close enough to catch him."

"Any... others?" he gasped.

Thankfully, she shook her head slowly.

"Others have more small hurts, a few were hit with arrows, but no others are dead or grounded."

"Good to hear. How... how long was I asleep?" he whispered while shuffling in place.

"You woke up some before now, but you might not remember that. You were sleeping two days before now and three days before that."

It had been five days since the battle? That would explain why he was so hungry and weak, in addition to being weak because of the missing foot. So much must have happened in that time.

"No, I don't remember. Do you know what else happened in the fighting? What about the humans?"

She grumbled.

"I know some of what happened, but do you want me to bring Gandalf to talk more?"

"Please. And if he could bring some food and water, that would be great..."

She stepped away and waved a paw at him.

"Stay here."

Then she darted out of the tent.

_I'm not going anywhere. Not like I can now._

He stared up at the top of the fluttering tent while thinking over what she had already told him.

One Fury was dead and another was permanently grounded. It was terrible, but it could have been far worse.

His gaze rolled over to the sleeping Toothless.

Laying there in bed and staring at his sleeping brother, the guilt and responsibility returned anew. His clear thoughts as he fell from the sky and saw so much of his own life in a new light had not faded at all.

Whose fault was this?

Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall had told him that they carried responsibility for the pack because they were the leaders. There was some truth in that.

However, the pack was living in peace before he and Toothless found them and convinced them to come back and involve themselves in the war. None of this would have happened if he hadn't argued for them to come back. He definitely shared the responsibility, no matter what the Alphas claimed to the contrary.

A phantom pain shot up his leg. That flare was another reminder of what had happened to him.

She hadn't meant to hurt him, but it had happened. He had lost a limb because of a dragon.

It was very ironic though since Toothless lost his left tailfin. It felt almost appropriate.

They matched.

* * *

An unknown amount of time passed as he lay in the haze between sleep and wakefulness, hearing nothing except the flutter of canvas and Toothless's calm and steady breaths.

Part of him wanted to go over to Toothless, gently wake him, and give him a hug. Another part of him reminded him that what had happened to Toothless was, at least partly, his own fault. It would also have been impractical to try crawling around or hobbling on one foot.

So he stayed in bed.

Finally, Moonbeam returned and slipped inside the tent, eventually settling down at Toothless's side with a wing over his back.

Gandalf entered behind her, and he carried with him a simple chair and a small, leather bag. The Wizard's white garments were stained with dirt and blood in several places.

"Gandalf..."

"Master Haddock... you finally decided to come back to us..."

Hiccup sat up and shrugged while groaning.

"Well, dying of infection would have been a dumb way to die. At least falling from the clouds would have been unique..."

Gandalf put the chair next to his bed, handed him the bag and a canteen, and then sat down in the chair; the Wizard gave a great sigh as he did so.

"There is some bread, dried meat, and water," Gandalf said.

"Thanks. What has happened?"

Hiccup then wasted no time in starting on the food and water; he had not eaten a proper meal in days.

Gandalf deflated slightly as he sat back in his chair.

"What has happened? I suppose we should start right after the battle. Moonbeam found me, she was very afraid for you both, and she brought me up outside the Citadel where I found both of you."

"Is that where we are now?"

He wasn't sure, but it was possible that a tent had been set up on the grassy part of the courtyard. Then again, there was no constant wind or chill.

"No, we are in a camp with Aragorn's kin and some men of Rohan far outside the city. This is the safest place for you all now... for several reasons. Your foot was badly mangled, but I was not sure what was wrong with Burning-Star. I realized that he had been shot by a black dart; its poison was still in him. I and Aragorn treated him immediately and drew the poison from him. He will be fine, mostly."

Gandalf frowned.

"You were another matter. Your foot became infected, and it had to come off. Your adoptive parents were here also to help comfort you and even tended your wound."

The idea that Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer had been there to lick his stump did not feel strange; it felt like something they would do for him.

For a son whom they love.

"They would do that. Where are Aragorn and Faramir now?" he asked.

"They are still tending to others who were injured, for there are many who are wounded."

"Are the Furies helping with that? Their licks can help..."

"Yes, and no. They aided many of the Rohirrim in such a way, but they could not for the people of Gondor."

That made no sense.

"Why not?"

"Because the dragons, for their own good, are not allowed in the city itself. It is a tenuous situation, both Faramir and I have been advocating for them, but the people and many of the soldiers... they saw what happened in the battle. The Mordor dragons killed over fifty men in battle and more than that many people again when the Tower fell. The people are afraid of the dragons now."

"But... not the pack... they didn't do it!"

He tried to sit up, but he didn't have enough strength. His head also spun and forced him to lie back down.

"They came here... to protect the city..." he choked out.

"I know. Aragorn knows. Faramir knows. Everyone who has true influence knows. There is still much fear in the city and among the survivors. They see dragons and they remember what happened."

Hiccup looked away and closed his eyes; he felt very, very weary all of the sudden. The pain in his leg was also getting worse, which made him wince and groan.

"Use the Athelas..." Gandalf whispered.

"What?"

"The bowl on the table. Aragorn made a cure of Athelas; smelling it alone should help with the remaining pain."

Gandalf helped by retrieving and handing the bowl to him. The fragrant mash in the bowl indeed smelled much like the Athelas he remembered being exposed to.

The pain also quickly faded to only a faint throb as soon as he smelled the mash.

"Yeah, that stuff is powerful. What else happened?"

Gandalf frowned, considering what to say to that.

"Minas Tirith is not safe."

"I figured that..."

"No, you misunderstand me. The city's upper levels are mostly untouched, but the lower levels are so damaged from catapults and dragonfire that they are almost uninhabitable. Houses and towers have crumbled as recently as two days hence. Many of the city's levels might need to be abandoned until they can be repaired."

The city would need to be abandoned? That was terrible news.

"Where will everyone go? Minas Tirith is the biggest city, right?"

Gandalf nodded.

"There are other cities in Western Gondor: Pelargir, Linhir, Calembel, and, the largest of all, Dol Amroth. Everyone will be safe there. For now, as many as possible will be staying here because at least Minas Tirith has walls and armies to protect everyone."

Gandalf's explanation was another reminder that Gondor was much larger than only the area around Minas Tirith and the Pelennor. From what he remembered of Bilbo's map, there was an entire continent past the White Mountains and out to the distant ocean. That land leading out to the peninsula was filled with farms, villages, and the wild grasslands and forests.

Hiccup groaned as he set aside the bowl of Athelas.

"What else can you tell me about... everything?"

"Everything?" Gandalf tried to grin.

Hiccup was too weary to smile back, nor did he feel like doing so anyway.

"What is there to say? The battle was won at a heavy cost. Moonbeam explained to me what happened with the Mordor dragons."

"Yeah, that all happened... even the one I killed."

Gandalf grimly nodded.

"You did what was necessary even by killing."

"I know. I mean, I know that I should think that, but it still hurts to know that I'm a dragon-killer."

Moonbeam chuffed and lifted her head, entering the conversation for the first time since her return.

"And so are we. So is Burning-Star. Did we do bad by killing?" she asked.

"No, I... just wish that none of this had happened."

Gandalf faintly nodded.

"Indeed. So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide..."

"All I have to decide is what to do with the time I still have?" Hiccup finished.

"Yes, whoever taught you that must be most wise."

He chuckled at that. Then his thoughts drifted to a matter he was very uncertain about. While the battle was won, there was one opponent in particular whose fate mattered a lot.

"What else about the battle? What about the Witch-king?"

"I thought you might want to know about that. There was no chance for me to face him before he flew off into the Pelennor. He wanted to kill the leadership among those who opposed him, perhaps saving me for last. He flew off to find King Theoden."

Hiccup started in shock and dread as Gandalf held up a hand.

"Peace, Haddock. King Theoden lives."

"Oh gods... good. What... what happened?"

Gandalf freely grinned again.

"It is strange how fate works. I know not if the prophecy concerning the Witch-king's demise could have applied to me, but it evidently did not. He found King Theoden upon the battlefield and tried to slay him, but Flame-In-The-Night was there to help guard him. The Fury was wounded, but he killed the fellbeast even though his fire did nothing to the Witch-king. Theoden stood to defend him against the Witch-king, though there was nothing he alone could do. As I understand it, that was when Eowyn and Merry arrived."

"What! Eowyn and Merry were there?"

"Yes, they rode to battle together despite orders not to. Even so, the Witch-king could perhaps have slain them both, except that someone else disobeyed instructions to stay behind. Snowflame also flew to war. She wanted to be there to help protect Eowyn."

He was struck speechless as Gandalf continued.

"A shieldmaiden of Rohan, a Hobbit with a blessed dagger which was especially potent against Angmar, and a female dragon. Together, they killed the Witch-king, and thus the prophecy was fulfilled that he would meet his doom not by the hand of man."

One detail, that Merry's dagger was especially strong against the undead or against Agnmar, struck a chord in his memory.

_Wait... I gave the Barrow-dagger to Merry and..._

Despite everything, he grinned and even chuckled, though only wearily.

"Wow, oh gods. Cannot be killed by men... and he runs into the only woman, the only Hobbit, and one of the few dragons in the battle! How about that?"

"Yes, as though such a meeting were fated to be. Merry is doing better, but Eowyn is still not well."

That took away all his meager cheer.

"What? Why not?"

"She was cursed by striking down the Witch-king. She fell into a deep sleep like death, but she will live, though it is a question whether she will find joy again. I understand that she rode to war out of despair and a stubborn wish for glory."

"Yeah, that wish for glory sounds like her. Not the despair though. Why is that?"

Gandalf frowned and shook his head.

"That is not my place to say. Snowflame is helping her to heal. What else is there you should know? Denethor took his own life."

While it was not so surprising given that the Steward was going crazy near the end, it was still a shock to hear that he had killed himself.

"And I know why he did it," Gandalf added.

"He gave up," Hiccup simply said.

"Yes, but I know what was torturing him all along. In addition to grief from Boromir's death, he also had a Palantir."

"What! He had one too?"

Gandalf nodded.

"We found him in the tombs where he had burned himself while clutching a Palantir. I believe that he was using it to watch the lands and observe all that was happening around Gondor. It explains why he knew so much of events happening far from here. But he also saw the strength of the Enemy. Sauron only let him see the might of Mordor, which led Denethor to despair. He must have been shown visions of dragons attacking the city, and then those visions were confirmed. Seeing that was too much for him and his frail mind, already so worn down from long struggle and grief."

Hiccup would have felt pity for the man, except that he remembered Denethor's terrible parting words: his shouting that the dragons had betrayed them all. That despair and misunderstanding had probably touched many of the soldiers in the city.

"Some of the soldiers tried to shoot us: me, Toothless, and Moonbeam."

Gandalf looked visibly pained by that.

"Faramir is the new Steward of the city now. He spoke to his Rangers and to all in the city, trying to explain what really happened. He gave orders that none of the dragons are to be harmed, and some of the Furies have helped search the wreckage for the fallen."

Hiccup glanced over at Moonbeam, and she nodded sharply.

"We smelled trapped humans, some dead and some alive, and we helped to dig them out."

"That's good," he said, relieved that all hope was not lost on that front.

"Even so," Gandalf continued, "we agree that it is best for the dragons to remain outside the city, for everyone's good."

_Fair enough. I can't blame the survivors after all that..._

"What about the rest of the Fellowship: Gimli, Legolas, and Pippin?"

"They are all well. It may amuse you to hear that Gimli bested Legolas in their competition to kill the most Orcs."

That indeed brought him some amusement.

"How did that happen?"

"I believe that Legolas ran out of arrows and had to resort to his knives. There was also some dispute between them about whether a Mumakil should count as one kill."

_Yeah, Legolas would run out of arrows eventually..._

They both grinned at that before the amusement faded.

"What happens next?" Hiccup asked.

"I, Aragorn, Theoden, and Faramir, will speak about that in several days. The Enemy has suffered a defeat here, yes, but this was only a part of his numbers. The game is still being played. There is a final throw, one more move, that I see we must make."  
Gandalf then went silent, gazing off into the distance.

"Well, whatever it is, I don't think the Furies can do it. The pack has been... hurt a lot already," Hiccup whispered.

"I understand and will let you know when we take council. For now you should rest," Gandalf kindly instructed.

"Yeah, I can do that."

"We can get you a temporary peg in a few days once your wound has healed more. The people of Gondor are not strangers to such wounds in war."

"I understand."

Gandalf stood up, slowly nodded toward him and Moonbeam, and then departed. Everything was peaceful and silent after he left. Hiccup again thought over everything he had learned: who had lived, who had not, and the consequences of the battle. There was little else that mattered.

It could have been far worse.

While he wanted to go back to sleep and get more rest as Gandalf had instructed, there were people he needed to meet first. His parents were first and foremost before anyone else.

"Who else is here from the pack? Where is everyone?" he whispered.

"Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer are with Wings-Of-Ice right now. Flame-In-The-Night is also staying with him as an Alpha. Snowfall took the rest of the pack back to Edoras. They..."

She hung her head and stared at her paws.

"They want to comfort Dreamcatcher and Tail-Hunter," she whispered.

That reminder left him numb again. The thought of Tail-Hunter, so friendly and playful to everyone, being told that her father would not be flying back was too terrible to dwell on and was almost just as bad was Dreamcatcher's situation.

_Gods... how does anyone move on from that?_

He frowned, facing Toothless.

"How is he... really?" he whispered.

She looked back at him and thought about what to say. Her ears went back as she grumbled.

"He is weak still. The rot in the bite took much strength from him. His sleep has been bad also..."

"How?"

"Bad dreams."

_That's odd._

"Do you think we can wake him up?" he whispered.

"Should we?"

"He'd want to know that I'm alright..."

"Okay," she purred.

She bent down and nuzzled Toothless's neck, purring softly to him. He shuffled in place and an ear twitched.

"My dear mate..."

Toothless grumbled as he twitched in sleep. Then he blinked slowly as he opened his eyes.

"Yes... what is it?" Toothless sighed.

"Hiccup is awake," she nipped one of his ears.

Toothless spun on him and stared, his eyes going wide. Then Toothless groaned as he got to his paws and walked over to him with Moonbeam at his side.

"Brother..."

"Brother..."

Toothless looked very weary, and his fallen ears revealed something was bothering him. Hiccup pulled the blankets off himself and tried to stand; it was difficult to do without one of his feet.

"Ugh, stupid leg... think you can give me a hand, bro?"

Toothless warbled in confusion and held out a forepaw.

"I can give you a paw..."

Hiccup laughed freely for the first time since waking. Toothless caught on and toothlessly smiled as Moonbeam joined in until their throaty peals filled the tent.

_That's the Toothless I know and love..._

"What I meant was could you help me up?"

Toothless nodded and bent his head down so Hiccup could grab hold of his neck.

"Thanks, bro..." Hiccup mumbled as he stood up.

Moonbeam purred softly as she stood on his other side. She also warbled solemnly as she stared down at his missing foot.

"Can you... make a new paw?" she asked.

"Yeah, I can."

She barked in surprise.

"Truly?"

"Easily. I know plenty of people who lost a foot; they were fine."

She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good. I want you to walk again," she hummed.

Toothless whined and nudged his shoulder.

"Can you forgive me, brother?" Toothless whispered.

"Huh? Forgive you for what?"

"I failed you. I could not catch you..."

"I could say the same thing about myself. It's my fault for being in the battle at all. I really didn't belong out there. I was useless..."

"Still, I thought I could always be there to keep you safe," Toothless mumbled.

"So what if you weren't there? Moonbeam caught both of us."

They both glanced up at her as she bashfully looked away. Hiccup then shoved Toothless's shoulder while gently holding Moonbeam's head.

"I think you made a good choice to take her as your mate."

Toothless rolled his eyes.

"We knew that already. I wish that you were not hurt though."

"Think about it this way: now we match, you and me."

"Both hurt by one of the other kind?" Toothless huffed after a moment of thought.

Hiccup shrugged while gently holding her head.

"Neither was intentional. I... didn't try to take the tailfin, and Moonbeam didn't try to take the foot. I don't blame her at all."

"Thank you, Hiccup..." she whispered and nudged his shoulder.

He hugged her head as she solemnly crooned. Then he turned to his brother.

"Bro, do you mind carrying me? I'd like to go see our parents, and I can't really walk like this."

He put on a shirt and pants, and then Toothless wordlessly crouched down to let him on his back. They left the tent and went outside together. Toothless walked slowly with his head hung; he was still apparently weary from the aftermath of the battle.

Hiccup gasped as he looked around at all that he could see. They were indeed well outside the city, almost up against the mountains to the north of the city. That put them well above the rest of the fields and plain.

The fields of the Pelennor closest to the city were covered in tents with many different banners flying high. Large piles of shapes, surely those of the fallen, as well as several truly massive forms littered the landscape before the city. The lower levels of Minas Tirith looked like rubble, especially on the northern corner of the city where the Tower had collapsed. There was no more smoke billowing into the sky.

Most impressively was how the dark clouds had been pushed back by the westerly wind. The two winds were battling high over the Pelennor, between the city and the distant mountains of shadow beyond which Mordor lay hidden.

Everything on the ground was still and calm. Herds of horses were grazing as their Rohirrim masters watched over them. Men and women were walking from tent to tent, likely tending to the wounded within.

Seeing all the survivors was another terrible reminder of those who had not survived, most significantly one of the pack.

"Where... where is Growls-At-His-Shadow? Where was he taken?"

"The pack carried him up onto the mountain. We buried him in the snow so that rot could not eat him..." Moonbeam whispered.

Hiccup idly nodded as they continued walking. Sitting on Toothless's back as the Fury walked was an odd experience since they almost never did that before. Being on his back had always been for flying.

It didn't help that Toothless was visibly weak and tired.

"You okay?"

"Yes, I can walk," Toothless grumbled.

"Alright then."

They continued between the tents in silence. Finally, they arrived at the edge of the camp and saw several Furies resting close together.

Two of the Furies spotted them, immediately hopped to their feet, and bounded over to them.

"Hiccup!" "Burning-Star!"

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer hopped up next to Toothless and started nuzzling him and Hiccup.

"My cubs..." Sky-Dancer whined.

"Mom..." "Dam..."

"You both got hurt," she added.

"We're okay," Hiccup consoled her.

Far-Flight bent down and glared at the bandaged stump.

"You still lost a paw," he grumbled.

"Yeah, but I'll live."

Moonbeam stepped closer and spoke.

"He said that he can make a new paw like how Burning-Star has a new tailfin."

Sky-Dancer and Far-Flight gasped together as their eyes went wide in shock.

"Is that true?" Sky-Dancer asked.

"Yes, I can make a prosthetic, a new foot. What about you two? Any hurts?"

Far-Flight growled and showed off a scratch on his side. The injury had probably drawn blood, but it was nothing bad at all.

"I got that when we flamed one of the twisted-into-wrong things. Sky-Dancer was too fast for them to hurt."

Toothless chuckled.

"Well flown, dam!"

She rolled her shoulders in a shrug, and then her ears fell.

"You came here to see Wings-Of-Ice, true?" she whispered.

"Yes, we should," Hiccup solemnly agreed.

"Before you see him, you should know that his soul-fire is very cold," Far-Flight sighed.

He really didn't want to think about how terrible it must be. Would a truly grounded dragon be able to be happy even if nothing else changed? Would Eyes-That-Shimmer reject him now after what had changed? What about how this would impact young Nightfall? She was only three and had just started flying on her own a few months ago.

Hiccup wiped his cheek with his sleeve.

"Let's go see if we can help him..." he whispered.

They started for the other two Furies who hadn't moved yet, though they were awake and watching. Flame-In-The-Night got to his feet as they approached. He appeared to lack his usual energy, and his ears remained fallen. He also limped slightly, favoring his left side.

"Hiccup, you are better now?" Flame-In-The-Night softly asked.

"I will be, mostly after I make a new foot-paw. How about you and Wings-Of-Ice?"

"We will... live. I got bit in a leg, but that is nothing..."

From where Hiccup sat he could not see anything strange about Wings-Of-Ice. The male lay on his belly with his right wing folded away as usual while he stared listlessly into the distance.

_Oh gods... I don't want to see it..._

At the same time, he knew that he had to see it to show respect to Wings-Of-Ice. Letting the Fury see his stump might also help him not feel alone in having such a wound. Not that there was any comparing a lost wing and a lost foot.

"Let's go meet him."

Toothless nodded once and then started for Wings-Of-Ice. He was also very chilled about meeting his grounded packmate. It was because he and Hiccup met Wings-Of-Ice on a chance encounter in the northern wild that they found the pack at all.

The orange-eyed male stared at them as they neared. Then they stood directly before him.

No one said anything for a long time until Hiccup sighed.

"Wings-Of-Ice, how are you... doing?"

"Doing?"

"I mean, how are you feeling?"

"Lost..."

"Lost?" Toothless asked.

Wings-Of-Ice snarled and turned to face them; his doing so let them see his other side.

They stared in numb shock at the stump where his left wing had been. Nothing was left except a couple feet of the limb.

"You can fly again! I never will!"

Sky-Dancer stepped forward.

"Please do not growl at my cubs. They were also hurt..." she softly hummed.

Wings-Of-Ice stared at Hiccup's visibly missing foot and at the bandages on Toothless's neck.

"Your mate will not care about your being grounded," Far-Flight added, "She will stay with you. We know her."

Wings-Of-Ice looked away and lay his head on the ground.

"You do not know that, and even if she does... so what?"

"If she turns tail on you now when you have little Nightfall together... I will have strong words with her as a pack-Alpha!" Flame-In-The-Night huffed.

"Nothing you can say changes anything..." Wings-Of-Ice sighed.

Wings-Of-Ice then glanced at Hiccup and Toothless.

"I wish that you had not found us."

A long and painful silence reigned after that.

"You do not mean that..." Sky-Dancer whispered in shock.

"We knew that there would be dangers from doing this, from flying to join flights with humans," Flame-In-The-Night said.

Wings-Of-Ice stared off into the distance.

"Do you not care that Starlight and Snowflame might have died last time? You have already lost two of the pack because of this... flight."

"Two?" Hiccup whispered.

"Growls and me. I am dead to the pack now," Wings-Of-Ice sighed.

"No!" "Wrong!" "Rotted-thinking!" "You are not!"

"Those are words only..."

Wings-Of-Ice then pulled his remaining wing over himself and said no more.

Hiccup wanted to go comfort him, but that would mean getting down from Toothless. Wings-Of-Ice also didn't look like he cared for being consoled. Going to touch him was almost certainly a bad idea.

They glanced to Flame-In-The-Night who got to his paws and gestured for them to follow him. They all walked away to speak freely.

"I am staying with him. He needs one of us to watch him to make sure he does not... hurt himself," Flame-In-The-Night explained.

"Can he get better and not be so... sad?" Hiccup asked.

Flame-In-The-Night grimaced.

"He is always-grounded now. You cannot give him a new wing, can you?"

"No."

"I did not think so. Being always-grounded can end in the ever-sleep," Flame-In-The-Night explained.

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer shivered.

"What is that?" Hiccup asked, morbidly curious.

"It means that a soul-fire can go so cold that the dragon goes to sleep and never wakes up. It dies in sleep," Flame-In-The-Night softly explained.

_Dying of despair?_

"Does that happen... often?"

"Mostly with old pairs after one of the pair dies. The other... wants to follow to the next place: to the stars."

Hiccup slumped in place on Toothless's back as everything weighed heavily on him anew. Seeing the gravely-wounded Fury so inconsolable was one more reminder of how what had happened was, at least in part, his fault.

"What happens now?" Toothless asked.

"The rest of the pack is home now. Eyes-That-Shimmer, Nightfall, Windripper, Breath-Of-Sky, and Mystery will fly here to be with their kin. Snowfall will stay in Edoras as Alpha for the rest of the pack while I am here. They will comfort Dreamcatcher. What will you five do?"

"We should stay together as a family-pack," Sky-Dancer hummed.

"Yes," Far-Flight agreed, "we have hurts that need comforting also. We should also learn what the humans want to do next."

Flame-In-The-Night grumbled.

"I do not think we can do more fighting. We have lost much, and the humans here do not trust us."

Hiccup slowly nodded, agreeing entirely with all of that. The pack had suffered enough already. The situation with Gondor was also tenuous after the disaster during the battle for the city. The leaders like Faramir and Aragorn understood what happened, but the normal people there didn't. They wanted to blame someone, so they were blaming people who look like the ones who hurt them.

"I understand," he nodded, "I will tell the human Alphas that the pack cannot fight more."

Flame-In-The-Night hummed softly and hung his head, looking away.

"I am sorry for not telling you about the lost Packless ones."

Hiccup frowned. Not being aware of the other Night Furies was inexcusable. The Alphas should have told them, if for nothing other than they could have helped Gondor prepare better.

"We should have been told about them. Why didn't you say anything?"

Flame-In-The-Night glanced at Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer before looking back to him and Toothless.

"I was ashamed that I lost them, among other reasons. I did not want to remember them, and that almost got you killed. I am sorry."

"It's okay. Everything is fine now."

Flame-In-The-Night grumbled, turned aside, and strode off to rest with Wings-Of-Ice.

"What is wrong with him?" Toothless asked.

Far-Flight hissed.

"Losing packmates hurt us all much. Most of us did not lose kin, but some did. Not telling you about them was wrong, but I understand why he wanted to forget them."

Hiccup frowned, sure there was something going unsaid. Maybe it was very personal to someone.

"We should rest," Sky-Dancer purred.

"Good idea," Toothless agreed.

Hiccup nodded.

"Alright, we going together?"

Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, Toothless, and Moonbeam wordlessly agreed, and everyone slowly strode back to the tent where he had woken up. There was just enough room inside for all of them to lay down together.

Sky-Dancer helped Hiccup get down and gave him a wing to rest under, which he gladly did after grabbing some blankets to rest on. There was something odd about letting her treat him like that when he was basically a man already, but these were special circumstances, so he didn't complain. Toothless and Moonbeam curled up together with her head on his neck.

A peaceful silence followed save for the purring. However, in the calm peace, the outcome of the battle: the death, losses, and broken trust, weighed upon him again.

Was any of this necessary? Why had he been so callous in suggesting that the pack get involved at all? Did it have to happen this way? In all his time back on Berk, he had not lost anyone he truly cared about and knew, so the pain of war had never been real. The only such death that impacted his life was his mother's being taken, but that happened when he was only a baby. He had never wept for anyone who died in the raids or had simply vanished.

The raids had been nothing but a game, a game everyone in dragon training had enjoyed and even looked forward to. Fishlegs with his statistics, Snotlout with his bravado, the Twins with their craziness and pranking, Astrid with her dedication to improvement, and of course himself with his... everything. He hadn't taken any of it seriously.

But the Furies had chosen to fly to Rohan's and Gondor's defense anyway of their own free choice. They wanted to join the war. Even Growls-At-His-Shadow had volunteered to fly to Gondor's aid.

So who was to blame?

The obvious answer was that the blame fell on Sauron and his forces for being the aggressors and attacking the city, but that explanation felt shallow and simplistic.

"I'm so sorry..." he barely whispered.

Sky-Dancer nudged his head.

"For what, son?"

"Everything..."

"That is much to be sorry for..."

"I know."

She ruffled his hair with her breath.

"Hush now, little one."

"If you say..."

She started humming.

"Rest now, little one, make not a sound. You will fly above the ground. Small you are now, but you will grow and see how great you will be. Rise and hunt, laugh and sing, then sleep under my wing. Strong and free, you will fly high with the clouds in the sky."

The dragon lullaby was calming and hopeful, or at least it would be in most cases. She certainly meant well, but she didn't know how thoroughly his wings were broken.

He said nothing aloud as he gazed at Toothless and saw that the Fury was already asleep.

There were talks that he had to have with Toothless, and maybe with Moonbeam also, on their own. He also wanted to meet Aragorn, Faramir, Theoden, Eowyn, and the rest of the Fellowship when possible.

But there was going to be plenty of time to do so. He doubted that any of them were going anywhere soon. He certainly couldn't go anywhere on his own.


	61. Respite

Respite

* * *

Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, and Moonbeam had flown off across the Pelennor to eat and bring some food back for him and Wings-Of-Ice. Apparently, the very large four-legs with tusks were good for eating and several of them were dead. Their meat would still be good for eating for several more days.

Toothless tried to not think about everything that had happened the last few days. His memories and dreams were confused anyway.

He had awoken up on the top level of the city. Moonbeam, Gandalf, and Aragorn had been with him as they helped with some unknown hurt. Both of his parents had appeared shortly thereafter to lick his hurts and rest with him. Soothing rest had followed after they had tended to him and assured him that Hiccup was well.

Though now he knew why they, and Moonbeam especially, had appeared worried for Hiccup. His foot had gone rotted after being bitten when Moonbeam caught him.

He did not blame her at all. She had caught both of them and saved both of their lives. He would have done the same thing, catch Hiccup by grabbing one of his feet, if it was needed to save him.

He winced and whined that Hiccup had still been hurt. Hiccup had so easily forgiven him for not being there to save him, but he still felt some guilt from failing Hiccup.

He groaned, shifted in place, and hid his head under his tailfin. This was the time for more rest.

Hiccup eventually stirred and sat up in bed.

"Toothless?"

Toothless got up and padded over to him, eventually crouching down beside the bed and letting Hiccup hold his muzzle.

"How are you, brother?" Toothless asked.

Hiccup yawned and stretched his arms.

"Well, I'm awake and alive, so there's that!"

"A good place to start."

"Yeah. What about you? How is... that?" Hiccup waved a paw toward his neck.

The hurt where the Witch-King's arrow-dart had bit did not hurt anymore. All the rot had been taken out, but he still was very weak and tired. He had struggled to glide down from the top of the city to come out here, and he had not done any other flying since then.

"I am weak still, but I will be well with much rest."

"Same here," Hiccup sighed.

A long silence followed before Hiccup spoke again.

"Anything else happen while I was asleep?"

"Pippin came by earlier. He said that Theoden and Aragorn would visit us today."

"Good," Hiccup grumbled.

Hiccup went silent and looked away from him. His downcast eyes showed that he was troubled by something.

"What is biting your tail?"

Hiccup did not look up at him.

"I... I'm so sorry you keep getting hurt... it's all my fault..."

"What!"

"Yeah, my fault for shooting you down, for you being around the Ring at all, for my keeping you grounded, and for you always needing to save me. I did this..."

"No! We have talked about this! Why do you talk like this?"

"Because it's true."

Toothless growled.

"You are grabbing at only the bad that happened! I would never have found my family if not for you. Good and bad fly together."

Hiccup sighed.

"Maybe. I only feel the bad right now. And it's more than you getting hurt. Think about the whole pack..."

"What about them?"

"I got Growls killed and Wings-Of-Ice grounded..."  
"No! You did not hurt them!"

Hiccup just shook his head.

"I... think I understand now why I was so obsessed with making peace between humans and dragons."

"Because it is good and is how life should be!"

"No... because I thought I could make everyone like you and me. I thought that I could make myself useful to the world by making it more like what I wanted it to be. It was... selfish of me all along..."

Again, Toothless growled freely at that. Hiccup words were very twisted and wrong, as if he was chilling his own soul-fire out of... guilt?

"Do you truly think it would be better if the pack had not flown here?"

"Maybe so. They would still be living in peace without seeing any of the war. None of them would be dead or hurt. I don't know anymore..." Hiccup weakly said.

"Well, I do! The five Mordor Night Furies would still have been here. They would still have attacked the city. How many humans would they have killed? What do you think all the humans of this world would think about my kind then? Very dangerous, kill on sight, probably! Tell me that I am wrong!"

Hiccup said nothing. Toothless snorted and nudged Hiccup's shoulder with a paw.

"I do not think it was wrong of us to bring the pack. If you blame yourself for getting the pack to come down here, then you are also blaming me, Gandalf, Elrond, Flame-In-The-Night, Snowfall, and all the pack! We agreed to the flight!"

Then he smirked, knowing that he had Hiccup pinned now in this fight of words.

"Moonbeam told me what you said to her at the food eating and bonding ceremony. What did you tell her?"

Hiccup warily gazed back at him.

"Not your fault!" Toothless again nudged Hiccup's shoulder.

Hiccup inhaled, froze, and stared into the distance without seeing anything. He said nothing for a very long time as tears appeared in his eyes. He then held his own head in his paws and started weeping as he let out the hurt. The tears dripped from Hiccup's paws and fell down onto the bed.

So he lay down next to Hiccup's bed while purring in comfort. Hiccup eventually stopped weeping and sniffling.

"Brother, are you better now?"

"Maybe... it will take... a long time..." Hiccup eventually whispered, looking very weak and tired.

"We have a lot of that now..."

Hiccup eventually fell back asleep, which let Toothless step away and consider him. His ears fell as he recalled how chilled Hiccup's soul-fire felt by all that happened.

It was bad that Wings-Of-Ice had been grounded and Growls-At-His-Shadow had been killed; they were part of the pack with him. But at the same time, they were not his closest kin. Hiccup was a little different from him in that he felt more for the entire pack. Hiccup almost thought of himself as if he were an Alpha or a leader who was responsible for the entire pack.

_I would probably feel that chilled if Far-Flight or Sky-Dancer had died..._

Further, Hiccup was wrong in what he thought about his own motivations. Even if changing the world was a mission that gave Hiccup a place in the world and kept him useful to others, that did not change the truth that it was good to make peace, true peace, be between their kinds.

The lack of fighting from choosing to be apart was not true peace; separating themselves by their kinds and living apart would not make for more trusting. Rather, that isolation would only make each side more suspicious of the other, if they remembered each other at all.

_It can itch to shed scales, but you must if you are to grow._

He stayed there in the tent with Hiccup until the rest of their kin returned. Sky-Dancer and Moonbeam touched down outside the tent while Far-Flight flew on toward Wings-Of-Ice, probably taking a mouthful of meat to him. Sky-Dancer had a large haunch of meat hanging from her jaws. He gladly ate what she had brought for him.

Moonbeam then stepped up to him and nuzzled his neck after he walked outside to greet them.

"How are you, my dear mate?" she nipped one of his ears.

"I am well. Hiccup is not," he whispered.

"No? Why not?" she barked in alarm.

"He blames himself for the hurts to the pack."

Sky-Dancer and Moonbeam blinked in surprise and shock.

"What? Why..." Moonbeam warbled.

"What is wrong with my cub? Why does he blame himself?" Sky-Dancer whined.

"Because he wanted to bring the pack to live in peace with humans. He wonders if that was good to do after all the hurts we had..."

They grumbled and stared into the tent along with him.

"But that is twisted of him. It would be worse if we did not fly here..." Moonbeam grumbled.

He knew that was true. At the very least, the other five Mordor Night Furies that had attacked the city would still have done so and would have killed far more. The fellbeasts and Nazgul out over the Pelennor could also have caused much more pain and death.

"That is what I told him. I think he knows that truth also, but he needs time for his soul-fire to heal and be warm again."

"Can I help?" Moonbeam warbled.

"Yes, we all can by being there for him."

"We will!" Sky-Dancer hummed and immediately strode into the tent.

He watched as she went over and lay down by Hiccup's bed. Her warmth as a dam greatly touched his soul-fire as it usually did. As did Moonbeam's soft nuzzling on his neck, though she avoided his small hurt.

* * *

Hiccup's adoptive parents, Toothless, and Moonbeam were away when a guest came to meet him.

"Master Haddock, may I enter?" King Theoden asked from outside the tent.

"Yes, King Theoden. Please..." Hiccup sat up.

The King respectfully entered and knelt at his bedside. Theoden was clad in dark red robes with long sleeves and fine inlay at the neck. He also looked very weary, and his golden hair was unkempt and dirty. A new wound streaked down his cheek.

_Well, he got a scar from it... at least he survived._

"Westu hál, Master Haddock," the King inclined his head.

"King Theoden, I am glad to see you," Hiccup greeted him.

"And I for you. I hear that you have been greatly wounded."

"I lost a foot. It could have been worse, much worse."

Theoden grimly nodded.

"I know of the pain the pack feels now and the loss suffered. I know it too well. Many of my people fell upon the Pelennor."

Hiccup winced, not wanting to imagine how many had fallen, but he also had to know the truth.

"How bad is it?"

"Eleven thousand rode to war. Just over two thousand fell. Four thousand are wounded and unable to fight. Aragorn and Faramir would know better how fares Gondor. It was not so grievous for them, though much of the city lies in ruins."

Hiccup nodded idly, numb at the numbers being used for how many dead and wounded there were.

"How is Eowyn?"

"She will be well, I pray. The black breath lies heavy on her now, but a deed greater than hers I know not of. That she, a Hobbit, and a dragon could stand against the black foe when men could not..."

Theoden showed a phantom smile for the first time in this brief meeting.

"She is well-tended to even now. Snowflame, Lord Faramir, and Eomer are there with her. Yes, she will be well. Are all of your family safe?"

"Yes, Burning-Star is slightly hurt, but he'll be fine."

"I am glad to hear it. I have heard from others what happened to two of the pack. It has been painful to attend the mass-funerals and see the many pyres. I will even need some new leadership after that great battle."

A terrible thought struck him after he heard the King mention needing new leadership.

"Sir, is Gamling alright?"

"He is. Grimbold fell, but I lost no others of my commanders."

Hiccup felt relieved on behalf of someone else who was dear to him.

Theoden then stood and sighed heavily.

"Would that I could stay longer, but there are many whom I must see to. A King must be seen by his people and comfort them in their time of need."

"I understand," Hiccup answered.

Theoden paused at the curtains at the front of the tent.

"Despair not. If you think that burdens weigh heavily on you, try to imagine what others feel right now. We did what was necessary, though it is no less grievous."

Theoden nodded at him one more time and then was gone.

The way the King said that suggested that he might know something he didn't let on. The more Hiccup thought about his words, the deeper they touched him.

King Theoden led almost all the men in his people to war. Over two thousand of the Rohirrim had died in the battle of the Pelennor Fields. Despite that, Theoden was maintaining himself and being calm despite the deaths under his leadership. The King knew that he had done the right thing even though it would have a terrible cost. He even rode into battle and risked his own life to be there with his people in the charge.

_How does anyone become that great, brave, and selfless? I guess one can only try._

"And here I am feeling sorry for myself because..."

_Why? Why do I feel so guilty for... for surviving?_

That is what it was. He felt guilty that he had survived when others didn't. His father had told him stories about how one man gets snatched up and carried off in a raid when the man standing next to that one was untouched. Part of being a leader was dealing with the aftermath of the battles and helping those who survived to move on.

Sometimes the survivors even blamed themselves for not going to Valhalla with their friends and those they loved.

He still had so much: Toothless, Moonbeam, Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, Breath-Of-Sky, and so many others. The situation with Gondor having suffered from the Mordor Furies was uncertain and definitely not good, but when had he been one to give up when the situation was difficult or even hopeless?

He held his head in his hands and closed his eyes, though doing so did not completely restrain the few tears.

His father kept going after Valka was lost. Theoden didn't give up after he lost his son.

If they could endure, so he could he. He had stubbornness issues too.

* * *

Toothless was carrying Hiccup back from relieving himself, which was hard for Hiccup to get around to be able to do without walking. Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, and Moonbeam were with Wings-Of-Ice.

There was someone familiar waiting for them when they got back to the tent.

"Strider!" "Aragorn!"

The very weary man, his head-hair and face-fur beard very dirty and unwashed, strode up to them. There was a cold and sadness in his gaze, though he warmly greeted them.

"Masters Haddock, Burning-Star. I am glad that you are both up and about."

"Well, Toothless is up. I'm getting a little help from him," Hiccup said.

"More than a little, you twisted human brother..." Toothless cheerfully grumbled.

"Alright, a lot of help. Anyway, good to see that you didn't get hurt."

Aragorn frowned and looked back toward the city.

"I was not harmed, no, but much has been lost."

Hiccup thought he knew well what was bothering him. Minas Tirith was supposed to be Aragorn's city, his birthright, once he retook his place as King. However, that city was so ruined now that it would need to be abandoned until it could be repaired after the war.

Assuming that there was an after the war.

"I know it's not at all the same thing, but my old tribe always had houses burn down in the dragon raids. We just kept rebuilding every time. We had stubbornness issues."

Aragorn looked back at him and grimly nodded.

"Indeed. I have already had council with Prince Imrahil, and I will abide in Dol Amroth until Minas Tirith is restored."

"Where is that Dol Amroth?" Hiccup asked.

"It is on a headland on the western coast of Belfalas. It is a beautiful city, much like Minas Tirith for it was built by similar artisans, though it is not upon a mountainside. Elven and Numenorian blood are strong among the people of the city."

"It sounds amazing. I hope I get to see it," Hiccup sighed.

"I hope that you will. For now, there is another matter I must discuss with you both," Aragorn answered.

"What is it?" Toothless asked.

"One of the Mordor dragons was captured alive."

Toothless growled, remembering how he had fought up in the Citadel. He had killed one of the attacking Furies and left the other unconscious.

"What about it?" he growled.

"I was hoping that you both could bring Flame-In-The-Night and meet the prisoner. Gandalf will be up there to join you shortly. We wish to see if it can be reasoned with now."

"We will. What if it cannot be peaceful?" Toothless asked.

"Then I will leave that up to Flame-In-The-Night, Snowfall, and the pack. There are many from the city who are dead because of it and its kin," Aragorn answered.

Being reminded about the dead dragons, especially the one he had killed and the one that he had seen killed after it ravaged several Gondorian soldiers, got Hiccup thinking about something that might have happened.

"What happened to them, the dead dragons?" Hiccup asked.

Aragorn frowned before answering.

"The dragons of the pack took the bodies somewhere else. I know not where. Some of the soldiers wanted to keep the carcasses as trophies, but we agreed not to allow that."

Hiccup felt sick at the thought of Night Fury skulls adorning a house or great hall, even if the Furies had been killed justly in war. It was another reminder of just how wrong everything had gone, for people of Gondor to think of the Furies as beasts to be trophies of battle.

Toothless grumbled and nodded.

"Yes, Moonbeam told me that the dead ones were taken away. I do not know where either. If I did, I would go relieve myself on them."

Hiccup patted Toothless's neck and then numbly nodded.

"Alright, we will talk to the Alphas. Where is the prisoner?"

"Up on the top level in the stockades. The Citadel guards know to await you, and they are not as hostile as the rest of the people," Aragorn answered.

"Has it said anything?"

"No, and it has tried to kill those who brought it food. I doubt that you can speak with it, but you might."

Aragorn briefly paused before continuing.

"I have also heard that many are grieved after the battle, so I thought I would share with you some words of hope. They are meant to refer to me, but they are not only appropriate to my... situation."

Aragorn then fingered his ring that had a green jewel. He spoke mildly several verses with his eyes closed.

"All that is gold does not glitter. Not all those who wander are lost. The old that is strong does not wither. Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken. A light from the shadows shall spring. Renewed shall be blade that was broken. The... crownless... again shall be king."

Aragorn then silently glanced at them, nodded once, and then left them. Toothless turned to Hiccup as soon as Aragorn left.

"I like his words. They have hope and warmth in them."

"Yeah, they do. I like them too," Hiccup whispered.

"Are you ready to go now?"

"Sure, are you sure you can fly me?"

Toothless crouched down and offered a foreleg to help him up.

"Yes, it would be far for you to walk on one paw."

"Thanks. Let's go find Flame-In-The-Night and let him know what we should do."

* * *

Flame-In-The-Night did not look very eager to meet this surviving Night Fury. Instead, he stared off into the distance with his tail tapping on the ground.

It was not difficult for Hiccup to guess why he might be so reluctant. The lone surviving Fury was almost certainly known to him from before.

"Is there anything we should know about the other dark wings?" Hiccup asked.

"Nothing important."

"Nothing? Knowing about them would have mattered a lot. We could have saved many lives if we knew about them!"

Flame-In-The-Night snarled and growled while clawing up the dirt underpaw.

"There is nothing to say about them! They are... were packless."

"What did they do that was so wrong?"

"They left the pack to fly with the false-dragon and its shadow-rider. They turned tail on us, so we named them not of the pack!"

Hiccup frowned. The custom of the pack sounded very familiar to another that he knew of.

_So they were basically Outcasts because they broke the pack's rules and were disloyal. Makes sense._

Toothless shuffled on his paws.

"There is more than that. Who were they? We must know before we talk to the last one here."

"And," Hiccup added, "there was one more that flew away. It is still out there somewhere. How many are there? Was it only the five that we saw?"

Flame-In-The-Night grumbled to himself for a while before answering.

"That I know of... there were two pairs of mates who were in the pack, two males who were not in the pack, and one other who was of the pack. The three dead ones were one of the pairs and one of the packless males," he reluctantly said.

"Who was the other?" Hiccup prodded.

Flame-In-The-Night calmly stared back at him; the Alpha was definitely unsettled by the question. That was even more obvious when his ears fell and tail stilled.

"My brother."

Hiccup and Toothless gasped in shock.

"Your brother?" Toothless whispered.

"My younger brother. His name is... was Dark-Fire," Flame-In-The-Night whispered.

"What happened to him? Why did he leave?" Hiccup asked.

Flame-In-The-Night winced.

"He saw our sire killed by a pack of humans, and his seeing that chilled his soul-fire. He was much closer to my sire than I was. I told him that it would be better for us and the rest of the pack to fly on our own away from any humans, that revenge-flights would only get more of us killed, but he wanted to avenge our sire."

Flame-In-The-Night sighed and lay his head on his paws.

"I wonder if this trapped one is him. He was not... among the dead ones."

"And if it is..." Hiccup asked.

"I... do not know what I will do, or if I want to meet him again..."

Hiccup frowned, appreciating how emotionally difficult it could be to meet under such circumstances, but he also knew that avoiding the issue forever wouldn't work either.

"It won't help you to ignore it. Maybe you and he cannot reconcile, but maybe you can. If... this one is... him."

"And even if it is not," Toothless interjected, "we still need to learn what to do with it."

He was then interrupted by the approach of wings.

Moonbeam gently touched down and bounded up to him, so he stepped over to her and nuzzled her nose.

"My dear mate, we will fly to meet the living dark wing. Will you fly with us?"

She growled and hummed in agreement.

* * *

Flying over the ruined city was so terrible. There was such a contrast between the upper levels, which were mostly undamaged, and the bottom levels, which were little more than rubble with narrow paths where a few people walked between the piles of debris. The massive stone towers, barracks, and homes had collapsed all through the bottom of the city.

So much had been destroyed.

But, even in its ruin, the city retained a splendor and greatness that may still come again.

Hiccup glanced to his side at the two other Furies flying with him and Toothless. It felt good to have them there also for reassurance at what would certainly be an upsetting meeting. While Vorunturth had been a very unpleasant, true Middle-earth dragon, at least he had cared for his hoard over ongoing cruelty through open warfare.

This would be the first time he met a dragon who had embraced cruelty and acted on it by attacking humans. Well, not exactly the first such dragon. Growls-At-His-Shadow was like that once... but he stopped that once he found Dreamcatcher and had Tail-Hunter. He changed because he had something more important than revenge...

Hiccup closed his eyes.

_I will protect your daughter and do anything I can to help her._

The three Furies touched down on the top level of the city. Hiccup and Toothless couldn't help but notice the remaining base of the tower that was gone now; only about ten fathoms remained of the glorious but now shattered tower.

A small group of guards was visible at the side of the Citadel where stood an undamaged building. Gandalf also stood before the doors of this guard house, so they walked over there.

"Are you ready to meet it?" Gandalf inquired.

"Yes, no better time than now..." Hiccup answered.

"I hope it is not who I think it is," Flame-In-The-Night grumbled.

Gandalf expectantly looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

"The captured dark wing might be... my kin, my brother..."

Gandalf grumbled at that.

"That would complicate this, but there is only one way to find out."

The guards stood aside to let them enter. Gandalf walked first with Toothless, Moonbeam, and finally Flame-In-The-Night behind him. A couple other guards entered with them.

The captured Fury glared back at them from where it lay in chains. Thick chains wove around its back and held its wings to its side. A muzzle and ropes were wrapped around its head to hold its jaws almost completely closed. It was completely bound and unable to do anything violent except snarl and growl, which it immediately did.

Hiccup stared straight back into the narrowed, blue eyes that glared at him with open hate. These eyes were the same shade as another dragon behind him.

_That can't be coincidence..._

His suspicion was confirmed when Flame-In-The-Night silently strode ahead toward the muzzled, captive Fury. His tail twitched as his ears were swept back. The chained Fury lifted its head and stared back at the Alpha while the guards carefully undid the muzzle and then stepped away.

No one said anything for a long time.

"Dark-Fire..." Flame-In-The-Night growled.

The other Fury said nothing while it glared and snarled.

"You never were one for words..."

"I am not Dark-Fire!"

"No, little brother, who are you now?"

"I am Burzghash!"

The growled words darkened the room and filled the air with a chill. It should not have been surprising that the Mordor Night Fury had started using Black Speech.

Gandalf then laughed aloud, breaking the tension as he gently tapped his staff on the stone floor. Everyone else gathered there stared at him in a mix of surprise, confusion, and anger.

"I will not repeat those fell words myself, but this dragon's Black Speech name translates as Dark-Fire in the Common Speech."

Flame-In-The-Night then chuckled.

"Well, will you take back what you said last time?"

"Never! You relieved yourself on our sire's corpse when you refused to follow me! When you rejected the offer of freedom and justice!" Burzghash snarled.

"Freedom and justice? Is that what you think this is?"

Burzghash stared in Hiccup's direction and flashed his teeth at him.

"Yes, Sauron is our true ally! We fly in his lands without having to fear any humans! We even have power over the humans who serve Sauron."

Toothless stepped forward with a growl.

"Sauron is our enemy! He has tried to rot and corrupt my soul-fire, and he caused all the fighting and death!"

"He tried to free you. We are not meant to be slaves that carry around humans on our backs!" Burzghash snarled while glaring at Hiccup.

"Humans do not make us slaves! We do not live for them!" Toothless growled back.

"No? You carry a shara on your back now!"

"Hiccup is kin to me as a brother. He is not my master."

Burzghash froze and glanced at Hiccup once before turning his gaze back to Toothless.

"That you call a shara your kin shows how far you have fallen, dark wing. You now fly for our enemy. Only one of us, humans or dragons, can fill the lands and be many. Us or them!"

Hiccup gently patted Toothless's neck and whispered to him.

"Bro, can you let me down?"

Toothless lay down to help Hiccup climb off his back and brace himself against his neck. Hiccup then stared defiantly back at Burzghash without feeling any fear, though the Fury's words were very disturbing so far.

"Why do you think that? Why must we be enemies?" Hiccup asked.

Burzghash snarled and refused to answer for such a long time that Hiccup thought he wouldn't answer at all. However, the Fury's claws scratched at the stone floor.

"We heard about you, the human who wants... peace. You are why the five of us flew here to this city and why we flamed it!"

Hiccup gasped in shock and confusion at this strange and terrible news.

"But why?"

"Because you are the truest enemy of all dragons! You would have all dragons be pets and mounts: mere things that you use to protect you, fight for you, and be your wings! Do not bother denying it!"

Hiccup almost shouted back in defiance, except that the accusation leveled against him struck very close to his own previous motivations. Was any of what Burzghash said true? Would humans as a rule only want peace with dragons so as to use and control them for work, flight, and war?

"Yes," Burzghash continued, "you would have us forget what we are and become weak!"

Toothless stomped a paw on the floor.

"These humans here never hurt dragons! We were showing them that we can live in peace before you flew here and flamed them! You are a monster."

Burzghash flashed his teeth and purred.

"Yes, I am a monster to them, and I am glad to be one! We are meant to hunt and kill humans, even if you three have forgotten that purpose. I am strong."

Hiccup slumped in place while holding onto Toothless's neck.

"You would really have our kinds be killing each other forever, even if it means that you all die?" Hiccup incredulously asked.

Burzghash rolled his head to the side and stretched his limbs, all of which shook the heavy chains wrapped around him.

"It is better to die free than live in chains or as your mounts! I hope that we destroyed everything you love!"

Toothless, Moonbeam, and Flame-In-The-Night snarled and growled as one.

"You might have," Hiccup weakly whispered, "I love the pack, and I wanted this world to accept them. Not as mounts, slaves, or things to use, but as people."

"Lies..."

Hiccup shrugged.

"You might only hear what you want to hear. I've been with the pack for only a couple months now, and I did more for them in that time than any of you who flew away from them. I, a mere human, am more loyal to the pack than you were."

Flame-In-The-Night purred and nudged Hiccup's side.

"It is true! He showed us new ranges where we have warmth, more food, and humans who live in peace with us."

Moonbeam huffed, stepped forward to stand beside Hiccup, and spoke for the first time in this meeting.

"I thought much like you did. I thought that Hiccup was false in his soul-fire, and that he would make us be thralls. Humans are not perfect life, and they have twisted-thinking that we must watch for and stop when we see it, but we are not perfect either. Humans can change and learn if we help them and if they see a reason to change. Your thinking is rotted if you think true peace is a bad thing."

"That peace is false! Humans cannot learn or change!" Burzghash snarled.

She snorted in his direction.

"You do not know that. I also know that you are hurting yourself. You tell yourself that life must be humans against dragons, you act to drive our kinds apart by hurting the humans, and then, after the humans attack, you tell yourself that you were correct in suspecting them. You are thinking in a trap that you made for yourself. You are not free!" Moonbeam huffed.

Burzghash lunged at her but could not do anything. The heavy chains and muzzle completely restrained him.

Flame-In-The-Night swatted at Burzghash with a paw and struck the side of his muzzle.

"What did sire say about snapping at females? Think about the other one Burning-Star killed."

"So what?"

"What would sire have said about a dark wing that tries to hit or force-mate a female?" he snarled.

Burzghash started and stepped back in surprise, instantly losing his wrath.

"Do not say it..." Burzghash then gasped.

"You know what happened to dam..." Flame-In-The-Night whispered.

Burzghash's mouth worked though he said nothing.

Hiccup, with one hand each on Toothless's and Moonbeam's necks, stared in shock at Flame-In-The-Night and Burzghash while reflecting on what he just heard. The Alpha had never volunteered any personal details about life in the past, and he had never asked because it was not his business to know.

But it sounded like these estranged brothers came from a troubled family background. He had no idea that Flame-In-The-Night had been so hurt in the past.

"You could have stayed with the pack and lived with us, but instead you turned your tail on us. You turned on your own brother..." Flame-In-The-Night groaned.

"Leave me..." Burzghash whispered.

Flame-In-The-Night turned away from Burzghash and nodded toward the door. Hiccup agreed, seeing the discouraging truth that talking with Burzghash seemed pointless. Moonbeam followed Toothless to the door as Gandalf left. Flame-In-The-Night was the last still inside the building, and he turned to sadly stare at Burzghash.

"What would sire have said about about losing your life for revenge?"

Burzghash lay his head on his paws.

"How about you... go ask him," Burzghash snorted.

Flame-In-The-Night then growled, facing Toothless, Hiccup, and Moonbeam.

"Please leave me with him. My lost brother and I must speak."

"Alright," Hiccup agreed.

Toothless and Moonbeam strode outside with Gandalf and closed the door behind them. Then they all kept walking away from the stockades until they stood on the grass.

"So, that all happened..." Hiccup sighed.

"Indeed. That dragon's life has been very tragic," Gandalf muttered while leaning on his staff.

Toothless grumbled.

"I want to hate him, but I almost understand it. He wants to blame and hate others so he feels stronger and has an enemy to fight," Toothless said.

"That is indeed a vicious trap of thought. It even has the ring of justice to the one so enthralled by its own mind and pride," Gandalf agreed.

"Can you free him?" Hiccup wondered.

"Free him?"

"Like what you did for Theoden."

Gandalf frowned.

"This dragon is not controlled like Theoden was. It freely hates and chooses to be angry, at least as much as we can say it is free at all."

"But they flew to Mordor, right? They saw Sauron or... something."

"Yes, and that may have sparked greater malice in them. However, they were fully aware of their actions; they chose this. Even before they met Sauron, they were already in his service."

Hiccup winced, realizing again the difficult truth which hurt. Dragons could be truly malicious and were not only victims of circumstance, even though they had suffered terrible things also.

Gandalf then stepped over to Toothless's side and put a hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

"Think not of his words to you. Whenever someone tries to build something good, there will be those who would seek to tear it down. That is not reason to stop building."

Hiccup took a deep breath, feeling a peace and reassurance from Gandalf's words and Toothless's and Moonbeam's purring at his side.

"I know."

They waited outside in the cool breeze, none of them saying anything as they were lost to their thoughts. Hiccup still saw something that was disturbing, or at least would be to everyone in Gondor.

The White Tree was gone now. The soil where it had stood was churned as though there had been digging there recently, which there almost certainly had been.

"What happened to the tree? I know it was... burning..."

Gandalf frowned.

"What was left of it was gathered and taken into the Kings' tombs."

They stood together and stared out into the distance toward the dark clouds and the faint glow beyond the horizon. The glow alternatively waxed and waned.

"You said that we would need to do more soon, yes?" Toothless asked.

Gandalf nodded.

"Indeed. Tomorrow we will talk about what we must do. The Enemy is strong still behind the walls of Mordor, and we must force his hand, probably with a final throw in this perilous game."

They waited in silence until Flame-In-The-Night silently stalked out of the building. His tail dragged as he walked over to them and sat down, his head hung.

"Alpha?" Toothless whispered.

Flame-In-The-Night looked up from his paws. It looked like he had been crying or otherwise distraught.

"Burzghash... might not be such a problem always. He has... problems, but my brother might still be there... under the pain and anger."

Gandalf turned to him.

"Did he say anything about where he and the others were being kept? Where were they living?"

"He said they were roosting in a Morgul: a city where the living-shadow Nazgul are."

Gandalf nodded.

"Minas Morgul was their lair. That makes sense given that the Witch-king was the power who brought you all to Arda."

Gandalf subtly glanced to Hiccup and Toothless.

"The Witch-king's demise also makes it certain that none of you could be sent back to that other world; none of us have the knowledge of what words of power he used to bring you here."

Hiccup shrugged, feeling no loss from that news. He was long since beyond feeling anything for Berk.

Flame-In-The-Night continued speaking.

"He also said that there are more dark wings that did not fight and are still at that place."

"How many?" Hiccup exclaimed.

"Two pairs of mates, two cubs, and two fledglings. One of the fledglings has no sire or dam now, since they... flew on the attack and died."

"Did they stay out of the fighting to keep the young safe?" Toothless asked.

Flame-In-The-Night nodded.

"That and they were ordered to stay there to guard the place."

Gandalf sighed and frowned.

"That explains much. The dragons were likely being kept to breed what would eventually be a dragon army. But the Witch-king became hasty and thought he had to use many of them to secure the attack."

"We should go save them. We can rescue the dragons that are trapped, right?" Hiccup proposed.

Flame-In-The-Night grumbled and flicked an ear.

"Do we know where they are? Do we know where this lair is?"

"Yes," Hiccup answered, "I know where it is."

Gandalf stared off toward the distant mountains far across the Pelennor and still under the thick layer of clouds.

"Haddock, if you will take my council on this matter, I would greatly advise you not to go yourself to that dread city. Being a place where the Nazgul have dwelled for many years, you could not abide it for long. No human can."

"But we must do something for them!" Hiccup exclaimed.

Gandalf nodded.

"I did not say that nothing would be done. It is likely that the Nazgul will all be abroad now. The city may be mostly empty if most of its Orc forces were sent on the attack. It would be possible for a few dragons to sneak unnoticed into the city, especially if one of those dragons can move entirely unseen."

Everyone started in surprise and glanced at Moonbeam.

"I can hide from eyes as can the other dark wings, but not Burning-Star. He cannot hide because of his human-made tailfin. It would be best... if he not need to fly this flight," she answered.

Toothless grumbled and paced, not liking being told it would be best for him to stay behind. He ceased his grumbling when she rubbed against his neck.

"My dear mate," she hummed, "did my clever-thinking pin you this time?"

He huffed and reluctantly rolled his eyes; she was correct in what she said.

"So, you, Flame-In-The-Night, and my sire and dam will fly there and search for the other dark wings, yes? You will free them if you can," Toothless explained.

"Yes, we will!" Flame-In-The-Night answered.

Toothless still warbled warily as another concern struck him.

"I was hit by a small rot-arrow. That is also what made Growls-At-His-Shadow... fall. Are there more of those?"

Gandalf shook his head.

"There should not be. The eight remaining Nazgul do not have those weapons; those were only a foul craft of the Witch-king. Further, dragons appearing in Minas Morgul would not be a surprise to any Orcs still there. You might be able to fly in freely without the Orcs thinking anything strange was happening."

"What if the other dragons are in chains too thick to break?" Hiccup asked.

"Burzgash said that they are not. Fear keeps them there in a thought-trap. I am an Alpha, and I can help break the teeth of fear that is holding them!" Flame-In-The-Night snarled, his back slightly glowing.

"When should we fly?" Moonbeam asked.

"I would advise you fly tonight in the greatest darkness. Do try to keep your presence there unnoticed or at least inconspicuous. We do not want to draw the Enemy's attention that direction," Gandalf cryptically added.

Shadowfax whinnied from afar and, heedless of the dragons present, galloped over to Gandalf. Gandalf hopped on his back.

"The Fellowship will hold council with the King and Steward tomorrow morning."

Hiccup and Toothless nodded to him, and the Wizard then rode off, leaving Hiccup and the three Furies alone in the courtyard.

"Well, what do you all want to do now?" Hiccup asked.

Toothless shrugged and ruffled his wings.

"More rest. I feel weak still."

"Yeah, same here, bro. A few days of eating nothing will do that..."

Moonbeam cautiously stepped closer and gently nosed his left knee.

"When will you get your new foot-paw?" she warbled.

"I'm not sure. The leg needs to scar over before I can get anything attached. I have no idea when that will be. Soon, I hope, so that I won't be a bother for this guy here..." Hiccup patted Toothless's neck.

"You are no bother," Toothless purred.

"No?"

"Well, sometimes you are... but not in this. I will carry you as long as you need it and more."

Hiccup softly smiled, though with a wistful twinge in his heart.


	62. Hubris

Hubris

* * *

Far-Flight stuck his nose into the tent, waking Toothless and Hiccup from their nap.

"It is time..."

Toothless hopped to his paws and let Hiccup get on after helping him up. They left the tent and settled down outside where Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, Flame-In-The-Night, and Moonbeam, their eyes gleaming different colors, were waiting for them in the darkness. As usual, no one could see a sunset, partially because of the cloudcover but also because the mountains were in the way.

Toothless and Moonbeam nuzzled noses first, and then Sky-Dancer and Far-Flight similarly greeted both of their sons.

"We are flying now," Flame-In-The-Night growled.

"Alright, you all remember where to go?" Hiccup asked.

Flame-In-The-Night huffed and pointed with a paw.

"Straight to the east, over the destroyed city to a valley in the far mountains."

"Yes, that's it. Do be careful, all of you..."

Sky-Dancer nuzzled Hiccup's cheek.

"We will. We know how to hide on our hunts," she hummed.

Toothless then licked Moonbeam's face.

"And you, my dear mate, you fly with care."

"You know I will," she hummed back.

Hiccup and Toothless stepped back as the other Furies smoothly hopped into the sky and vanished into the darkness. Toothless whined softly and hung his head as they flew off.

"They know what to do. They'll be fine," Hiccup whispered, still unsettled himself at the thought of those four flying off to Minas Morgul.

"I know they will. I just wish that I could be with them to protect them and that I could... fly unseen like them."

Hiccup winced at the reminder of what Toothless couldn't do.

"Sorry that the tailfin isn't good enough for that..."

Toothless barked in alarm and shook his head.

"No, I was not saying that the tailfin is bad. It is amazing and good."

"Even so, I'll keep thinking if I can make it better. Lightning isn't something I can really work with..."

Toothless hummed softly and nodded.

"I understand. Lightning is not safe for you to touch."

Hiccup rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"I don't know. Now that I think about it, Lightning is very friendly. She even licked me after I helped her with Hunts-Golden-Light. I'm also very sure that Hunts-In-Deep-Waters is not death himself."

Toothless snorted and stomped a paw on the ground as he laughed.

"So the cub is not the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself?"

"You got it! I knew my dragon brother was so... clever..."

"Very funny. You think you are so smart..."

"Well, yeah, I'm the clever one..."

"What am I? No! Do not answer that!" Toothless barked.

"Wasn't going to, bro! I still love you as you are..."

"I should drop you on the ground, but... you still need a new foot-paw..."

"Yeah, I'll take care of that before too long. How about we go hang out with Wings-Of-Ice? We can keep him company right now."

Toothless purred softly.

"Good idea. We should comfort him while everyone else is away."

They set off for the tent that Wings-Of-Ice had been given to rest in a short distance away. Interestingly, Snowflame was already there, laying on the ground just outside the tent.

"Snowflame, how have you been?" Hiccup greeted her, not having seen her yet since his injury.

She hopped to her paws and stepped over to greet him as Toothless settled down.

"I am well. What about you? I heard that you lost a paw!" she huffed and sat down next to them.

He held out his leg with the stump. She whined softly as she stared at it. Then she gently nuzzled his cheek while purring in comfort.

"That is bad! I hope you get better soon."

"Thanks. I'll be fine. I can make another foot just like I made Burning-Star a new tailfin."

She hummed softly in thought.

"You cannot make Wings-Of-Ice a new wing, can you?" she warily asked.

He slowly shook his head.

"No. There's nothing I can do about that..."

"I did not think you could. Are you both here to comfort him?"

"Yes, we should be here with him as packmates. He needs us," Toothless whispered.

Snowflame hummed while staring at her paws.

"He is my second-sire through Windripper, and that makes him kin to me. He is still very cold in his soul-fire," she said.

Toothless huffed.

"Then let us warm him."

They continued together into the big tent, and they saw Wings-Of-Ice listlessly resting on his belly, his tailfins under his chin. Toothless sat down on his left side, the one without a wing, and Snowflame sat at his other side.

"Wings-Of-Ice, how are you?" Toothless asked.

"Cold and lost."

"We will share warmth, and you are not lost. You are here."

Wings-Of-Ice huffed.

"I am Wing-Of-Ice now. My old name is not me anymore..."

Toothless winced, though he accepted that his packmate was correct. Something that important changing about life would make it good to change one's name. At least the new name was more accurate.

"No, your old name is not you. But you are still part of the pack. You are no less to any of us."

Wing-Of-Ice snorted.

"Lies. A grounded dragon is useless... unwanted... and not a true dragon. I am... much less now."

Toothless softly growled.

"Less in what you can do, true. But being grounded does not stop you from helping the pack, being a good mate, and being a warm sire. You are no less to your kin."

Wing-Of-Ice stared at the interior of the tent, deeply exhaled, and closed his eyes.

"Are Flame-In-The-Night and your kin flying to that bad nest-city?"

"Yes, they will find the lost dark wings and save them from being thralls."

"Good for them. Maybe someone can be saved," Wing-Of-Ice grumbled and then covered his head with his tailfins.

Toothless, Hiccup, and Snowflame glanced between themselves without saying anything. Hiccup carefully climbed down to Toothless's side so he could rest there.

Silence fell as they all rested in peace, Toothless and Snowflame purring softly to comfort their packmate. Hiccup found it difficult to fall asleep; he was too worried about everyone flying to Minas Morgul. All they knew was that the Nazgul would probably be away, there would not likely be many enemies in that place, and the dragons there might not be as violent as the others had been. There was not much of a plan beyond getting there and figuring out what to do to help them.

_They should be back in the morning if nothing goes wrong. Please let nothing go wrong..._

* * *

"Wake up!" Moonbeam barked.

Hiccup and Toothless woke up in the darkness and flew to their feet. She had stuck her nose into the tent, and her eyes glowed in the faint light. It was not even dawn yet.

They immediately hopped out of the tent to greet her and speak freely.

Toothless nuzzled her nose and purred, very thankful that she was back safely. Hiccup briefly held her head.

"Where are the others who flew? Is everyone fine?" he asked, not seeing anyone else outside.

"Yes, we are all fine. We found them and got the other dark wings out. They are up in the mountains above the city. That Morgul place is very bad... and chills the soul-fire..." she hissed.

They both breathed sighs of relief that nothing had gone wrong.

"How many are there?" Hiccup asked.

"Eight new dark wings. One pair, Dances-In-Shadows and Sun-Spark have two young, Dancing-Flame, a fledgling, and Hidden-Star, a cub. The other pair is Ashen-Whisper and Tempest-Cloud with their cub, Cloud-Whisper. There is one other fledgling: a male named Bagronk. He has no living sire or dam anymore."

Hiccup frowned, feeling nothing but pity for the fledgling; that young Fury's parents had definitely been among the three that died in the fighting. Then he winced as realized that there was a two out of three chance that he had killed either the fledgling's father or mother. He did not know and did not want to know if that had happened.

_Gods, anyway, his name sounds different. Wonder what it means... if anything._

"What is happening with them?" Toothless asked.

She looked up toward the mountains.

"We want you to meet them. Flame-In-The-Night offered to let them into the pack again. The pair that was thrown out of the pack regretted flying away, and Flame-In-The-Night wanted to let them back in the pack for their young to be safer. The other pair and the alone fledgling never knew the pack."

Toothless hummed in agreement.

"That is good of him. Hurting the young by keeping them out of the pack because of bad their sires and dams did would be wrong. We should go meet them."

"I'm ready," Hiccup nodded.

Wing-Of-Ice was still asleep with Snowflame there to watch over him. Still, they woke her and told her what they were doing. Then they took to the sky and ascended alongside the mountain until they rose far above the peaks of Minas Tirith. By doing so they flew up through the dark layer of clouds that had rolled back over the Pelennor and the city overnight. The clouds smelled of sulfur and were very thick.

Then they emerged in the clear and crisp air so high up that the snow never melted.

Even in the darkness before dawn they could see the clouds that rolled and flowed below them like an ocean. The snowcapped mountain rose up from the clouds like an island lit by the moonlight and the starlight.

Moonbeam led them up to a rocky plateau covered in snow. There were several Night Furies sitting in the snow.

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer bounded over to them once they landed. The other Furies remained by Flame-In-The-Night's side.

"Cubs..." Sky-Dancer hummed after giving them each a lick of greeting.

"Mom..." "Dam..."

Far-Flight snorted in amusement as he greeted Toothless. They then regarded the new Furies while approaching them. The adults looked healthy enough, and their young under their wings looked about the ages of Breath-Of-Sky and Free-Flight, respectively. The other one, the lone fledgling, also looked about ten winters old.

The fledglings and adults stared at Hiccup as he and Toothless approached. Hiccup was sure they were suspicious of him, since he was probably the first kind human they had ever met.

_What have they been told about us? Probably only bad things..._

Toothless settled down before them, and everyone stared at each other.

"So, good to meet you all," Hiccup greeted them.

"This is the human..." one of the new male Furies softly said.

"Yes, I'm sure that they told you all about me. What is your name?"

"I am Dances-In-Shadows."

"And you?" Hiccup asked the female at his side.

"I am Sun-Spark," she meekly answered.

"Hello there, Sun-Spark. Who are your little ones?"

"Dancing-Flame and Hidden-Star," Sun-Spark answered.

Dancing-Flame, the older of the children and a male, stepped forward and spoke.

"We had other names the shadow-Alphas gave us, but we did not like those names..."

The cub, a young female, hid under Sun-Spark's wings and looked very shy, so he didn't want to bother or scare her.

"Good to meet you."

He then faced the other pair and their dozing cub.

"You must be Ashen-Whisper, Tempest-Cloud, and Cloud-Whisper."

"Yes, I am Ashen-Whisper," the male answered while staring at his paws.

"Tempest-Cloud," the female added.

Hiccup nodded and then faced the remaining Fury.

"And what is your name, good dark wing?" he kindly asked.

The fledgling ruffled his wings and grumbled.

"Bagronk..."

"I am Hiccup. What does your name mean?"

"I do not know."

"Well, are you alright after... everything that happened?"

"You mean my sire and dam being dead?" Bagronk casually asked.

"Uh, yeah. I thought you'd be upset about it."

Bagronk grumbled before answering.

"I do not... miss them. They were not kind."

"No?" Hiccup asked in surprise.

"They wanted to use their lives hunting, killing, and eating humans. They hit me a lot and gave me my new name after I did not... want to kill like them."

"Wait, they hit you?"

Bagronk lifted a wing and showed off his side which was covered in scratches, definitely from claws. Flame-In-The-Night growled at what was now visible.

Dances-In-Shadows and Sun-Spark whined softly and clutched their children closer. They and the other rescued pair didn't look like they were violent or abusive at all.

"I'm sorry about that..."

Bagronk just shrugged, which was a very casual response to something so bad as that abuse.

Hiccup shivered and faced Flame-In-The-Night.

"You will be letting them join the pack, right?"

"Yes," Flame-In-The-Night answered, "I told them about where the pack is living and how we live in peace with the human pack of Rohan. These dark wings do not want war or fighting. One pair was not part of the pack, and the other... I forgive for leaving us."

"How did you break them free?"

Flame-In-The-Night growled while glowing a faint blue from his back. Dances-In-Shadows and Sun-Spark hung their heads and looked generally ashamed of themselves while Ashen-Whisper and Tempest-Cloud didn't react.

"The trap was in their thinking. I helped break the teeth that were holding them there. Now I will take them to outside Edoras so the full pack can meet them. They should not stay here."

Hiccup nodded in agreement. These Furies staying anywhere near Gondor was definitely not a good idea after everything that had happened.

"Alright, we will stay here with Wing-Of-Ice and Snowflame, and we'll let you know if anything else important happens."

Flame-In-The-Night nodded once.

"Be careful with Dark-Fire. I do not think he is only bad, but he is still dangerous enough that he must stay in chains. I will... come back for him after I take them to the pack," Flame-In-The-Night growled.

"We understand," Toothless nodded.

Flame-In-The-Night stepped away, glanced at the other Furies, and the new Furies flew away with him, their flights turning for the northwest.

Hiccup, Toothless, Moonbeam, Far-Flight, and Sky-Dancer watched the others fly away.

"Did you know them from before?" Toothless softly asked.

Far-Flight hummed.

"Only a little. Dances-In-Shadows and Sun-Spark were new mates then, and they were young enough that they made bad choices. I am glad they did not let much rotted thinking into their soul-fires."

"We do not know the others. They were not in the pack before. But we think they will be good new packmates," Sky-Dancer added.

Moonbeam then barked to get their attention.

"We should go back to Wing-Of-Ice and Snowflame."

Toothless hummed in agreement and glanced at his parents.

"Yes, we should. And you should both rest after your rescue flight. Maybe you could tell us about it."

Oddly, Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer whined and looked away. Even Moonbeam stared blankly into the distance.

"No, my dear cub, we will not talk about that place. It is a very bad place filled with shadows and... twistedness that has no words..." Sky-Dancer mumbled.

"I will be glad if I never see that place again," Far-Flight whispered.

Seeing the two normally brave Furies so uncertain was all that Hiccup and Toothless needed to know. Minas Morgul was a bad place that they were glad they did not need to go to.

"Alright then, we should fly," Toothless proposed.

"Nothing wrong with taking a moment to enjoy the view," Hiccup added.

All five of them remained on the mountain a while longer, simply standing together and looking out over the flowing clouds that were being buffeted by the western wind. It was too dark to see the color of the clouds, but it was nice to not be underneath them in the constant shadow they cast upon the world.

* * *

Gandalf was waiting for them when they returned. The Wizard was already smoking a pipe.

"Good morning," Hiccup cheerfully greeted him from on Toothless's back.

"What do you mean, good morning?" Gandalf gruffly muttered while waving a hand at him.

"Uh..."

"Is this a morning we should be good on? Do you feel good this morning? Or maybe you mean that the morning itself is good instead of bad," Gandalf continued.

"Those all sound good..." Hiccup answered.

Gandalf chuckled.

"Indeed. I wanted to check on you. I felt something was amiss, and now I see that your entire family is here."

Far-Flight stepped forward.

"Yes, we flew to that bad place and we found eight of our kin. We freed them and brought them back. Flame-In-The-Night is flying with them to Edoras."

Gandalf nodded.

"And those dragons are peaceable?"

Far-Flight grumbled and nodded.

"Their thinking is not very twisted, and they were the ones who were young or otherwise did not want to fly to kill humans. We think that they can live in the pack in peace."

"Good. Were you seen there?" Gandalf warily asked.

"There were a few Orcs, but we avoided them. There were none of the twisted-dragons or shadow-life-Nazgul."

Gandalf sighed in apparent relief.

"Good, very good. Do you know if Mordor has any more of your kind?"

"I do not think so. There were no others that flew from our pack, and those we rescued said that they had not seen any others."

Hiccup addressed Gandalf.

"One of the new dragons has a strange name. It was Bagrunk or something like that. Do you know what it means?"

Gandalf visibly grimaced when he heard that name.

"Master Haddock, do not speak that name again. That is the Black Speech. I hope that dragon chooses to take a new name now that it is free. Its name means cesspool or dungpit."

Hiccup gasped in shock and anger that the Fury's parents had named him something so vile. That was even worse than the Viking custom of naming a kid something hideous. At least that practice was supposedly protective and not only malicious. Naming a kid 'dungpit' was absolutely indefensible.

Gandalf continued.

"The entire present Fellowship and the leaders will gather early this morning to have a last debate regarding what we must do now. I would ask that you, Masters Haddock and Burning-Star, should join us."

Toothless nodded.

"We will be there."

* * *

The tent was very, very large, and it had several different banners flying outside it. The banners were those of Gondor, a white tree on a gray background; Rohan, a white horse and red-gold on a green background; a blue and silver banner; and a flag with a white ship shaped like a swan on blue water.

The Rohirrim guards stepped aside to let Toothless and Hiccup inside. They saw a large table covered in maps and around which there were many chairs. Dozens of torches illuminated the entire meeting.

Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Merry, Pippin, Faramir, Theoden, Eomer, and three men whom they did not recognize were all seated around the table. The three strangers looked almost like Elves.

Toothless helped Hiccup down so he could sit in a chair. Hiccup did so and then remembered seeing two of the strangers back in Rivendell.

_Those are Elladan and Elrohir, Lord Elrond's twin sons!_

"Good, they are here. We can now begin," Gandalf formally stated and stood to begin the meeting.

"The battle of the Pelennor was a great victory, though many lives were lost. Our Enemy has suffered a defeat, yes, but behind the walls of Mordor our Enemy is regrouping."

Gimli slammed his gauntlet on the table.

"Let him stay in Mordor and rot! Why should we care?"

"We should care because the force he sent against the city was perhaps only a tenth of his total might. The loss of the Witch-king and the dragons he had brought to his side is the greatest loss he suffered."

Gandalf then leaned against his staff.

"And yet, for all the grandeur of war and the victory we won here, ours is the lesser part to play in this game. Frodo and Sam have passed beyond my sight now. I can share with you what I believe their plan is. They passed near to Minas Morgul and took the pass of Cirith Ungol."

"That is what I surmised also," Faramir nodded.

"That path is treacherous, for now they must make their way across the plateau of Gorgoroth: the barren wasteland which Boromir spoke of long ago. It is riddled with ash, dust, and poisonous fumes. There are also many thousands of Orcs that stand between Frodo and Sam and Mount Doom."

Gandalf then looked around the table and saw all the worried expressions.

"There is no plausible way that they can reach the mountain without our aid."

"Our aid? What can we do?" the lone stranger asked.

"That, Prince Imrahil, is where we must trust Sauron. More specifically, we must trust in his pride."

Everyone looked very confused, thoughtful, or both.

"Think about the outcome of the battle from his perspective. He knows that Aragorn has come forth and that I am fighting on behalf of his enemies. He also knows that we found his Ring. Now, his first army has been destroyed, his dragons killed or taken, and his captain utterly ruined. What must he believe has happened?"

"That one of our great ones, Aragorn or yourself, now wields the Ring," Theoden answered.

Gandalf nodded and started pacing, his hands behind his back.

"Precisely. That we would seek its destruction is a possibility he cannot fathom. He does not know his deadly peril and the thread upon which his doom now hangs. He knows that the Ring would always betray us to return to him. He believes that one of us would set himself above the others and that strife would build between us. Then the Ring would find a way to return to his hand. He also knows that the one of us who claimed the Ring would grow overconfident and would think that he is great. What would we do if that were the case? What would a prideful heir of Isildur do if he had claimed the Ring?"

Aragorn stood.

"I would probably gather all the men I could and march against Sauron now, fresh off the victory here and believing that the Ring would let me challenge Sauron directly."

Gandalf grimly nodded.

"And so we must do. We must gather all the men we can spare, and march against the Black Gate."

Silence fell as everyone thought about the suggestion. Gimli summed up what everyone was thinking by scoffing.

"We cannot achieve victory through strength of arms," Eomer countered.

"No, we do not need to. We need not even engage the forces of Mordor in battle. We must only act as Sauron expects we would if we had the Ring. He will gather his strength and send his army to capture us if he can. We will be a diversion to draw his gaze to us so that Frodo and Sam can cross the Gorgoroth unhindered. He will be blind to anything else that moves in his lands."

"It is a sound strategy. Even if we all should perish, it will be worthwhile if Sauron meets his end," Aragorn declared.

Gandalf faced Theoden.

"How many of your riders could do this? How many would be part of this last move in the game?"

Theoden frowned and leaned back in his chair.

"I have no more than five-thousand who could ride. Some of those have already been dismissed to ride to their lands."

"How many could Gondor spare?" Gandalf then asked Faramir.

"Between my rangers, the reinforcements from Dol Amroth, and the men who can be spared from the city, we could send... about five-thousand also," Faramir answered.

Prince Imrahil laughed.

"Surely this is a jest. We would send ten-thousand to attack the Black Gate?"

Aragorn nodded.

"We must do so, for that is what the Ring would lead us to do. Hubris would be our downfall, and we must trust Sauron's pride to be his doom."

Aragorn then strode over to Faramir and Theoden, clasping their shoulders in turn.

"We will unite and march all able-bodied men as can be spared. Our peoples will be as one again in this."

Faramir and Theoden nodded back to him.

Prince Imrahil then turned to Hiccup and Toothless.

"What of the good dragons? Will they play a part in this feint?"

Gandalf frowned and shook his head.

"No, I would not have them be involved at all in this. They have done much for us already and have saved many lives at great cost. Their flying into Sauron's direct gaze could also be very... perilous for them."

Hiccup nodded and stood.

"Many of them also need to heal or are too weak to fight now," he explained.

Toothless looked around the table and got everyone's attention.

"We can still help protect this city and Rohan while you are threatening the enemy. Most of the pack has already flown home to Edoras," he said.

Gandalf then stood at the head of the table and looked over everyone assembled.

"Do any of you object to this plan?"

Gimli leaned forward and put his hands on the table.

"There is a certainty of death and a small chance of success, so what are we waiting for?"

Hiccup snickered in amusement while others around the table also chuckled.

_Yep, Dwarves and Vikings would definitely get along._

Gandalf looked pleased at everyone's enthusiasm.

"It is decided. We will begin the march later today. Faramir, I would advise that you remain in the city and preserve the peace here while preparing the people for departure. Abandoning the city will be painful for all, but their moving to the western cities would be most easily achieved while the army is on the move. There are also the wounded here who must be tended to. You can best oversee such matters as the Steward."

Faramir nodded in assent.

Hiccup lay a hand on Toothless's neck as they both thought about this news about the planned trick everyone was going to play on Sauron.

"I am glad that we do not need to fight more," Toothless whispered.

"Same here. We've been hurt enough, and we don't even need to fight for this to work."

Aragorn strode over to them after the meeting seemed to have ended. Everyone else started hastily departing.

"Do not feel that you are not aiding us. You and your kin have done enough already," Aragorn softly said.

"We can help guard the city and the non-fighters, as I said," Toothless answered.

"And that is a worthy deed. The fewer guards are needed here, the larger the force we lead to the Black Gate."

* * *

Hiccup stared in awe at the departing horde of knights, footmen, and cavalry as they marched to the northeast. The Rohirrim and Gondor soldiers had prepared and started moving within hours after the council decided what to do. Men and women had started running wildly between the camps and tents as they carried news to everyone.

There was no opportunity for further words of parting with Gandalf, Aragorn, and Theoden, mostly because there was a lot of preparation that happened in those few hours.

He knew that Merry was staying behind on account of his lingering condition from having helped strike down the Witch-king. Faramir was also staying in the city as the current Steward.

"Gods, their plan feels like one I would have come up with," Hiccup mumbled.

"Totally crazy, stupid, and likely to get yourself killed?" Toothless chuckled.

"Yep, that's me! Well, it was, but, honestly, those good old days are over for me," Hiccup sighed.

"What?"

Hiccup shrugged and leaned against Toothless's shoulder as they watched the hundreds of departing soldiers ahead of them. However, he wasn't truly paying attention to the soldiers anymore.

"Almost dying and almost losing a brother at the same time... made me think about my priorities and helped me learn something. My wingsuit was fun while it lasted, but... I'm grounded now."

"True, you should make new wings for yourself."

Hiccup shook his head.

"No, I shouldn't. Those wings were a way I was pretending to be a dragon. My flaming arrows, the armor, the wingsuit... all of it was me trying to not be a human. Pretty stupid, huh?"

Toothless grumbled, "Why did you want to be different?"

"Same reason I was bad to you before. I didn't trust myself... because I couldn't live up to my old tribe's expectations. All my flying like a dragon and trying to make myself into a great, dangerous soldier was me trying to be something I'm not. I'm not a dragon or a warrior."

"You killed a Mordor dragon."

"That was luck, not skill. And that's not me anyway. I'm not supposed to fight. Being a warrior isn't how I can make a difference. There are enough soldiers in the world. No, it's enough for me to love my family and to work to help get you Furies accepted. That is who I am."

He paused before continuing.

"I've been afraid of normal human parts of life because I didn't really know or accept what I was. Now I do."

"What are you really saying?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"What I'm saying is I see nothing wrong with living a quiet life from now on. Working in Edoras as a blacksmith, helping to spread peace and get you Furies accepted in more lands, and maybe even having a family of my own with Adney if she will have me, I'd be happy with that life."

Toothless purred and nodded.

"I agree. That would be a good life."

Then he chuckled after glancing at Moonbeam as she took a nap by his side.

"While talking about cubs, what do you think my and Moonbeam's cubs will be? They will not be Night Furies or Light Furies only. They will be both and neither."

Hiccup thought about it, not sure what Toothless's kids would rightly be called.

"Hmm, night and light together. We could call them Night-Lights, but that's a really silly name."

"Not as silly as Hiccup," Toothless muttered.

"Alright, that's one more fish to you. Anyway, I would suggest you keep Fury in the name because it is very ironic; you all aren't furious at all except when you should be."

Toothless then chuffed as he realized the obvious answer.

"I have it! I know the name! They will be Dawn Furies, or Dawn Wings."

Hiccup agreed wholeheartedly after only a moment of thought.

"Yeah, I like it! Night, Light, and Dawn. It's perfect."

Together, they glanced up at the cloudy sky that completely hid the sun. The clouds had become thicker over the last couple days as the darkness deepened.

"I would like to see dawn soon," Toothless grumbled.

"What type of dawn are you talking about?" Hiccup chuckled.

"Both," Toothless solemnly answered.

They remained together in silence as they rested in peace with Moonbeam. Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer were resting with Wing-Of-Ice and Snowflame. Everyone was now resting and recovering after the massive battle.

Hiccup deeply exhaled and leaned against Toothless's shoulder. He was very relieved that there was nothing for any of them to do except wait and heal. They had done their part, and the rest was now up to others.

Still, the thought of Frodo and Sam indomitably making their way across Mordor on their way to Mount Doom was a very concerning one. Hobbits definitely didn't belong in such great missions, and yet they were. Everyone's fate now depended on those two Hobbits in the middle of what was, by all accounts, Helheim.

* * *

_**Author's Note – This is probably one of the rare occasions in which a chapter titled Hubris doesn't involve tragedy for our protagonists.**_


	63. Consolation

Consolation

* * *

A woman who worked as a healer had come to the tent and changed out the cloth bandages that covered the stump. Hiccup did not ask to see the injury. The stump no longer truly hurt, though he was sure that it would if he put any weight on it.

Having lost a limb apparently brought consequences beyond just the injury and it being more difficult to get around. The stump alternatively felt numb and warm, usually, but now it tickled, which was almost worse than actual pain. Pain, he could just grit his teeth and ignore, but tickles were much harder to ignore. He so wanted to rub the wound and massage it, but he knew from stories Gobber had told that touching a new wound would not be a good idea.

The Furies had tended to him by licking the stump, which probably helped it to heal some, but the injury was past needing that attention.

"Ready to try again?" Toothless asked from across the tent.

Moonbeam was away for a while, getting a drink at the river, which left more free space for them to practice something necessary in the tent.

"Yep, let's give this another shot. I'll be fine..."

Hiccup grabbed the crutch and stood up while balancing on one foot. Then he started walking as best he could while using the crutch to brace himself. Step, lean, swing forward, and repeat.

_Not too bad, I'm getting the hang of..._

He stumbled and fell forward except that Toothless darted forward and caught him, letting him hold his neck as he helped him sit down.

"Ugh, thanks..." Hiccup groaned as he lay on the ground.

Toothless hummed softly and then stepped back.

"Go again."

"Again? I really don't see the point..."

"The point is you are learning new walking now, and you need to practice. Go again. Walk to your bed."

"I don't feel like it."

Toothless grumbled.

"Do I need to go get dam to tell you to do this?"

"Really had to use that threat, didn't you?"

"You have rock-head stubbornness problems."

"Fair point," Hiccup sighed.

He grabbed his crutch, forced himself back to his feet... to his foot... and stared with determination at the bed across the tent. He was about to take a step when he froze in surprise.

Several roars sounded from outside the tent. They did not sound like Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, or Moonbeam.

"What's that?"

Toothless stepped over to him and crouched down to let him climb on. Then they bounded out the tent and saw the Furies who had just arrived. One adult, one cub, and three fledglings were circling in the sky. Toothless roared in greeting to them, and all five of them immediately dove for the ground. They touched down at the same moment that Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer raced toward them low over the tents.

Breath-Of-Sky jumped for Hiccup and Toothless with a cry of greeting and alarm.

"Brothers!" he nuzzled Toothless's neck.

Eyes-That-Shimmer, Windripper, and little Nightfall similarly hopped up to him. Mystery bounced on her paws while anxiously looking around. Eyes-That-Shimmer, being the adult among the group, stepped forward with her eyes narrowed.

"Where is he? Where is my mate!" she desperately asked.

Hiccup and Toothless had no time to answer before Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer touched down and pranced up to them.

"Eyes-That-Shimmer, you came for your mate, true?" Far-Flight warbled.

"Yes! We flew here to be with our kin. Where is he?"

"Follow us!" Sky-Dancer cried.

They all jumped for the sky and flew over the tents toward the base of the mountain.

Hiccup winced at the thought of the reunion that was about to happen. Eyes-That-Shimmer was about to meet her grounded mate, and Windripper and Nightfall were about to meet their maimed father. Hopefully nothing bad or life-shattering would happen soon.

They could also tell what happened since the pack left and returned to Rohan. But this meeting was more important for now.

The short flight was finished not even a minute later. They touched down outside the tent where they saw Snowflame sleeping outside the door.

"Snowflame!" Windripper bellowed and hopped toward her.

Her head and ears immediately shot up as she spun around and saw them. Her tail started swaying as Windripper bounded up before her and started nuzzling her neck. They greeted each other without saying anything.

As Hiccup saw them greeting each other, he felt none of that awkwardness at the thought of them already living like a pair of mates. There was no truly official human equivalent for what they were, living as mates and being together but not officially, technically, mates yet, but human customs didn't truly apply to them anyway. And it was clear to him that they both truly cared for each other and were not just pleasing themselves.

Then he felt a nose against his palm.

"Hiccup?" Mystery hummed.

"Yes, Mystery?"

"Where is Moonbeam?"

"She is away getting some water. She will fly back to us soon."

"Okay."

Snowflame then stepped away from Windripper and nuzzled Nightfall's nose first and then Eyes-That-Shimmer's second. Everyone packed in close.

"How is he?" Eyes-That-Shimmer whispered.

"He needs you all very much" Snowflame whispered back.

"Who?" Nightfall chirped.

"Your sire, little one."

"Where is sire?" Nightfall asked, her tail swaying.

"He is in the tent-den, little one..." Eyes-That-Shimmer whispered.

Windripper shuffled in place while staring at the tent. Snowflame then bounded over to the tent and stuck her nose inside.

"Wing-Of-Ice, come out here!" she cried and then hopped back.

Eyes-That-Shimmer and Windripper visibly winced when they heard Snowflame's words. Hiccup thought that they probably knew the truth of what had happened. Everyone paused and waited for whatever was going to happen.

Several seconds passed before Wing-Of-Ice, his orange eyes very heavy, poked his head out of the tent and saw everyone. He immediately gasped and froze, staring at them in fear and shock at his entire present family.

Nightfall broke the silence by hopping forward and dashing for him.

"Sire, I found you!" she settled down on her haunches before him.

"Yes... little one... you found me."

Wing-Of-Ice hung his head to nuzzle her forehead, and then he stared back at Eyes-That-Shimmer. Neither of them looked away from each other.

"Will you come to me?" she then softly asked.

He closed his eyes and hung his head in apparent resignation. He stepped forward out of the tent, his tail dragging behind him. His leaving the tent fully revealed the extent of his injury.

They could all see the wing-stump.

Windripper gasped, and Nightfall whined. Eyes-That-Shimmer stared without reacting; even her tail was completely stilled.

"Sire, what happened?" Windripper growled.

"A... twisted-into-wrong dragon... it had big teeth..." Wing-Of-Ice sighed and then stared back at Eyes-That-Shimmer.

"What do you think... my dear... mate..." he hesitantly whispered.

She immediately stepped forward and stopped only inches from him. Then she lay her chin on his forehead.

"I think that living on the ground is not so bad..."

He gasped in shock and hung his head.

"Truly? You and me... still..."

She growled and nipped one of his ears.

"Yes, always. I can do more hunting while you watch the cubs more. We are one."

Wing-Of-Ice whined at that and softly nuzzled her head until she stepped back and spun on Nightfall.

"Little one, come here. We should be with your sire now."

"Okay..."

Eyes-That-Shimmer beckoned to Windripper, and he trotted to his father's side. The entire family then slipped inside the tent together.

Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief that everything had worked out well, though in hindsight it was crazy to think that Eyes-That-Shimmer would have rejected her mate after what happened to him.

Sky-Dancer stepped forward and purred.

"We should let them be alone."

Everyone agreed, walked together a short distance from the tent, and then stopped by a patch of boulders. Snowflame, Mystery, and Breath-Of-Sky sat down at Toothless's side while Sky-Dancer took his other side.

"Anyone hear what has happened with the pack?" Toothless asked.

He knew that Eyes-That-Shimmer would know the most, but she was definitely busy consoling her mate. There was a chance that his brother and his sister through his mate might know something.

Sure enough, Breath-Of-Sky spoke up, far more solemnly than he usually sounded.

"We crossed flights with Flame-In-The-Night and the new dark wings. Everyone else is back at Edoras with no problems. More of the humans and their horses are returning to the ranges."

"And what about Dreamcatcher and Tail-Hunter?" Hiccup whispered.

Breath-Of-Sky hung his head and did not answer for a while. Far-Flight hopped beside him and purred in encouragement.

"They are very chilled. But... the pack has taken them under their wings. They are being helped," Breath-Of-Sky said.

"Good, that is what we should do for them," Sky-Dancer solemnly hummed.

"Is the fighting over now?" Breath-Of-Sky asked, looking around.

"Yes," Hiccup answered, "the humans will do more on their own, but not the pack. It would not be safe for us to fly with the humans on the next flight."

"Why not?" Snowflame wondered.

"Because they are going near an enemy that could try to make you dragons into... thralls, and it might be strong enough to do that to you."

Toothless grunted in reluctant agreement.

"Yes, the enemy is very strong. It would not be good for us to... see him. I have felt his eye on me before."

Breath-Of-Sky hummed and spoke.

"We should stay here and get strong again. You and Hiccup were also hurt. Both my brothers were hurt."

The rush of wings got their attention as Moonbeam flew overhead and heard her sister's welcoming roar. She touched down by them, hopped up to her sister, and nuzzled noses with her. Moonbeam then hopped up to Toothless and offered him a large fish in her maw. He gladly accepted it, and she glanced at Mystery and Breath-Of-Sky.

"Did Eyes-That-Shimmer fly here also?" she asked.

"Yes, she did. She, Windripper, and Nightfall are with Wing-Of-Ice now," Hiccup answered.

"Good."

She again glanced at his missing leg.

"When do you get your new leg-paw?"

"I could go to the healers tomorrow. I'll make myself a new foot eventually, but they can give me one that I can at least walk with..."

She hummed softly with fallen ears.

"Please do. I want you to be walking again..."

"Me too. But it will be a while before that happens."

She hummed as she stared off across the Pelennor.

"I saw many humans walking as a pack into the west. Are they going to a new nest-city?"

"They're going to several other cities. Minas Tirith will be mostly empty soon."

Breath-Of-Sky sighed and lay his head on his paws as he stared at the city in the distance.

"That is sad. This looks like a very big nest-city."

"Yeah, it is. It will be used again when they fix it, but that won't be for a long time..."

Toothless then looked around, realizing that everyone now present had probably flown without much stopping. He could share this same news with the other family after they finished consoling each other.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Yes!" they all clamored.

"Good, you will like Olephant."

"What is that?" Mystery hummed.

"It is the biggest prey-animal you have ever seen. They have very fat meat!"

Breath-Of-Sky and Mystery licked their jaws.

* * *

Toothless flew Hiccup up to the top level of the city in the morning to meet with the best doctors. They had set up a tent beside the Citadel.

Faramir had sent a messenger to let them know that they were ready to fit Hiccup with a basic peg. It would be enough to help him at least walk on his own.

Faramir greeted him and helped him down from Toothless.

"How are you this morning, Master Haddock?" Faramir kindly greeted him.

"Not bad. I'm alive, so I really shouldn't be complaining."

"That is a simple piece of wisdom. Still, let's see what we can do for you. We have plenty of experience with such wounds. Gondor may have fallen from its greatest glory, but our leechcraft is still wise."

He wasn't entirely sure what all that meant, but he inferred that Gondor had good doctors.

"Sounds good."

Faramir then nodded to Toothless.

"Good dragon, you might want to stay here on the top level or at least not go down within the city. There are still many who are not content with your kind being here."

Toothless nodded back.

"I understand. I will wait here."

Faramir helped Hiccup into the tent where several women were waiting. Hiccup sat down in a chair and held up his left leg for them to inspect after they removed the bandage. The main healing-woman, Ioreth, grumbled to herself as she looked at the wound.

Just as before, he did not want to look. But he knew that he had to face this and should do so sooner rather than later.

"Let me see it," he mumbled.

He did not blanch at the discolored skin that had been sewn together over the stump, fine thread weaving through the skin. He had seen such wounds before back on Berk. But he shivered slightly at the thought of a fine saw being used to slice through the bones in his leg.

_Good thing I wasn't awake to feel that..._

"How does it look?" he sighed.

"I reckon that you are healing well. We were most suspicious of the dragons' request to... lick your injury... but it appears that their doing so did you no harm," Ioreth answered.

"Oh, yes. Their licks have potent healing properties."

"Fascinating. How many winters have you, young man?"

"Almost eighteen. By the way, what day and month is it?"

"It is the twentieth of March."

_Oh, I completely missed February. I'm eighteen now..._

"Now, let me see which of these pegs best fits you. This might hurt a little," Ioreth warned him.

"Great, pain, I love it..."

She gave him a confused and amused look and then got back to work. He waited patiently as she considered several of the pegs, eventually selecting a few of the smaller ones which she then held up to his leg.

They were simple devices with a padded cup to hold the stump, straps to tightly wrap around his leg below the knee, and the peg with a rubber tip. These were definitely not long-term solutions, and he knew that he could design something far better and more comfortable.

But at least he could walk or hobble in the meantime.

Ioreth strapped one of the prosthetics to his leg and then she frowned.

"Give that one a try, would you."

She helped him rise, and then he gingerly put weight on his left leg. There was nothing, no pain, at first, and then the fire suddenly flared to life inside his leg.

His bones were melting, splitting apart on each other, and his skin was tearing open.

He gritted his teeth as he fell back into the chair. Tears of pain leaked from his eyes.

But he did not scream or whine.

"Well done, you are a tough one. Most men scream or call for their mothers the first time they stand," Ioreth huffed.

"Yeah... well, mine is dead, so that wouldn't help."

"How did this happen to you? I was not there when you were brought in," Ioreth kindly asked.

"Dragon," he simply said.

"Curious. Several dozen of the soldiers have burns or lost a limb because of those beasts. But I thought you commanded some of the good dragons. Is that mistaken?"

He frowned.

"No, I don't command any of them. The one who did this to me saved my life by catching me."

Ioreth didn't look like she understood how that was possible, but neither did she question what he said.

"Very well then. That peg you have now is the best fit for you among all that we have."

"Thank you, Ioreth."

"Just doing my duty. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have others to attend to."

She departed, and Faramir stepped over to him and held out a flask which he took.

"What's that?"

"Hard liquor. It will help with the pain," Faramir answered.

As someone who was used to and enjoyed Hobbit ales and beers, he was not sure how strong this drink would be.

"How... potent is it?"

Faramir grinned.

"We keep this especially for treating the wounded. Drink sparingly."

Hiccup unscrewed the flask and took a sip of a burning liquor which he almost choked on, but somehow managed to get down.

It was very, very potent.

"Alright, that's going to help a lot! I'm definitely going to feel that later, or I might not feel anything at all..."

"We would be a sorry people indeed if we lacked hard liquor to sooth our worst pains," Faramir explained in good humor.

"My old tribe was similar, though they didn't have anything that strong. Mead and ale were their drink of choice. Though, I'm not sure where they got all their drinks from that far north. The trading vessels brought some every spring."

Hiccup then frowned as he remembered something that Ioreth had mentioned.

"Were there really many people who were burned or maimed by the dragons? How bad is it? I need to know."

Faramir took a seat and a swig from his own flask. It was only the two of them in the tent.

"There are several dozen we are treating now for burns and crushed or missing arms. That is not even counting those who were killed by falling debris or the... tower. We must also think about the families, the wives and the children, who now blame the dragons for what happened."

Hiccup idly nodded and looked away.

"Do you think that they can change and forgive, or is it hopeless? Will they hate people who haven't hurt them?" he asked.

"Hopeless? Gondor has stood against the shadow for countless generations. Our ancestors were the faithful of Numenor. There have been dark times in our history. Many times I thought that there was no hope except for a fool's hope. But we never gave up," Faramir answered.

"How? How did you keep going even when it was hopeless?"

"One step at a time. One mission at a time. We never forgot who we were fighting for. And whenever it was most dire, we remembered... aure entuluva."

"What does that mean?"

"Day will come again."

"I guess so. Sometimes it can be so dark that it's hard to believe that there will be a dawn."

Faramir smiled.

"If I could repeat something that Samwise Gamgee said in our brief time together. He said that 'In the end, it's only a passing thing, a shadow. Even darkness must pass; a new day will come, and when the sun shines it will shine brighter. Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. The people in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going because they were holding on to something."

"What? What were they holding onto?"

Faramir stepped over to him and clasped his shoulder.

"That despite all the bad, all the pain and suffering, there is still good in this world, and this world is worth fighting for."

Hiccup closed his eyes and nodded as Faramir continued.

"Will it be easy to change everyone's mind about the Furies? No, it will not. Can everyone change? Probably not. But that is not a reason to despair and give up. I know that the Furies are not the beasts that some say they are. I have seen you and your family, and Snowflame tending to Eowyn."

A distant, dreamy look appeared in Faramir's eyes as he said that.

"How is she, Eowyn?" Hiccup asked.

"She is... healing still. A great grief lies heavy upon her, even ere she rode to war. I know not why, though I have guesses. We treated all her wounds of body, but a shadow still lies over her heart."

"She didn't like being expected to stay in Edoras. She wanted to be a warrior and fight in battle for glory," Hiccup explained.

Faramir nodded.

"That much I guessed already. Snowflame has helped her greatly. The dragon was the third person Eowyn asked about after her King and brother. I the two sitting together on the grass outside, Eowyn under a wing, as they stare into the distance."

Hiccup smiled softly at the thought.

"They are so close because Snowflame was shot down at Helm's Deep. Her wings were pierced many times by arrows. Eowyn stitched her wings back together. I haven't seen them flying as I do with Burning-Star, but I think they are very good friends. Snowflame will probably give Eowyn the gift of flight, if they haven't done that already."

"That does sound good of them. Seeing Eowyn flying with Snowflame would be a great consolation. I hope that I can see Eowyn's heart be healed. While she is a great warrior and her deeds will be sung about for many years, there is more to life than being a warrior and glory. There is also music, dancing, poetry, gardens, and peace; that is a lesson I wish my brother had learned or better appreciated," Faramir sighed.

"What was he like? I only knew him at the Council in Rivendell. He was very brash, stubborn, and proud."

"Yes, that sounds like my brother. He and my father were very alike: very proud, stubborn, headstrong, and noble at heart. But their pride was their downfall in different ways."

"He needed a little more of this?" Hiccup waved a hand at Faramir.

Faramir frowned at that.

"He was who he needed to be for the people and the soldiers. His bravery was what helped us to recapture Osgiliath in the past. I do believe that I would have been better suited to go with the Fellowship, but my father sent Boromir instead on errand to Rivendell."

Hiccup gasped in shock as he realized the meaning behind some strange words Denethor had spoken before.

"So that is why Denethor was so disturbed. He blamed himself for Boromir's death."

"Yes," Faramir nodded, "and his blaming himself, among other reasons which are now clear to us, led to his despairing and taking his own life."

_Oh gods, I couldn't have done that... could I?_

It was terrible to think about such a thing. But it was possible that if he felt enough grief and shame he might have considered it or something else terrible. He closed his eyes and remembered how Toothless, Moonbeam, Sky-Dancer, and Far-Flight had been there to comfort him shortly after he awoke in... anguish and despair.

"Are you ready to try walking?" Faramir asked.

"Yeah, let me give this a shot."

He stood up and carefully put some weight on his left leg. As before, there was pain as soon as he tested standing on his own. Then he took a cautious first step without any assistance. But it was more bearable this time, both because he knew what to expect and also possibly because of the liquor.

He did not fall down.

Faramir looked impressed.

"Very good. I have seen many wounds in my time, and I can say that you will heal well."

"Good to hear."

"Was there anything else you wanted to ask before I return to my duties?"

"Actually, there was. It's not that important, but I lost my bow in the battle. It is an Elven bow, as you might have seen. Any chance I could find it?"

Faramir blinked in surprise.

"So that was your bow? One of my men brought in a curious bow that looked of Elven make. I am very sorry to have to tell you that it was broken in the battle."

"What happened?" Hiccup asked in shock.

"I know no more than that. The bow was already crushed when it was found. It was only brought to my attention because of its different make. Do you still want to see it?"

"Sure... I might as well make sure that it's the same one."

Faramir nodded.

"I will have the pieces brought to you. I can escort you to your dragon brother."

"Alright, but I think I've got this."

Slowly and cautiously, Hiccup walked out of the tent one step at a time. Every step with his left leg was painful and sent a spike of pain up his leg. But it was barely tolerable.

He knew that Inferno was gone. He had dropped it when Toothless and Moonbeam were forced to flee from the city. Something must have happened after that which had then broken the bow.

Its loss felt symbolic and again reminded him of the truth that he was not a fighter at all. Battles like that one were not where he belonged.

"I believe that Merry wanted to meet with you and dine. Does tomorrow work?" Faramir asked.

"Yes, I can do that. It'd be good to have more than cram, water, and... whatever this fire-water is..." Hiccup held out the flask.

"Very good. I will be attending to Lady Eowyn and the others who still need care. What do you plan to do after you are healed and the city is emptied?"

"We'll probably head back to Edoras to be with the rest of the pack."

"I can have provisions given to you ere you leave."

"Thank you, Faramir."

Faramir nodded and then departed.

Hiccup shuffled along over to Toothless, who thankfully noticed him and bounded over to his side. Without saying anything at all, Toothless crouched down and closely inspected the peg-leg.

"Is this your new leg and paw?" Toothless warily asked.

"This one is only for now. I can get or make a better one in the future."

"Show me your walking."

He did so, walking several steps while trying to hide the pain. The pain only got worse the more he walked, until finally he visibly winced.

Toothless noticed.

"You are hurting!"

"Yeah, it'll be a while before it's really healed. I need to keep walking until then."

Toothless snorted and crouched down with a nod to his back.

"You can practice walking back in the tent with our kin."

"Sounds good. Think we can stop off and see Wing-Of-Ice and family first?"

"Yes, we can."

They took off and calmly glided high over the city, gradually turning for the northern corner of the city and the tents beyond the wall.

However, they also saw the line of people heading southwest. It was a long convoy of men, women, and children, wagons filled with supplies and possessions, guards, and horses. They were headed to new cities and homes in the western regions of Gondor.

The fountains in the lower levels of the city were silent. There were almost no visible homes or large structures remaining. Piles of rubble filled the first two levels, and even several dozen of the structures on the next few levels had collapsed.

Hiccup knew that the city was basically uninhabitable on the lower levels. It was too damaged to be lived in right now, but it would be repaired in time. One obvious possibility was that the Dwarves would be willing to help rebuild. They were the best miners, masons, and craftsmen in the world.

Even while he thought about the future, it was still very bittersweet to see the great and proud city that he remembered from just a couple of weeks ago now being abandoned and significantly in ruins.

It was almost symbolic of the peace that he was trying to build between humans and the Fury pack. That peace was, as far as he knew, alive and growing stronger in Rohan, but had been damaged in Gondor. However, damaged did not mean completely destroyed. It just meant that it had to be repaired in the future.

If there was a future.

* * *

As Hiccup expected, everyone else was gathered around the tent or within it. Moonbeam, Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, Breath-Of-Sky, and Mystery were talking with Snowflame. He was sure that Eyes-That-Shimmer, Windripper, and Nightfall were definitely with Wing-Of-Ice, probably resting as a family inside the tent.

Those who were outside saw them and immediately bounded toward them.

"Hiccup! Your leg-paw!" Sky-Dancer cried.

Toothless settled down and turned so they could see Hiccup's new paw. Their sire and dam closely nosed at the new leg-paw while grumbling to themselves.

"Can you walk now?" Far-Flight hummed.

Hiccup cautiously got down from Toothless's back; he made sure to land more on his right side to not hurt the stump.

"Some, but it hurts and probably will for a while," Hiccup answered.

Moonbeam still looked worried as she glanced from him to her paws.

"Moonbeam, please come here."

She reluctantly did so and sat down before him.

"Not your fault," he whispered to her.

She blinked and crooned softly after he said that. Then she looked more closely at his peg.

"That looks strange. You look almost like a tree," she muttered.

He laughed freely after that remark.

"You should have seen another Viking from my old tribe. His name was Gobber."

"The one who lets out much belly-gas?" Toothless interjected.

"Yep, that's the one. He lost a foot and a hand."

Breath-Of-Sky gasped.

"He lost them? Where did he lose them?"

Sky-Dancer bent down and nuzzled Breath-Of-Sky's neck.

"A bad dragon bit them off."

Breath-Of-Sky's ears fell and his grin vanished as he stared at the prosthetic.

"Is that what happened to you, big brother? Did a bad dragon bite off your leg-paw?" Breath-Of-Sky sadly warbled.

Hiccup grinned at how his little brother called him a big brother.

"No, I... fell out of the sky when Burning-Star couldn't catch me. Moonbeam caught me. She didn't try to hurt me, but I lost the foot. I am glad that she caught me!"

"Thank you," Moonbeam sighed.

"How are they?" Hiccup then gestured toward the tent.

Sky-Dancer stepped up next to him and sat down.

"They are better. Eyes-That-Shimmer helped much to warm her mate's soul-fire. Nightfall and Windripper are resting with them now. They are all in a pile."

"Good. That's good. Snowflame, how is your... mate?"

"He is chilled by what happened to his sire, but he is strong. He will help his sire stay warm in his soul-fire," Snowflame hummed.

Hiccup nodded and then addressed everyone gathered together.

"I have a suggestion for what we should probably do next."

"What?" Far-Flight asked.

"We should rest a few more days and then head back together to Edoras. Wing-Of-Ice can't fly, so we should probably walk with him to help keep him safe. This city will be almost empty in a few days anyway. There's nothing else we need to do here. We don't need to stay here to guard anything."

The Furies purred in agreement. Then Sky-Dancer hopped over to him, grumbled, and gently poked his belly with a paw.

"You, my little cub, are going to rest now. You are still weak!"

"Mom, I'm not a little cub," Hiccup groaned.

"You are to me, my little one," she answered.

Everyone else chuffed in amusement. Even he was not truly frustrated with her. She was a concerned mom, and he was still weak and recovering. He was not going to complain about her attention.

"Fine, just don't give me any fish from your belly."

* * *

"Hiccup, may I enter?" Merry asked from outside the tent.

"Please do!" Hiccup answered from bed.

The Hobbit was clad in his Rohan green. This was their first chance to spend time together since... way back in Edoras. Merry had been under the doctors' care since the battle, and there had not been much time after the Council.

"Good morning. Where are the other dragons?" Merry asked as he entered.

Hiccup idly scratched Breath-Of-Sky's forehead as the fledgling slept with his head on the bed.

"Toothless, Moonbeam, and Mystery are off together. Getting some Olephant, probably. Our parents flew over to the other family to check on them."

"I see you're well-tended to here..." Merry chuckled.

"Yeah, he's keeping me company."

Breath-Of-Sky shifted slightly in his sleep, his tail swishing on the ground.

"How are you getting along?" Merry softly asked.

"Not so bad. I don't think I'll ever get used to this..." he said, waving his peg-leg.

"Does it hurt?" Merry sat down in a chair and frowned.

Hiccup shrugged.

"A little, and it probably will for a long time. But Faramir gave me a flask of some very potent... something. That helps."

"I always liked a strong brew of something. Very potent indeed."

Merry then held out his right hand as if to offer a handshake.

"It's still numb, my hand," Merry grumbled while rolling his fingers.

"Numb? What happened?"

Merry shivered.

"I stabbed the Witch-king. The Barrow-dagger you gave me... turned to ash, and my hand felt like it was burning. Gandalf and Aragorn said something about a curse on anyone who strikes the Witch-king. Never really believed in curses, but I hope this heals soon."

"Hopefully they don't have to take it off..."

Merry looked absolutely horrified, so Hiccup chuckled.

"Just kidding. That won't happen."

"I hope not. Anyway, there aren't many people left in the city, but there is one kitchen still open outside the gates. Want to go get something to eat? They've got some better food than hardtack," Merry asked.

"Sure. I could do with a first breakfast. But... hmm... wouldn't want to leave Breath-Of-Sky out."

Hiccup then twisted one of Breath-Of-Sky's ears. The fledgling grumbled and lifted his head as he awoke.

"You awake, you sleepy dark wing?"

Breath-Of-Sky grumbled and stuck out his tongue.

"Because you woke me up..." the Fury huffed.

"Well, you were trapping me here."

"Dam wanted you to get rest."

"Yeah, but I'm hungry. We're going to get some food. Want to come with?"

He wouldn't normally have asked Breath-Of-Sky to come with toward the city where there might be more hostile people. However, no one among the people in the current camp and among the Rohirrim survivors hated the Furies Further, the city was mostly empty, and the soldiers of Gondor were either marching to the Black Gate or guarding the civilians who were traveling to the western cities. It was unlikely they'd run into angered guards or wounded survivors from the city.

"Yes! You can walk with me!" Breath-Of-Sky eagerly answered.

Hiccup groaned at the reminder of how long a walk it would be around the walls of the city and to the tents. Unless someone would be willing to help him out.

"Brother, would you... carry me? It's a long way to walk, and my leg would hurt a lot."

Breath-Of-Sky hummed, nodded, and crouched down by the bed. Hiccup climbed onto his back and sat by his shoulders. It felt very different from being on Toothless because Breath-Of-Sky was smaller at just over half of Toothless's size. However, the fledgling was still big enough to comfortably carry him.

"Ready?" Breath-Of-Sky warbled and glanced back at him.

"Yes, let's go!"

They left the tent and walked together along the wall and other tents bearing Rohan flags. The horses snorted and whinnied as Breath-Of-Sky passed them by.

"What kind of food do they have?" Breath-Of-Sky asked.

"Mostly breads and vegetables. They also have some pork jerky," Merry answered.

"What is that?" Breath-Of-Sky asked.

"Remember the salty meat at the Golden Hall?" Hiccup asked.

Breath-Of-Sky rumbled and licked his lips.

"Yes! That was very tasty even though it was not a new catch."

"They dry the meat out to stop it from going bad... from going rotted," Hiccup explained.

"That is good thinking," Breath-Of-Sky mused.

They arrived at the tents that were reserved for more of the wounded in battle. A few doctors were walking about and carrying supplies. Guards in silver armor stood at attention while holding pikes.

"Where to?" Hiccup asked Merry.

The Hobbit took the lead, guiding them to a large tent. There were a number of women and some children working around the tent.

"There are tables inside. It's not quite the same as the Green Dragon, but it's good enough for a place made on short-notice."

Hiccup then patted Breath-Of-Sky on the neck.

"Mind helping me down?"

The Fury crouched down and waited as he got down. Merry also helped him down to not shock his leg.

"Is your leg good and not hurting?" Breath-Of-Sky crooned.

"Yes, but my belly is not happy!"

Breath-Of-Sky snorted and nodded at the tent.

"Go get food in your food-den! I will sit here."

"Sounds good. I'll bring you some salted pork if they have any."

Breath-Of-Sky then sat down on his rear by the tent's entrance while he looked out over the Pelennor. His eyes were wide in curiosity, but he also looked somewhat sad, probably from the remaining ruin across the fields.

Hiccup awkwardly shuffled inside the tent. The tent was very large inside and had a big pot being stirred over a central firepit. Most of the tables and chairs were taken by dozens of big men and a few women who were talking to each other. The men were a mix of Rohirrim and Gondorian soldiers.

He took an available table while Merry confidently strode up to an attendant to request some food.

Meanwhile, Hiccup looked around at everyone else in the tent.

It was very concerning and disturbing seeing how many of the men in the tent were bandaged, had scars or burn marks, or were visibly missing a limb or appendage. There were many different discussions happening.

"Heading to my cousin in Belfalas..." "Still hurts a lot..." "Hope they're going to be fine..." "Damn beasts, wish the captain had let us skin them..." "Killed so many of us..."

Merry returned with a couple plates of vegetables, dry bread, cheese, some jerky, and a wrapped pouch.

"What's that?"

"The salted pork for Breath-Of-Sky," Merry answered.

"Ah, good."

They ate in relative silence because of the gloomy atmosphere inside the tent. Hiccup froze in the middle of his meal when he heard one of the conversations.

"Still say that the beasts have them fooled! Those blasted dragons will turn on us!" "Yeah, agreed. Lost my brother to them..." "Not all of them... the ones up in Rohan are friendly enough... so I've heard..." "Probably a trick..."

Merry noticed him listening in to that discouraging discussion.

"Don't worry about it. They're hurt by the battle and still grieving."

"I know, but they're blaming people who didn't harm them. They want to blame someone, so they blame people who look like the ones who hurt them. It's so wrong."

Merry frowned.  
"Maybe just let them grumble. They'll heal and move on eventually."

Another group of men entered and went to join their comrades.

"Yeah, eventually they'll heal, but what about in the meantime? What if they start telling other people that all dragons are monsters?" Hiccup explained.

He had no time to say anything else before one of the new men raised his voice.

"One of them's here now just outside!"

Discontented grumbling followed that as a few men got to their feet.

_Wait a minute... they're talking about..._

One of the men, who was apparently drunk, drew a dagger and waved it around.

"Let's kill it!"

Hiccup flew to his feet and angrily spun on them.

"That 'it' is one of my brothers, and he has never hurt anyone!"

Silence followed that as everyone else faced him. The man with a dagger pointed it at him.

"It's your brother? What? Did a dragon plow your mother?"

"His mother adopted me!"

"He's the dragon's servant! He brought the beasts from the north!" another man shouted.

"They are not beasts!" Hiccup shouted.

"They are animals!" the drunk man slammed his fists on the table.

"So are we!"

Breath-Of-Sky stuck his nose into the tent.

"Why are you all roaring at each other?" he asked.

The man with the dagger sloppily threw the dagger at Breath-Of-Sky. The weapon tumbled wildly and struck the tent's cloth wall, falling harmlessly to the ground.

Breath-Of-Sky hopped back out of the tent and disappeared from view. Hiccup grabbed the bag of salted pork and furiously stormed out of the tent as people shouted at him and each other. The first thing he saw once he flung open the curtains was Breath-Of-Sky's expression of shock and betrayal. The Fury's jaw hung open as his eyes were narrowed.

"What did I do wrong?" he gasped.

"Nothing."

Hiccup went to comfort him when he felt a heavy hand fall on his shoulders as someone spun him around. A fist was flying at his head.

With reflexes born of months of living with and playing with Furies and from years of surviving Snotlout on Berk, he ducked under the blow. However, he was left off-balance and fell on his side with a cry of pain as fire flared in his stump.

Everything moved in slow-motion as he saw Breath-Of-Sky lunge and swipe with a paw at the attacker. The man was struck, knocked a couple fathoms through the air, and fell in a tumble to the ground. Breath-Of-Sky wasted no time, bent down to help him up, and quickly flipped him onto his back.

Then he jumped for the sky and, without any difficulty carrying him in flight, glided away over the tents.

Up in safety and away from the danger, what had happened felt too real, still too near as the pain in his stump subsided. The peace and quiet of healing and recovering had let him get complacent. The hurts that the Mordor Furies had caused were still very fresh and raw to many of the survivors.

His younger brother had just been threatened, not to mention himself. It would take only one of those drunk or vengeful men to find an opportunity when everyone was asleep, sneak into a tent, and...

_We can't stay here any longer. We're no longer safe here._

He said nothing more until they landed by the tent a minute later. They dashed inside, and Breath-Of-Sky lay down with a whine. So Hiccup carefully dismounted and held his brother's hung head.

"You okay, brother?"

"Yes, but I do not know why... they hate me and tried to hurt you."

"They were hurt by dragons in the fighting; that's why they want to blame any dragons."

Breath-Of-Sky nodded and warily spoke. There was a different strength in his words and how he spoke. His eyes were still faintly narrowed as opposed to the very wide that they usually were.

"I know that humans and dragons have not been friends much. Our sire and dam told me stories about how life was before."

_Really? That's actually surprising. How have you always been so friendly?_

"Did I do a bad thing by fighting there? I might have hurt that human who grabbed you," Breath-Of-Sky continued.

He wasn't sure if that angry man had suffered any permanent injuries. For a Night Fury, Breath-Of-Sky had shown a lot of restraint in just knocking the man aside.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong. He'll be fine. Can you please go get our parents? I need to talk to them as soon as we can."

"Okay."

Breath-Of-Sky hopped outside and vanished from sight with a sweep of his wings. It was only after his little brother, who it seemed now was not as oblivious as he had thought he was, had left that Hiccup collapsed in place and let out the pain through his tears. If there was anyone who definitely did not deserve to have their life threatened for the fault of being a dragon, it was Breath-Of-Sky.

When Sky-Dancer and Far-Flight arrived in haste a couple minutes later and dashed with a cry of alarm into the tent, he said nothing at first of what happened. There was no need; their narrowed eyes and very faint growls were enough to show that they knew that he had been hurt somehow. Breath-Of-Sky slithered in past them and sat down by the bed.

Hiccup frowned as he considered what to say. He was tempted to hide part of the truth or at least to be dismissive of the danger, joking about something was one way to take away fear of it, but the life or death of family was not a laughing matter.

So he told them the entire truth of what happened and why it was that they had all overstayed their welcome here. There was no further reason to stay in Gondor. It was time to go home.

* * *

Toothless, Moonbeam, and Mystery returned from their meal of massive four-leg Olephant. It was a very fatty meat, and there was so much of it still left that many days would pass before it was all rotted. None of them would need to eat for many days.

But he noticed something strange when he got back to the tent. His sire, dam, brothers, Merry, and Faramir were outside the tent; they were definitely waiting for him, Moonbeam, and Mystery to get back.

He touched down and pranced up to them. Sky-Dancer immediately hopped over to him.

"Burning-Star, we must talk now," she hastily said in alarm.

Something was very wrong if she was worried.

"What is it?"

"Hiccup says we should leave the city and this range now, and I agree with him."

"Why now?" he warbled.

"Because he and Breath-Of-Sky were attacked!" she snarled.

"What!" he growled in shock.

Moonbeam also barked in alarm and stared at Hiccup. They both bounded over to him and Breath-Of-Sky to nuzzle them in reassurance.

"We're fine, but we need to talk," Hiccup reassured them.

"What happened? Do I need to kill someone?" Toothless snarled.

Faramir stepped forward.

"No, I had my Rangers, people whom I trust, speak to the angry survivors who threatened them. I would offer to have guards here for you all, but that might not be necessary."

"But why did anyone attack you?" Moonbeam asked.

Hiccup looked very pained and chilled.

"They were survivors who were hurt by the enemy dark wings, and the survivors blamed me... and all dragons for what happened to the city."

Toothless spun in place and growled in the direction of the tents before the walls.

"But that is very twisted! We did not hurt them! We helped them!"

Hiccup slowly nodded.

"It would still be best for everyone if we leave and head back to Edoras now. We should go with Wing-Of-Ice, Eyes-That-Shimmer, and their family. All of us will be safer there."

Far-Flight nodded and purred.

"We agree with this. There is danger in staying here: one of the hurt humans with twisted-thinking might try to hurt us when we sleep."

Toothless and Moonbeam shared a glance and purr of agreement.

"Then we will leave and walk to Edoras. When do we go?" he agreed.

"Right now. Eyes-That-Shimmer wants Wing-Of-Ice and Nightfall away from the danger. Faramir already brought some supplies for me," Hiccup explained and gestured at the filled saddlepack.

Faramir winced and slightly slumped in place.

"I am truly sorrowful that this happened and that your departure is necessary. I expected better from the people of the city, though these are exceptional circumstances."

"Don't worry about it. I understand those people who were hurt. They need time," Hiccup answered.

Toothless grumbled to himself, remembering another problem that was not so easy to get away from.

"What about the captured dragon, Burzghash?" he growled.

"We will hold it until Flame-In-The-Night returns and decides what to do. He would know best what to do with it," Faramir answered.

"Kill it and drop it in a waste pit, I say," he grumbled.

"If it is too dangerous to be left alive and if it does swear more wanton death, then killing it might be necessary to prevent greater loss of life. But that is a decision for the Alpha and the King," Faramir reluctantly agreed.

Merry stepped over to Hiccup and gave him a hug which he returned.

"Hiccup, you stay safe out there. No missing meals now! I'd give you a pipe to smoke, but I have no more pipeweed."

"You ran out of Old Toby?" Hiccup asked.

"Aye, that's the stuff. Shame they don't have any here in Gondor."

Faramir faintly grinned at the exchange.

"May the Shire be forever unwithered, Master Hobbit."

Hiccup addressed Faramir after Merry stepped back to his side.

"Could you please tell Flame-In-The-Night where we went? He would want to know once he gets back."

Faramir nodded.

"I shall inform him. One more thing, as you head north do stay out of the Druadan Forest. The people who live within prefer to keep to themselves."

"That's fine. We can stick to the Anduin and then follow the Entwash into Rohan," Hiccup explained.

"Travel safely," Faramir said.

Faramir and Merry then turned back and left for the main tents and the gates.

Sky-Dancer stepped over to Hiccup's side and nudged his shoulder.

"We should go now."

"Yes, yes we should."

Toothless walked at Hiccup's side after Hiccup strapped his last supplies to the saddle. Everyone started toward the tent outside which the other Furies were waiting. Hiccup's walking got progressively slower as he went, so Toothless stepped before him and blocked his path with a wing.

"Huh?" Hiccup groaned.

"You are telling me what happened."

"Nothing much happened. A drunk, angry man shouted at me and threw a knife at our brother. It wasn't even close to hitting him."

"Is that all?" he warily asked.

"Well, not exactly. Someone else knocked me down, and our brother knocked him down too. But everyone was fine in the end."

Toothless growled freely.

"I should not have left you alone. Not with your leg. How is walking with it?"

"Great!"

"Hiccup..."

Hiccup slumped and sighed heavily.

"Not so great. I can walk, but it hurts more and more the longer I'm on my feet."

"Then do not be on your feet too much."

He crouched down so Hiccup could climb on. Hiccup hesitated for a moment.

"Okay, but I need to practice so I can get stronger and learn to walk again."

Toothless thought about it and saw that it was true. Some amount of hurting was needed so that Hiccup could grow stronger.

"That is good thinking, but do not try to hide your hurting. I will carry you when you need it, like now."

Hiccup nodded in acceptance and then climbed on his back.

"Fair enough."

They resumed walking and arrived with the rest of their present pack.

Toothless thought that Wing-Of-Ice, having had a couple days now with his mate and his children at his side to console him, looked much warmer in his soul-fire. His eyes were wider and his ears were up at their approach. That Nightfall was proudly perched on his back might have helped with him feeling warmer and happier.

He also saw Breath-Of-Sky and Mystery, and Snowflame and Windripper standing at each other's shoulders. That was when he noticed a slight problem which had probably already been answered.

"Snowflame, are you coming with us or staying with Eowyn?"

"Eowyn is being comforted by her kin and by Faramir. I told her that I would go with my mate's kin. She understands and wants me to go with him," she said.

He approved that Eowyn had no problem with being apart from Snowflame for a while. That willingness to be apart when necessary meant that they were true friends who trusted each other.

Eyes-That-Shimmer stepped up before him and addressed Hiccup.

"How long is the walk to Edoras?"

Hiccup groaned as he considered the length of the journey.

"About three hundred miles. If we can make twenty miles a day, that would be just over two weeks, about half a moon-cycle, of walking."

Toothless thought about, already imagining his paws hurting from the walking.

It was going to be a long walk for sure, but the walk from the Shire to Rivendell was far lengthier, though they had flown the last part of that journey.

He knew that this journey would be far safer. The Enemy's attention would be elsewhere, they were not carrying the Ring, and among them there were seven adult Furies who had their fire.

Nothing would bother them on the journey home. The river and hills along the mountains could provide fish and other prey.

"Are we all ready to go?" Hiccup asked.

Purrs and nods of agreement followed all around.

"Go? Go where?" Nightfall chirped from on her father's back.

"On an adventure!" Hiccup cheerfully answered.

"Yay, do I need to fly?"

Wing-Of-Ice glanced back over his shoulder at her.

"No, my dear little cub, you can rest there as much as you like, and I will carry you."

"Yay!" she cried and then curled up on his back.

Toothless hummed at the sight and then barked softly in surprise as Moonbeam nudged his shoulder with a sly purr.

"I want to see you do that with a cub," she hummed.

"I will. We will," he snorted.

Then he started walking, leading his kin on paw to the north along the base of the mountains. Hiccup started humming a familiar walking song that they had both heard many times on their journey from the Shire.

"The Road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, and I must follow, if I can. Pursuing it with eager feet, until it joins some larger way where many paths and errands meet. And whither then? I cannot say."

Toothless thought about the words and realized that they were not truly about a road or path that humans or Hobbits walked on.

"The road is life," he hummed.

"Yeah, I think so too."

They walked in silence until they were out past the last of the Rohan tents and well out into the wild. Then he paused and looked back over the Pelennor. They all did together.

The Pelennor and most of the city were covered in shadow from the thick clouds. From this distance it appeared that everything was still and quiet. The flickering orange glow that was usually present on the eastern horizon was gone. The wind, so fierce high up where the clouds were blown about, was calm on the surface, so calm even that the flags, banners, and tents were motionless.

It was as though the world was either at peace or was waiting for something to happen.

* * *

_**Author's Note – To the guest reviewer who expressed disappointment and concern about the story on the grounds that it is stagnating and too much like the original LOTR, you have touched on a topic that I considered when planning the story and which I address in more detail in the final author's note at the end of the story. That issue of how similarly to follow the canon plot was a reason I did not have our duo join the Fellowship, instead having their own adventure.**_

_**To make a long explanation short, I did not want to change too much of what Tolkien wrote, mostly because I do not think I can improve on what he gave us. His story is complete with arcs, symbolism, and foreshadowing, any of which I mess with at my own literary peril. So I instead decided to make the focus of this story on the non-LOTR characters and how flaws or insecurities manifest in someone's actions. The canon LOTR events are like a canvas on which the story is being painted, so to speak, not the painting itself. So I would emphatically disagree with the claim that the story is stagnating.**_

_**I suppose I didn't get you to care enough about the characters and the important OCs. Interestingly, I have received other feedback that the story was weakened by going too far away from the canon LOTR storyline (by introducing the Fury pack or by not having our protagonists join the Fellowship). No story will please everyone. Regardless, thank you for leaving your feedback.**_


	64. Eucatastrophe

Eucatastrophe

* * *

The first day of walking passed very uneventfully. They saw no one and nothing else at all as they walked north along the mountains. Several small streams from snowmelt dripped down the mountains and gave them clean drinking water as they went. No one was hungry enough that they needed to hunt for anything, but Snowflame and Windripper volunteered to bring back some fish from the river.

Hiccup offered to walk with Sky-Dancer to let Toothless and Moonbeam have some time to themselves. It was also a good opportunity to start building up his own endurance. Breath-Of-Sky also stayed close, ready to lend a wing or shoulder to rest on if needed, while Mystery and Far-Flight walked together.

Just as before, his leg started hurting the more he walked. It was also inconvenient trying to walk in the wild. His peg kept sinking into mud.

_Stupid leg..._

Sky-Dancer noticed and stepped up next to him.

"Get on. I will carry you now," she said in a tone that brooked no objection.

Wincing at the pain and the building fire in his stump, he didn't object to being carried, so he climbed on her back.

_This will be easier once I can make a real prosthetic._

"What happens when we get back to our range?" she asked as she started walking again.

"Nothing important. We won't need to be in any more battles. Probably just more of what we were doing before: living in peace."

Then he rolled his eyes.

"Well, not nothing important. Living in peace is important too. And there are a couple things I really want to do."

"What are they?" she asked.

"One, and this is the much easier of the two, I want to get started on that Hall for the whole pack. It will be like the Golden Hall, but this new one will be much bigger and made for you dragons only."

"That sounds good. Living in dens made by humans still feels twisted, but we will be a pack together," she agreed.

"What is the other thing you want to do?" Breath-Of-Sky asked.

Hiccup grinned.

"There's someone I want to get to know better."

Sky-Dancer stopped and glanced back over her shoulder at him.

"Is this someone a female? Is it Adney?" she grinned.

"Yes, and yes."

She started walking again while purring.

"I do not know her, but Burning-Star said that she is good and warm in her soul-fire."

"Yeah, she is. Burning-Star and I took her flying, and she really liked it."

"Good. I already approve of her, not that you need my approval to want her."

He was puzzled by that remark of hers, until he realized that, in her mind, he was not a fledgling. Despite the care and attention she was giving him, she saw him as an adult, which was technically true. He was eighteen, and he had done far more than anyone else who was eighteen back on Berk or even likely in any of the lands of Middle-earth.  
His thoughts went to Frodo and Sam, surely making their way into the heart of Mordor while the rest of the Fellowship and the soldiers of Rohan and Gondor were a distraction.

_Whatever is going to happen now is out of our hands and paws..._

The land out here outside of civilization was very silent and still. All was as he had felt shortly after leaving Minas Tirith. A hush hung over the land. The long grasses and the trees' leaves swayed without making a sound.

Everything was waiting for whatever was going to happen next.

* * *

Toothless rolled his neck and stretched while grumbling. There was a strange pain and weakness in his neck.

Moonbeam noticed his slight discomfort.

"What is it, my dear mate?"

"A small hurting: nothing too bad."

She grumbled and hopped over to his side, gently nuzzling his neck.

"Is it where the arrow bit you?"

"Yes..."

She grumbled again and glared at the small wound by his pendant. His hide there felt warmer and itched a little.

Then he forgot all about the little pain as she started licking his hurt.

"Better?" she whispered once she was finished.

"Much better. I hope that Gandalf and Aragorn got all the rot out..."

That worry was a detail that he had been thinking about the last few days. He felt generally weaker, and the only reason he could think of as to why was the hurt he had gotten.

But he saw her ears fell after he grumbled about his hurt. That sadness of hers was something bad that he could help with, especially since his sire had volunteered to carry the saddle bags for Hiccup.

So he pounced at her, gently tackled her, and pinned her on her back, their tails fighting with each other.

"Got you!" he growled.

"Burning-Star! Not now..." she slyly purred.

He laughed at that and licked her cheek, feeling no interest at all in what she suggested, not when they were so near their kin. No, this was time to play, bond, and forget hurts for a time.

"Not that, my dear mate. This is bonding-fighting!"

He hopped back from her, his tail swaying as she hopped to her paws. She roared softly and leaped at him, trying to nip his ears. He intentionally let her win the play-fight by pinning him on his belly as she chewed at his neck.

"You win!"

She hopped aside and stuck out her tongue at him while prancing around in triumph.

"Yes, I win. I got the best and bravest life-mate in the whole pack!" she proudly declared.

_You are not wrong about that!_

"And so did I!" he held a paw to his chest.

"Yes, you did! You got a very brave and beautiful life-mate!" she huffed.

He entirely agreed with her. But he also wondered something about her. This detail was about a part of life that he himself could never learn about on his own.

"My dear mate, how will you know if we have made a cub?"

She hummed and glanced off toward his sire and dam and the rest of their kin.

"Your dam told me what I needed to know. If I start getting sick and do not feel another cub-making time, I will know."

"You will feel sick?" he barked in alarm.

"Only for part of one moon-cycle at most, if I am like dark wings in that way. That time has much hurting and some problems keeping food in the belly, but there is no hurting after that until the birthing."

He winced at the memory of that event for Lightning. The yelps and growls of pain combined with the blood was not soul-fire warming.

"That sounds like it hurts much."

Moonbeam hummed softly while shuffling on her paws.

"True, but Sky-Dancer said that it hurts most for the first cub and hurts less after that one. The hurting is also small when weighed against the good of having the cub."

"What are you saying?"

She chuffed.

"I am saying that I want us to have a pawful of cubs. Life with humans helping with food and safety might help us all have more cubs."

He hummed in ready agreement. What she pointed out was very true and good for the pack. There were now thirty-one in the pack, after including the eight rescued ones.

"What will happen when the pack grows too big? Maybe it will split in two and one of the two can fly to a new range," he mused.

"Where would we go?"

He thought back to the map that Hiccup showed him. The river they were all following flowed down into an ocean.

"Somewhere along the water would be best. We could find more fish there, but that is all much in the future."

She purred in agreement, clearly liking the idea of living by the water, and followed him on paw. They never let the rest of their kin out of sight. It helped a lot that these lands were not very thick with trees, unlike the forest further ahead and by the mountains.

Hiccup and Faramir had said they should stay out of the forest, since there are humans living in there in secret. That was fine. He and his kin had no interest in disturbing anyone.

* * *

Toothless heard a familiar roar echo from behind them. Flame-In-The-Night was racing toward the rest of his kin.

He and Moonbeam wasted no time and flew toward them, eventually settling down when Flame-In-The-Night also touched down. Snowflame was the first to bound over to him and nuzzle her sire's nose in greeting.

"Alpha!" the rest of them cried in greeting.

"How are the new dark wings? They are in Edoras now, yes?" Hiccup eagerly asked.

"Almost. They are staying in the mountains for now until they can trust more. Snowfall is leading all in the pack while I am away. I flew back to the city because I thought you were there."

Flame-In-The-Night paused for a moment.

"I met with the Steward-Alpha Faramir. He told me what happened and why you left," Flame-In-The-Night sadly said.

"Yes, we are all walking together for safety," Far-Flight explained.

"Will you go with Wing-Of-Ice and his kin to Edoras?"

"We will," Sky-Dancer added.

"And I am going with my mate's kin also," Snowflame said.

Flame-In-The-Night hummed in approval.

"Good. You should do that for them."  
"Is Free-Flight well?" she asked.

"Yes, but he misses you and wants to play with you."

Snowflame sighed.

"I knew he would."

Flame-In-The-Night then stepped back and stretched his wings.

"I will fly back to the city now. I need to meet with my... lost brother."

A tense silence followed that.

"What will you do with him?" Hiccup asked, breaking the silence.

Flame-In-The-Night shuffled in place without saying anything for a long time. The Alpha eventually glanced between Hiccup, Toothless, and Moonbeam, knowing that they were present at the meeting with Burzghash or Dark-Fire as he was once called.

"He was always someone who said things he did not truly mean, but I am not sure that I know him now. I want to think that he is not only cruel and biting. If he can see that he is wrong, then I would bring him back to Edoras so that the pack can watch him. Only bad will happen if he stays trapped where he is now."

"If you think he can be trusted," Toothless groaned.

"Trusted? No, I do not think we can trust him right now. But he is a dark wing, and we must show that we can punish or correct our own who do wrong. If we do not, we show that the humans must punish us when we do bad."

Toothless hummed in thought as he realized something about the situation.

"You bringing him back to live with the pack could give him a reason to change. Him seeing the dark wing and human cubs playing together must help him see the rot in his thinking."

Flame-In-The-Night grumbled.

"Maybe. Maybe not. How long will it be before you get back to Edoras?"

"About fourteen days," Hiccup answered.

Flame-In-The-Night nodded.

"If I get back to Edoras before you do, I will have packmates find you and help bring Wing-Of-Ice back safely. You, Burning-Star, Moonbeam, Mystery, Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, and Breath-Of-Sky should not need to walk all the way with him and his kin."

Hiccup thought about the offer and liked it a lot because it made sense. Having others from the pack take over as a relief for the convoy would help to spread the burden.

"Good idea. We'll be keeping within sight of the Anduin until we pass the forest, and then we'll stay close to the rivers that will lead us to Edoras."

Flame-In-The-Night hummed in acknowledgment.

"I understand. Safe hunts to you all."

The Alpha then spun away with a roar and swiftly flew south. They watched him fly until he was a dot in the dark sky. Then he was gone.

They started walking again, sticking close together as the shadows grew longer late in the afternoon.

* * *

The sun set beyond the White Mountains just to the west. Everyone agreed to pack in close together for safety and comfort while someone, Far-Flight first, stayed awake on guard duty. It was very unlikely that anything would want to attack them, but it was best to be safe.

Hiccup groaned as he leaned back against Toothless's side.

_Ugh, what a long day. Time to check the stump!_

He unstrapped the peg and took it off with a wince. Moonbeam noticed and stuck her nose closer to see what was going on, though she froze when she saw what he was doing.

"Hiccup?" she softly hummed.

"I have to check it every so often," he explained.

"Why?" Toothless asked.

"Because if it has been bleeding I need to clean it or replace the padding for the stump."

"Let me see it," she commanded.

He held up the stump for her to see, and she softly whined when she saw it.

"Can I lick it?" she asked.

_It probably won't do anything now... but you might feel better about it._

"Sure, if you want to."

She gently licked the stump. Her licks, just like Toothless's, were somewhat soothing, though there wasn't much to be done for the wound. Then he dried it off with a rag, changed the padding, and reattached his peg.

"Thanks, I'm sure that helps some."

"I hope so," she whispered.

Toothless rearranged himself so they could see his faintly-glowing pendant. All three of them purred softly when they saw that warm and precious light.

Then she lay down beside him so that he was snug between her and Toothless, secure under a dark wing. Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer lay together with Breath-Of-Sky and Mystery a short distance away.

He stared up into the sky in silence save for the breaths and purrs of the Furies around him. The sky here was clear, which let him see the myriad of stars high above. A warm wind out of the west had swept in and pushed the clouds further back into the east. However, the red horizon in the east was still covered in dark clouds from Mordor.

But everything was still and quiet. The breeze was hushed, and none of the creatures of the night were singing.

_What is happening out there? The army has to be at the Black Gates by now or at least close. Oh well, nothing I can do about it._

He closed his eyes and tried to settle his mind, but it felt like there was a weight upon his heart. Something remained unfinished. Drawing nearer...

Then he heard someone padding closer to him, so he opened his eyes to see who it was.

It was Wing-Of-Ice.

The grounded male sat down directly before him, Moonbeam, and Toothless, both of whom appeared to be asleep. Wing-Of-Ice looked very unsure of himself because he was shuffling on his paws.

"Wing-Of-Ice?"

"Hiccup, I want to... say... something..." Wing-Of-Ice hesitantly whispered.

"You just did..."

Wing-Of-Ice huffed.

"I want to... say that I am sorry for saying that I wished you had not found us. I was..."

"Hurt and afraid, I understand and don't blame you at all. I thought the same thing myself," Hiccup whispered.

"Still, I wronged you when you were hurt also," Wing-Of-Ice grumbled.

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did."

Hiccup frowned.

"Alright, you did. Do you want to make it up to me?"

"Yes, whatever you want me to do," Wing-Of-Ice sighed.

"Okay then. Be a good father and mate. Never give up on yourself. Do not think that you are worth less to them even though you are grounded. That is what I say you must do."

Wing-Of-Ice looked like he was about to object, so Hiccup continued.

"Do all that, and I will say that the wrong is no more. Got it?"

"Yes, I understand," Wing-Of-Ice eventually answered.

Then the male turned away and slowly strode back over to Eyes-That-Shimmer's side. He lay down with her and stretched his remaining wing over her back while gazing at the dozing Nightfall at her chest.

Hiccup stared at them until a tear fell down his cheek.

* * *

The Furies caught a single deer which they rationed among themselves for lunch beside a small stream of clear water. Hiccup gnawed on some hard bread and dried fruit from his supplies and had some water from one of his flasks.

They all continued walking together into the afternoon, no one wanting to separate except briefly to relieve themselves. No one felt like playing or flying, though they had no idea why.

Hiccup continued walking at Sky-Dancer's side, pushing through the pain and discomfort so that he could build greater stamina. He had already been slowly walking, no one was trying to make great haste, for perhaps an hour after lunch. Far-Flight, Breath-Of-Sky, Mystery, Toothless, and Moonbeam were plodding along together just ahead, softly talking together to pass the time.

The wind seemed to pick up slightly out of the west.

They finally passed enough of the forest that, from the ground, they could barely see the lands begin to change into what looked more like Rohan, plains and grasslands. The two families stood a short distance apart, resting their paws in a break from the long walking.

Hiccup closed his eyes while leaning back against Toothless's side. The Fury was purring in peace. Everything was at peace.

The wind died, and the midday light dimmed.

A hush fell on the land: the rustle of leaves in the few trees, the bird-calls, their own voices, their breaths, even the beating of their hearts... faded and stilled.

Time halted.

Hiccup opened his eyes in the timeless silence. He and all the Furies found their gazes drawn inexorably to the east, to the distant and dark clouds that hovered over the far Mountains of Shadow and over Mordor.

His hands found Toothless's and Moonbeam's necks for reassurance while Breath-Of-Sky stood between Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer.

Powerless to take any other action, they waited together for they knew not what.

Then they saw it.

Far off beyond the horizon and above the smothering clouds... another great and impenetrable darkness towered over the world and filled the sky. A mountain of darkness, flickering with fire and crowned with lightning, rose up like a wave that threatened to roll over the land.

_Oh gods, what is this?_

Hiccup glanced around at his family and froze when he saw them all staring into the distance. Their gazes were narrowed on the darkness above the clouds, their ears were swept back, and they were growling with their jaws parted and teeth bared. Even Breath-Of-Sky looked affected between Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer as they stood frozen.

The fear passed through his heart for an instant. Something very important had happened, and it did not look good. All the Furies seemed affected at the same time.

Maybe the mission had failed and Sauron had recovered his Ring. Maybe this visage was the start of this world's Ragnarok. Maybe this lightning-crowned shadow that stretched up into the sky was Sauron in his full, indomitable strength. Maybe all the dragons were now about to fall to Sauron's power.

Maybe Toothless was about to turn on him now.

But he had thrown away his dagger long ago, trusting that Toothless was free to act as a good being. He gave up control long ago in a different world and had done that again in this world by giving Toothless his freedom. Toothless fought so hard to resist temptation and anything that would try to control him.

So what was he: was he free or not?

Hiccup exhaled in peace as the fear departed from his heart. If anything tragic happened to him in the next few moments, it would not be Toothless's or Moonbeam's fault; his dragon brother and sister would never willingly hurt him. The same went for his adoptive parents and younger brother also.

"Brother? Moonbeam?"

At his voice, they both blinked and turned to him. Their slitted eyes slowly widened as they stared at him. Toothless's pendant was also shining brightly.

"I'm glad to be with you, both of you, no matter what happens."

"So am I," Toothless hummed back to him.

Moonbeam purred softly while nuzzling Hiccup's side.

Out of the corner of his vision, Hiccup saw Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, Breath-Of-Sky, and Mystery approach and stand beside the three of them. He also clearly saw Snowflame and Windripper sitting together with their tails entwined. Wing-Of-Ice and Eyes-That-Shimmer stood beside Snowflame and Windripper while young Nightfall hid under one of her mother's wings. They were all staring together toward the distant, towering shadow of what was certainly, somehow, Sauron himself.

While they had never been as close to the Ring as Toothless had, they were all now, in some way, exposed to Sauron's visage. He had no idea what, if anything, that meant for them.

But they all in that moment had with them what was most precious to them, their truest treasures, in each other.

From far away, now dim, now growing, and then mounting to the clouds, there came a drumming rumble, a roar, a long echoing roll of ruinous noise that shattered the calm.

Enormous and mighty, the lightning-crowned shadow reared above the world and stretched out a vast threatening hand, terrible but utterly impotent: for even as it leaned over the world a great wind gusted from the West, seized the shadow, and tore it apart into wispy strands that faded.

Still they looked on as the dark clouds that had long hovered over Minas Tirith and the Pelennor were similarly rent asunder under the gale from the West.

A bright orange and red flash erupted from beyond the far mountains. The ground shook under foot and paw.

In an awed silence, they stared at a wave of wind that flowed out from deep within Mordor. The wave tore apart the dark clouds from within and then rushed out over the mountains and onto the green of North Ithilien. The trees and grass on the far slope visibly swayed at the wind's passing.

The wave of wind struck them and passed by with a crash, doing little more than disturb the grass and trees where they stood. The grating roar and rumbling that had seemed to well up from the earth gradually faded as the faint shaking similarly died away.

A hush fell anew.

The dark clouds, so long having hovered over Gondor, were gone entirely, leaving the land looking far greener than it had before. The far Mountains of Shadow that formed the border of Mordor were bathed in light from the afternoon sun.

"What just happened?" Breath-Of-Sky barked, breaking the silence.

Hiccup wiped away and tried to restrain the tears that he did not know he had been weeping. A weight, so subtle that he only now noticed it from its absence, upon his heart was no longer there.

He turned to all his family gathered there with him. They all looked shocked and at a total loss for words.

"I don't know, but... I think it's over."

"Over?" Toothless gasped.

"I feel... so very happy and free now. What about you all?"

"There is more light shining now," Sky-Dancer whispered.

"I want to roar!" Breath-Of-Sky joyfully cried.

"Me also!" Far-Flight added.

Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, Breath-Of-Sky, Mystery, Toothless, and Moonbeam lifted their heads to the sky and roared for the joy that welled up from what source they had no idea. Hiccup stopped trying to restrain his tears and let them fall freely. The other Furies a short distance away added their voices without any prompting.

Their united roars shivered the sky.

* * *

_**Author's Note – Eucatastrophe, the inversion of catastrophe, is the sudden and unexpected change that brings about a 'happy' or cathartic ending. It is perhaps the single most important concept in Tolkien's entire philosophy.**_

_**I must also admit that I borrowed much of the book imagery and verbiage for this awe-inspiring scene, that of the Ring's destruction and Sauron's fall, for I could not do better than what Tolkien himself wrote. I also felt that the film could have done the downfall scene better.**_

**_Here are some of his own words in __his essay 'On Fairy-Stories' - "__But the 'consolation' of fairy-tales has another aspect than the imaginative satisfaction of ancient desires. Far more important is the Consolation of the Happy Ending. Almost I would venture to assert that all complete fairy-stories must have it... I will call it Eucatastrophe."_**


	65. Confirmation

_**Author's Note – For those who are curious, this story is not close to being over. Further, I have multiple bonus scenes, most of which will be from perspectives other than Hiccup and Toothless, planned. Those bonus scenes will either be posted in a separate story or after the eventual epilogue.**_

* * *

Confirmation

* * *

Hiccup and Toothless wandered off together a short distance from everyone else. They agreed without any words that they needed a moment to themselves after what they had seen. They eventually sat down, mostly so Hiccup could rest his leg, and did nothing but stare into the east.

"What do you think happened?" Toothless asked.

Hiccup shrugged.

"If I had to guess, I'd say Sauron is gone. Frodo and Sam destroyed the Ring."

"Do we know that for sure?" Toothless warily asked.

"No, but what does your heart tell you?"

Toothless hung his head and closed his eyes while thinking about what he was feeling. There was so much that seemed different. A warmth seemed to hang in the air now. The skies also were much brighter than they had been before.

"That something very bad is gone from the world. We, or I at least, would know if Sauron had his Ring again."

Hiccup gently scratched Toothless's neck.

"Yeah. Did you feel anything as you saw... that shadow? You looked angry."

Toothless shivered and growled softly, tapping his tail on the ground.

"It was very like when I was around the Ring. I felt like someone else, a twisted soul-fire, was with me. But he was not strong. If he was... that would have been very bad. It was only angry and afraid of it."

Hiccup frowned after glancing back at the rest of the Furies gathered together.

"Do you think he did anything to you all?"

"What?"

"We know that all of you are a little tempted by gold. I just hope it didn't get worse for everyone just now."

Toothless grumbled, not liking that possibility.

"I do not think it would. If Sauron died then his power and his Nazgul died. The pack will always be free of them, and if we do still want gold... we can fight that twisted wanting."

"True, and no one else felt it the same as you did," Hiccup agreed.

They stared into the east a while longer before eventually turning back and returning to the rest of the Furies. They were still generally in their family groups, but they all gathered together when he and Toothless approached.

"Ready to keep going?" Hiccup asked them.

They all nodded and purred in agreement as everyone started moving again. But there was far more muttering about what they might have just seen.

Moonbeam immediately slipped in between Hiccup and Toothless while Breath-Of-Sky and Mystery walked together.

"Was that shadow the bad soul-fire?" Moonbeam whispered.

"I think so," Hiccup sighed.

Toothless nuzzled her head and gave her a lick.

"And it is gone now. The strong wind blew it away forever," he said.

She purred and glanced over her shoulder.

"I hope it is gone."

Hiccup patted her on the neck as they kept walking. Then he realized something else that he hadn't truly shared with her. The three of them were sufficiently on their own that no one else would overhear.

"Did I tell you at the enemy had a precious thing that he put his soul-fire into?"

"Yes, and that was the thing that was to be destroyed, true?"

"True. I held that thing once, and I heard its twisted whispering. It probably put some... rot... in my heart, and that rot is part of why I was... not letting Burning-Star be free before. Not an excuse for what I was doing, but still..."

She turned to him and hummed, her eyes wide with understanding.

"But he saw that rot and took it out, the same as I did with a different problem," Toothless explained.

"And me also," Moonbeam hummed after a moment of thought.

Hiccup laughed.

"Look at us. We all had so many problems, and we helped each other with them."

Toothless and Moonbeam huffed and rolled their eyes as they all kept walking, eventually returning beside the rest of the Furies.

Hiccup stayed beside them until the pain grew too great, at which point Toothless began carrying him. Taking the opportunity to just enjoy the view and rest a while, Hiccup stared out at the beautiful land all around, at the thick forests and White Mountains to the west and the massive Anduin and the large island that split the river in two.

* * *

They were settling down to rest in the morning when cries of alarm went up.

"What is it?" Toothless barked, flying to his paws.

Hiccup and Moonbeam stirred in place beside him.

"One of the big birds!" Snowflame shouted.

Toothless grumbled to himself. This could only be one of the Great Eagles. He looked around in the sky, and noticed a very big bird in the distance over the river. The bird was flying out of the northeast, toward where the armies had marched to threaten Sauron. The Great Eagle turned toward him and his kin, since it had definitely seen them.

_Maybe it has come to tell us what happened._

They all held themselves at the ready as the bird flew near. While he knew that the bird was not going to attack, he still felt wary of it simply because these birds were bigger than him. Birds should not be bigger than dragons.

_Maybe this is the Windlord bird. I want to race that one and win! That pile of hot waste who thinks no wings are faster than his!_

The bird certainly looked familiar, with brown feathers and very broad wings. The Great Eagle cried a loud and piercing cry that echoed from the hills. Then it smoothly dove for them, glided in a wide circle, and touched down before them, its wings stirring up the wind.

He and his kin did not move at first, no one wanting to step forward toward it.

"We should say hello," Hiccup whispered with a paw on his shoulder.

"Yes, we should..."

Toothless took a deep breath and then slowly walked toward the Great Eagle. Now up closer he could see that this was not the Windlord he had met in Edoras, although it looked similar.

"Duath amlug," the Eagle spoke to him.

"Good Eagle, what is your name?" he asked.

"I am Landroval, which means broad wing," Landroval answered with his wings flared wide.

They were very broad wings.

"It is an honor to meet you, Landroval," Hiccup said, bowing.

"And so for me also, Child of the West," Landroval dipped his great head toward them and folded away his wings.

"Do you know an Eagle named Gwaihir? We met him in Edoras," Hiccup added.

"He is my brother. He sent me in search of you, for I have tidings most joyful and beyond hope! The reign of Sauron is ended!"

Hiccup sighed and relaxed at the confirmation.

"The Ring was destroyed then?" he asked.

"Yes, the Ringbearer's quest was fulfilled. I and my brother bore the two Halflings from the ruinous slopes of Orodruin."

"Frodo and Sam are alive!" Toothless cried in surprise and joy.

"Yes, though not without wound," Landroval answered.

"Did you fly from the Black Gate?" Hiccup asked.

"We brought the Halflings back to the hosts of Rohan and Gondor. The army of Orcs was devoured by the ruin of Mordor; the ground itself consumed them, and very few survived."

"That's good to hear. What about the Fellowship and everyone else?"

"There was very little death in the battle. All my kin still in the skies of Middle-earth were at the battle to give aid."

Hiccup nodded, but he had another thought after hearing that the Eagles were present at the final battle. There were surely a number of these Great Eagles, but he had only seen two.

"If I may ask, why didn't you Eagles help out at Minas Tirith? We could have used the help."

"Do not think that we roosted idle in our aeries. We were aiding the Elves of Lothlorien and Eryn Galen, what you call the Mirkwood," Landroval calmly answered.

Toothless lifted a paw and touched his pendant while remembering the strange beauty of that hidden Elven world.

"Did something bad happen to Lothlorien?" he warily asked.

"The Enemy sent his army from Dol Guldor to strike at the heart of Elvendom in Middle-earth. Three attacks there were, and we fought in all of them. The outer woods were burned and scoured, but the Enemy was repelled. They could not best the power in Lorien, not unless Sauron himself were to take part in the attack. Not even their greatest weapons were enough, though ours was not the victory over them. We flew here to the Black Gates as soon as that victory was won."

Hiccup frowned at the thought of Lothlorien burned and desecrated, even if only partially. That news drove home that the war was much bigger than he thought at first. The war had basically involved everyone, everywhere.

_I hope this didn't touch the Shire at all..._

"The woods will heal, though Lothlorien will not endure. I see that you both have wounds," Landroval added.

Hiccup shrugged and held Toothless's neck.

"We'll be alright."

Landroval then looked past them to Moonbeam.

"Well met, fain amlug," he said to her.

She started in surprise at being addressed and then strode forward to stand beside Toothless.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"It means white dragon," he answered.

She purred in approval.

Landroval then looked to all three of them in turn.

"I was bidden to invite you three to meet with the host of Gondor and Rohan across the Anduin. Mithrandir and the Kings wish to speak with you soon. They have news and an offer that you can take to your Alphas and your pack."

"We will meet with them," Hiccup agreed.

"My brother also wished for me to convey to you that we know your actions. We know what fires burn in your hearts," Landroval said.

Toothless tilted his head in confusion.

"I do not understand."

"Nor I," Hiccup added.

Landroval stood tall and proud, almost towering over them as he turned his head to stare to the west.

"We know that you have been hurt and touched by a power that is beyond you, and yet you still flew to aid the Children of Iluvatar: the humans, Elves, and Dwarves. You would also live in peace with them."

"Yes, we will," Toothless answered.

Landroval looked down at them.

"My brother will do something for your kind, but for now, know that there will be peace between our kinds. We will not be here in Middle-earth always."

"No? Why not?" Toothless asked.

"We Eagles were sent here to keep watch on and thwart the Enemy, but he is no more. We shall return to our true home beyond the horizon when the time is right for that great flight."

Landroval stepped back and stretched wide his broad wings.

"Until we meet again, may the winds be warm under your wings and may your catches be many."

"And may your hunts be good also," Toothless hummed.

Hiccup bent his head to Landroval in a sign of respect.

Then the Great Eagle jumped aloft with a piercing cry as he turned his flight for the northwest.

They watched him fly until he was only a tiny dot in the sky.

"So, I guess we should go meet everyone," Hiccup proposed.

"Yes, we should. I want to see Frodo and Sam again," Toothless purred.

"Same here. I wonder what Aragorn and Theoden want to say. You coming with us, Moonbeam?"

"I will," she answered.

"Alright, let's go right now. We can probably fly to them and come back here before the evening."

Toothless nodded in agreement.

"We should let our sire and dam know. They and our other kin can walk more to be closer to home."

They bounded over to Sky-Dancer and Far-Flight.

"Sire, dam, we are going to fly to a different range for the rest of the day. We will meet with the human Alphas and hear news for the pack. Can you all keep going with Wing-Of-Ice, Eyes-That-Shimmer, and their kin? We will find you later today," Toothless asked.

Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer warily hummed as they thought about it.

"All the fighting is over now, true?" Sky-Dancer asked.

"Yes, it is finished," Toothless answered.

"Okay, we will go with them. Hiccup, do you need any of your bags?" Far-Flight asked with a glance to his own back.

"No, I don't."

Moonbeam hopped over to Mystery and nuzzled her.

"Sister, can you stay here with Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer?"

"If I must," Mystery hummed.

Breath-Of-Sky hopped over to her side and nudged her shoulder.

"We can play pinning and tail-chasing!" he cried.

"You have no chance, little one!" she stuck out her tongue at him.

The two fledglings ran off, running along through the grass while shouting at each other.

Sky-Dancer then stepped forward and nuzzled Toothless's and Hiccup's noses.

"Fly fast, my dear cubs," she hummed.

"We are your cubs. How can we not fly fast?" Toothless barked in amusement.

Hiccup rolled his eyes as he climbed on Toothless's back.

"The sooner we fly, the sooner we get back," Hiccup explained.

* * *

Toothless hummed in the peace of flight with Hiccup flying with him. It was their first time on a long and peaceful flight together since... they flew to Minas Tirith weeks ago. Moonbeam flew at his side and regularly touched wingtips with him.

The land below was peaceful, and the winds were very warm. Even flying somewhat towards Mordor did not feel very bad since the far mountains looked brighter.

He and she had flown through the morning. They passed over the Anduin and over a large island that Hiccup said was called Cair Andros. They also kept flying over a very long stretch of marshes. Hiccup had mentioned that they should not stop there, so they had not.

They flew closer and closer to the Mountains of Shadow while the land turned from the green of Gondor to more of a brown and black with fewer and fewer trees. There were also more large mounds of dirt on the sides of the trodden paths.

He grumbled to himself as he glared down at the land.

_I do not like this land. It looks more dead..._

Then he saw many, many humans in the distance. They were marching together into the south toward Gondor. Another large group of humans and horses were leaving more straight toward the west, which meant they were probably going to Rohan instead.

He and Moonbeam flew high above the humans, just in case any of them wanted to shoot arrows, all while he looked for the humans whom he would know, Aragorn and Theoden. They would certainly have set aside a place for him to land.

Then he saw a flash of white light that looked strange and bright.

_That must be Gandalf!_

He dove for the bright white shape, smoothly glided, and touched down in a small clearing that had been made for him and Moonbeam. He lay down so that Hiccup could climb off his back and stand at his side. Moonbeam also landed and pranced up to stand with Hiccup between them.

Gandalf was the first to step toward them through the mass of armored humans. The Wizard, now wearing pure white robe-furs, smiled freely and widely such as he could not remember the Wizard doing in all the time he had known him.

"Masters Haddock, Toothless, and good Moonbeam, welcome!"

"It is wonderful to see you, Gandalf," Hiccup smiled.

"You must have met Landroval. Am I correct?"

"Yes, he found us and let us know that you wanted us to fly here."

Gandalf nodded.

"It is more for the sake of these two that I asked for Landroval to carry the message. My work is finished now with Sauron's downfall."

"Is everyone alright?" Toothless asked.

"Everyone whom you know, yes. None of the Fellowship were harmed, and few soldiers of either people were hurt. The Nazgul were here for a time, but they had few fellbeasts left. We have you and your kin to thank for that."

Gandalf then stepped aside with a gesture with his staff to two others who were approaching.

They all knew the two armored humans who stood before them: Aragorn and King Theoden. King Theoden, wearing the same bright, Rohan armor he had before, stepped forward first and bent his head in a sign of respect.

"My greetings to you all," Theoden said.

"King Theoden," Hiccup similarly welcomed him.

Toothless and Moonbeam bent their heads to him.

"How are you faring, Master Haddock?" Theoden asked with a concerned glance at the leg.

"Better. The leg will take some getting used to, but I'll make a better one when I have the time for it."

"I take it that you plan to return to Edoras?" Theoden inquired.

"Yes, we were walking there with Wing-Of-Ice and his kin. His family flew to be with him now that he is grounded," Hiccup explained.

Theoden nodded.

"That is good of them. I will meet with him when I am able and return to Edoras. For now, I will remain with my people and go with Aragorn."

"When will you be back in Edoras?" Hiccup asked.

"I know not. It may be several months yet. Eowyn would rule in my stead, except that she is unavailable. One of my vassals, Eogar, will be keeping Edoras in order until my return. Speak to him about any needs you have. As for the wounded, they will gradually return throughout Rohan as they are able."

Something he said reminded Hiccup of a faint worry he had. There was little risk that anything had truly happened, given that there had apparently not been much fighting before the Black Gate, but he wanted to confirm what he hoped was the case.

"Sir, you didn't lose any of your commanders, did you?"

"Is there anyone in particular whose well-being you wish to inquire about?" Theoden asked with a knowing look.

There was a very good chance that the King already knew why he asked.

"Gamling, sir."

Theoden smiled.

"As I suspected. He is well. You might convey that good news to... others who wish to hear word of him."

Hiccup nodded.

"I will. We will let everyone in Edoras know that the battle went well."

Theoden stepped aside to let Aragorn come forward.

Hiccup was very surprised at how different Aragorn appeared now. The former ranger had a cut down his cheek, a sure sign of having been in battle. He wore a dark black and red cape which flowed down his back and he had silver armor with the crest of Gondor on his chest. His long hair neatly fell down to his shoulders, not unlike the Elves.

Gone entirely was the wild ranger; Aragorn now looked very noble and lordly.

He looked kingly.

"Well met, good dragons, Master Haddock."

"Alpha-King Aragorn, you won the war here," Toothless purred to him.

Aragorn glanced around after laying a hand on his sword's pommel.

"We did our part, but the victory does not belong to one man. Next we will work on rebuilding the world so that all may share in the days of peace."

Hiccup nodded, liking everything he heard but also knowing more of how difficult that would be.

"We hope for that. We had to leave Minas Tirith for our own safety."

Aragorn frowned.

"I crave your pardon, Master Haddock. What do you speak of?"

Toothless softly growled while clawing at the dirt.

"Someone attacked my brothers! They were getting food in a tent when a man threw a dagger at Breath-Of-Sky and then tried to hit Hiccup," he snarled.

Aragorn glanced at Hiccup for explanation.

"That man was drunk and angry at all dragons after... what happened to the city and the people. We all left in case anyone else wanted to try to hurt us. Faramir spoke with his people to help keep the peace, but we still thought it would be best to leave," Hiccup added.

Aragorn sighed and looked pained after hearing that.

"Thus the influence of the Enemy lingers even after his defeat. It will be long before such pains can truly heal."

"Do you think they will? Some people might not want to forgive," Hiccup frowned, feeling some of that despair that hovered at the edge of his thoughts.

Aragorn took a deep breath and stood a little taller.

"It will take time. The survivors of the city are departing to other cities: Pelargir, Linhir, Calembel, Cair Andros, and Dol Amroth, true?"

"Yes," Toothless answered, "many were walking with the sun along the mountains."

"A garrison will remain in Minas Tirith to guard it and slowly repair the fortress. My dwelling shall be in Dol Amroth until such time as I can return to Minas Tirith in its splendor. Minas Ithil, now known as Minas Morgul, will be destroyed."

Moonbeam snarled.

"That is a bad place of death! It will be good for that dead city to be gone."

Aragorn solemnly smiled at her and continued speaking.

"The first thing I do after I reach Dol Amroth is that I shall name as friends of Men and of Gondor the pack of dragons that dwell in Rohan. All who answer to me as their King will hear that you are welcome and free to dwell in peace with us always. However, even with my doing so, building true and lasting peace happens best when peoples see each other and learn to trust. The Mordor dragons caused much wanton death for which many will be grieved and bitter if nothing is done to help them. I will ask that you three, Master Haddock, Burning-Star, Moonbeam, assist me as peacemakers in my lands."

They all blinked in surprise.

"As peacemakers?" Hiccup gasped, recovering his breath.

"Yes," Aragorn nodded, "you would go together to the cities of Gondor, meet with people, introduce yourselves, and help them see that you dragons are not beasts or weapons of the Enemy. You could help the survivors and others who have been hurt to move on and let go, in as much as it is possible."

Hiccup glanced to Toothless and Moonbeam as they did the same.

_Hmm, it's a good idea and feels like it should be done. It's exactly what I wanted to do for so long. But there might be some... complications soon._

"When would you want us to do that?" he asked.

"It will be several months yet before all are settled down and ready for such a meeting, though it would be good to not let old hurts fester too long. I will send a messenger to you in Edoras when I would request this. Is this mission as peacemakers one which you three would be willing to do?"

Hiccup and Toothless turned to Moonbeam to get her thoughts.

"I will help make peace be," she purred.

"So will I," Toothless agreed.

"Me too," Hiccup also agreed.

Aragorn nodded.

"Very well. Has Flame-In-The-Night made a decision about the captive dragon?"

Toothless grumbled.

"Yes, he flew to the city to go talk with the dark wing. He said that, if it can be peaceful, he will take it back to Edoras with the rest of the pack."

Theoden stepped forward at that, clearly alarmed by what he heard.

"Did I hear that correctly? A Mordor dragon will be brought to Edoras?"

Hiccup crossed his arms and frowned.

"Yes, but he will only bring that captive dragon if it agrees to not be violent. The dragons must show that they can keep their own kind living peacefully. If it cannot then they will deal with it however they must."

Theoden definitely did not like it, but he eventually assented.

"I have trusted so far, and I might not be alive now if not for Flame-In-The-Night. I shall trust his judgment in this matter concerning his kin."

Theoden stepped back.

"Burning-Star, would you please take a message to your Alphas and the rest of the pack for me?" Aragorn then asked.

"We will. What is the message?" Toothless asked.

"There is a large island, Tolfalas, near to where the Anduin empties into the Bay of Belfalas. Men do not live on that island, nor is it used as a harbor. I would offer that island to the pack to be yours for all time. Men would not be permitted on it without your leave, and the island would be under Gondor's protection, as much as we can grant it."

"You would give us a range to be ours!" Toothless exclaimed in wonder.

"Yes, I have heard that the fish are plentiful in those waters. It would also be good for your kind to have a place where you can be alone, if any of you so desire. None would be compelled to go there, but some who do not trust humans as much as others may wish to have an island of their own."

Hiccup nodded in agreement after a moment of thought.

_Yeah, it's like the Shire. There's nothing wrong with having a home to themselves for those who want it. Sounds like that might be a place where Burzghash could go live in peace._

"We will tell the Alphas and the pack about the offer. I think it's a very good one," he agreed.

Aragorn frowned.

"Would that I could stay and speak longer, but I have matters of command to return to. There were a number of Men from the East who surrendered today."

Hiccup noticed that there were indeed dozens of men in very different armor. They were all marching while being escorted by armed guards.

Seeing that reminded him that the war had involved lands and peoples he had never seen and knew nothing about. He had no idea if these people were truly evil, were forced into serving Sauron as slaves, or were paid for war.

"I understand. You have come very far from the Strider we met in Bree," Hiccup said.

Aragorn smiled.

"So have you both. I await the opportunity to greet you three in Dol Amroth."

Toothless stepped closer to him and grumbled to himself.

"I know that a human greeting-ceremony is to shake paws."

He held up a forepaw, claws fully hidden, before Aragorn. Without any hesitation, Aragorn placed one of his own hand-paws against his. They both nodded as one and then stepped back.

"It was either that or I give you a lick, and I think that shaking paws is better when greeting an Alpha-King."

Aragorn freely laughed.

"Indeed, good dragon. There are others who wish to meet you three. Farewell to you all."

Aragorn gestured to a group of people near a wagon and then departed, returning to his bannermen and horse.

Hiccup then realized who the people were near the wagon.

"That's the Fellowship! Let's go see them."

They wordlessly agreed and strode over to greet them. The soldiers parted and let them pass.

As usual, Legolas and Gimli were arguing with each other. Pippin, clad in his Citadel Guard armor, walked beside them with his head held high.

The Hobbit ran for them first.

"There they are! My favorite dragons in the world! Oh, and Hiccup too!"

Toothless and Moonbeam chuckled and gently nuzzled Pippin's cheek.

"Guess what, I killed a troll!" the Hobbit beamed.

"You killed a troll! How did you do that?" Toothless eagerly asked.

"I have Hiccup to thank for that. The dagger from the Barrow-downs was very sharp. True, Bilbo did in three trolls at once a long time ago, but at least I got one the normal way!"

Hiccup gasped in awe.

_Bilbo... defeated three trolls at once? How did I miss hearing about that? Gods, he must have been an amazing fighter back in the day!_

"Anyway, I'm completely famished; we've had nothing but dry bread all day, and I missed luncheon entirely," Pippin continued.

"Yes, a true tragedy," Hiccup rolled his eyes.

Pippin must have misunderstood the tease because he sighed and frowned, suddenly losing all his enthusiasm.

"I'm sorry, Master Haddock. I don't mean anything by it. Here I am complaining about not getting enough food... when you lost an entire foot and almost died."

Hiccup shuffled over and gently patted Pippin on the shoulder.

"No, don't worry about it, Pippin. I know that you make jokes and mean more than you say. I used sarcasm for a long time to pretend like I didn't care. I could use your help learning how to smoke with a pipe."

Reassured, Pippin reluctantly smiled.

"That's something I can easily do. We have to find some Longbottom Leaf though. Isengard had some, but I didn't bother looking in Mordor."

"Probably a good idea," Hiccup agreed.

Legolas and Gimli finally ceased their bickering and came forward.

"Well met, Master Haddock, Nagolpen, Galadithil," Legolas greeted them.

Toothless and Moonbeam grunted in surprise and confusion.

"Nagolpen is lacking-teeth, and Galadithil is Moon-light," the Elf explained.

They purred in approval at the translation. Toothless nodded once, wondering to himself whether Elf-names would work for cubs.

Gimli dismissively waved a gloved paw.

"Bah, I won't greet ye with fancy words, but I will say that I am very glad to see you all here! Though, it is good that you dragons were not here to take all the kills!"

Toothless snorted.

"Did your ax drink much Orc blood?"

"Aye! It drank much and bit deep today," Gimli proudly announced.

"Good! You are a strong fighter!" Toothless growled in approval.

Legolas rolled his eyes and gently pushed Gimli's shoulder.

"Forget not our contest, Dwarf!"

Toothless thought about these words, eventually remembering that the Elf and the Dwarf had an ongoing contest in every fight to see who killed the most enemies.

_I wonder..._

"Which of you had the most kills in all the fights?" he asked.

"That is what we were talking about," Legolas grumbled.

"Depending on technicalities," Gimli fumed.

"Such as what counts as a kill."

"And whether size of the kill should matter."

"Maybe," Hiccup interjected, "you two could save that for later. We can't stay here for long."

"Aye, you're right. Mine apologies. Don't want to settle our scores too quickly now, do we?" Gimli grumbled.

"Indeed. What else would we have to politely disagree about as we explore the far reaches of the world: the deep forests, the Glittering Caves, the shores with the sea-birds that..." Legolas sighed and gazed off toward the Anduin.

Then the Elf closed his eyes and hung his head.

"Woe. Woe is me, for I have heard the white gulls crying, and I will never find true peace on these shores again."

"Excuse me, but I don't understand. What's wrong?" Hiccup asked.

Legolas solemnly gazed back at him.

"We Elves of the Woodland Realm are most affected by seeing the Great Sea and hearing the cries of the gulls. Once we do for the first time, our hearts will always turn toward the sea and our true, hidden home that lies beyond the horizon."

"Valinor, right?"

"The Undying Lands of Aman, yes. It would be good to again see my kin who have made that journey hence already," Legolas sighed.

Gimli grumbled and roughly patted Legolas's shoulder, though he had to reach high to do so.

"I know that it's not the same, but I miss mine kin in Erebor. Let's hope they and Dale endure as did we."

Hiccup frowned.

"We met Kings Dain and Brand when we flew past Erebor. They said that they thought Sauron would attack them."

Gimli leaned on the pommel of his ax.

"Aye, Erebor is a key location for the Dwarves, mining, trade, and as a path to western lands. We must hope that they stood firm against whatever foe they faced."

Toothless felt a little chilled by how much of the talking was about sad things or the consequences of fighting. Then he remembered the very good news they had been given.

"The Eagle said that they brought the Hobbits back! Where are Frodo and Sam?" he eagerly asked.

Pippin nodded toward the wagon. It was being pulled by several horses, though the wagon was currently motionless.

"They're both still asleep. Gandalf and the Eagles brought them back like that."

"How are they?" Toothless hummed.

Pippin frowned again.

"Not well. They're very, very thin, and they have so many hurts that... you probably don't want to see..."

"I do if we can see Frodo and Sam without waking them. At least tell us what happened."

"Alright. Sam made it out a little better, probably because he had more cushioning to start with... but Frodo is very thin, his neck is scarred where he was carrying the Ring, he looks like he has been stabbed, and he has other hurts."

Hiccup and Toothless blinked in shock and horror after hearing how many hurts there were.

"Do we know what happened? No, no we wouldn't since they've been asleep so far," Hiccup reasoned.

Pippin turned to Toothless and Moonbeam.

"I'd like Hiccup to see them. It would probably be best if you two stay here. You might scare the horses that are pulling the wagon..."

Toothless grumbled but saw nothing wrong in that thinking, so he gently nudged Hiccup's shoulder before sitting down at Moonbeam's side and holding her tail.

"True, you go brother. You can tell us what you see. We will sit here."

"Alright," Hiccup answered.

Pippin led Hiccup over to the rear of the wagon.

Then he saw them. Frodo and Sam were sound asleep under thick blankets and linens while a healer watched over them. He could not see much of them except that they were wearing very ragged clothing. Their hair looked thin and very messy, as though they had not washed in many weeks. Their cheeks looked sunken and sallow, which were sure signs of starvation.

But they looked at peace, their closed eyes still and breaths calm and slow.

The reality of what they had accomplished struck him and left him weeping.

_They saved everyone and changed the world forever._

"They did it. They made all the way to Mount Doom," Hiccup whispered in awe.

"Yeah, no idea how they did it. If what I saw of Mordor is like the rest of it," Pippin solemnly said.

"Hobbits," Hiccup smiled.

"I guess we're pretty amazing. I kind of want to hear their story, but it might be better to wait a while," Pippin shrugged.

"I know what you mean."

Still, Hiccup felt very disturbed as he beheld Sam and Frodo sound asleep. He had no idea how they felt in their hearts or what pains they had suffered on their long journey. At the very least in Frodo's case, bearing the Ring for months on end must have been torturous.

They left the sleeping Hobbits and returned to Toothless, Moonbeam, Legolas, and Gimli. Gandalf, Aragorn, and Theoden were speaking further ahead in the procession.

"How are they?" Toothless warily asked.

"They'll be fine. They just need rest and time," Hiccup answered.

"Good. I want to see them when they are well."

Moonbeam hummed while staring toward the wagon.

"I do not know those two Hobbits. They are the ones who destroyed the bad thing, yes?"

Hiccup rested a hand on her neck and gave her a gentle scratching.

"Yes, they saved us all. You dragons should be free now, always."

"That is good," she hummed.

Gimli stepped forward, removed his helmet, and crossed his arms.

"You three will be departing for Edoras now, true?"

"Yes, we will go with Wing-Of-Ice and his kin," Toothless answered.

"It will be a while before we get there since we're walking with them. It's right for us to go with them and keep them safe," Hiccup explained.

"What will you do now? Where will the Fellowship go?" Toothless asked.

Gimli, Legolas, and Pippin glanced at each other.

"We shall attend to Frodo and Sam, and then we will be at Aragorn's coronation," Legolas said.

"I'm not sure what will happen. I'd like to go back to the Shire, but I'm in King Aragorn's service, so what I can do depends on his leave," Pippin pointed out.

"He will probably give you leave. The same will be true for Merry since he is in King Theoden's service," Gimli added.

Hiccup reached out and put his other hand on Toothless's neck so that he held both purring Furies.

"I hope that you can come visit us in Edoras. It would be nice to get everyone in the Fellowship together and tell stories."

"Aye, I think we can do that," Gimli grinned.

Toothless crouched down to let Hiccup on his back. He and Moonbeam bent their heads toward the Elf, Dwarf, and Hobbit.

Then Toothless and Moonbeam took to the sky and turned their flights for the west, leaving behind the many humans. The wind flowing from the west was warm and clear.

Toothless's thoughts flew back to everything he, Hiccup, and Moonbeam had heard: the victory over the Enemy, the offer to help build peace throughout Gondor, and the future of peace with Rohan. It was much to think about.

His small hurt in his neck flared with slight pain. The hurting was not bad at all, a mix of weariness from long walking and flying, but it did make him groan slightly, enough even that Hiccup patted him on the neck.

He glanced to his side when Moonbeam brushed his wing, and he gazed into her wide purple eyes, the sight of which filled his soul-fire with warmth. She had been so calm all throughout even when he and she sat among the many human soldiers.

"What do you think?" Hiccup asked, scratching his neck.

He hummed in quiet thought as the warm winds stroked his wings. Lengths of grasses and trees passed underwing.

"I think what you said about a quiet life is good, even if we will fly some to other human cities. That peace and trusting is something we should make be."

Then he snorted and tossed his head in amusement.

"Well, life will be quiet until Moonbeam and I have our first cub!"

"Yeah, that'll be the day," Hiccup chuckled.

Toothless glanced back over his shoulder at him. The Fury's eyes were wide with curiosity.

"Brother, if you and Adney do become mates, do you think I can help her watch the cub?"

"Uh, maybe. I'd be fine with that."

"First, you and she must become mates."

"Okay, first... I'm not there yet with her, and I need to get to know her better."

Toothless sighed and closed his eyes as he continued on in calm flight.

"True, flying too fast into sharing that part of life would be a mistake. I know."

Hiccup sighed and lay flat on Toothless's back.

Neither of them said anything else as they continued on in flight into the west throughout the afternoon. Over the hills and forests. Over the massive Anduin and along the massive White Mountains and a deep forest in the distance.

It was evening when they finally saw a Night Fury circling high in the sky above a thick grove of trees. Toothless and Moonbeam raced for the Fury in an eager flight and roared aloud in greeting, and Far-Flight answered with a joyful cry of his own.

Down they glided and saw the small group of Furies curled up together in the shadows of the trees. Wing-Of-Ice, Eyes-That-Shimmer, Nightfall, Windripper, Snowflame, Sky-Dancer, Breath-Of-Sky, and Mystery were all huddled together, many of them already asleep.

Toothless purred to himself as he calmly walked up to them. Far-Flight bounded up to him with a deep purr and nose nuzzle.

"My cubs, I will keep watching for us. You three can sleep. We will all walk more with the next sun, and you can tell us what happened," Far-Flight declared.

"We will," Toothless answered and yawned.

Hiccup got off his back and stumbled over to Sky-Dancer's side while he and Moonbeam entwined tails and lay down together. There would be time later to explain everything that they had learned.

But this was the time for sleep in peace, secure in the knowledge that a great evil had been vanquished from the world, forever.


	66. Over Fen And Field

Over Fen And Field

* * *

Toothless and Far-Flight walked at each other's sides while Sky-Dancer carried Hiccup and spoke with Moonbeam.

Toothless had just shared with his sire the news about the island that the pack would be given to be theirs always.

"What do you think about that?" he asked his sire.

"It is a good idea. Having a place where any of us could go to be with our own kind only is good."

He agreed, liking the idea of dragons having a land of their own. Not that he would want to leave for such a land himself. But he was not sure about his parents.

"Is that something you and dam would want?"

Far-Flight shook his head.

"We only want to fly the winds of life with you, Breath-Of-Sky, Moonbeam, Hiccup, and the rest of the pack. Edoras and the humans there are good and warm to us, but we are home wherever you all are."

Toothless purred in agreement, glad that his parents thought that way. Far-Flight's words, while warming, reminded him of a small difference within the pack itself. The adults were not as close to the humans as the fledglings and cubs are. Everyone was peaceful, but the young knew a different world from what their sires and dams had lived in before. The young did not know death and fear from the other kind and had not learned to hate or greatly distrust.

"So are we, sire."

Far-Flight nudged his shoulder.

"Your flight to the other human range sounds like a good one if it does not happen too late for Moonbeam."

"What?"

"You would not want her flying far with a big cub inside."

"True. Lightning flew well from the cold range, but she was very tired after those flights."

Far-Flight hummed in thought.

"The dam is most weak when the cub is still small and growing inside. She sleeps and eats much then, but she can fly more later in carrying the cub if she must. Then she sleeps very much before the cub comes out."

Toothless purred and glanced over his tail to his dam, Hiccup, and Moonbeam. The three of them were chuckling about something.

"They will both be well. We will be there for them. Life will be very different with the humans helping us."

"Yes, different and better," Far-Flight agreed.

Far-Flight then huffed and nudged his shoulder.

"This is twisted that our cubs will be the same age. I hope that you did your part well."

He spun on his sire and stared into narrowed eyes and a toothy grin. His sire was twisting his tail!

"Same with you, sire! I hope you flew well!"

He blinked and realized what he had just teased his own sire about doing. Specifically, making a cub with Sky-Dancer.

Far-Flight rolled his eyes.

"Not a problem."

* * *

Hiccup groaned softly, rubbing his leg as it started feeling sore and slightly throbbing. Again.

_At least the view is nice._

Between the rushing river on their right, the forest and mountains far off on the left, and the content Furies around him, there was nowhere else he'd rather be. Toothless and Far-Flight were walking together and talking while Sky-Dancer had run off to find Breath-Of-Sky and Mystery, both of whom had run ahead in play.

His leg was very annoying.

"Are you hurting?" Moonbeam warbled and nudged his shoulder.

"A little, but I've felt worse."

Her ears fell.

"Will it... stop hurting, one day?" she warily asked.

He thought back to the amputees on Berk. Their experiences made it difficult to know how bad such an injury truly was; some of those people were proud of never showing pain, but others were constantly boasting about how much pain they lived with... probably as a way of showing off how tough they were.

"Eventually, I hope. Burning-Star said that losing the tailfin stopped hurting him rather fast. How bad is it for a dragon who is grounded?" he gestured ahead toward the other group of Furies.

Together, they stared ahead toward Wing-Of-Ice walking at Eyes-That-Shimmer's side. Nightfall was plodding along at his side while Snowflame and Windripper were off on their own somewhere.

"I do not know much about that. I remember that life was bad for hurt dragons in the hidden world," she sadly answered.

"What? Why?"

"They would fight much for food and mates in the hidden world. The ones that were grounded... could not move in that world and probably died. That fighting is part of why my sire and dam wanted to leave that place."

_That makes... terrible sense._

"Well, we won't let that happen anymore. We humans protect our own."

"Your own?"

"Yes, anyone we care about is one of us. Even dragons, if I have any say at all."

She hummed.

"The humans of Rohan have shown us their soul-fires. We can trust them," she said.

"I agree."

They kept walking until Hiccup had to stop, rubbing his leg to sooth the strain. Without any prompting, Moonbeam stepped up beside him and crouched down with a beckoning nod to her back. This was the first time she had ever offered to carry him.

"Moonbeam, you really don't have to..."

"I want to help you with this. Please let me help," she grumbled.

"Well, if you insist..."

"I insist."

He gingerly climbed on her back. While she was about the same size as Toothless, she was leaner than Toothless and Sky-Dancer, which made being on her back feel different. But it was not as strange as when Breath-Of-Sky had carried him.

"You are not very heavy," she said as she started walking.

He laughed.

"Good thing I'm not like my father. He's so big and heavy that there's no way you or Burning-Star could carry him!"

She hummed.

"Burning-Star told me about the Viking humans he fought against. He said that the Alpha of that pack was very big and a good dragon-killer. That was your sire, true?"

"Yeah, that was him. I heard a story that he once knocked a dragon's head off its shoulders when he was only a baby, a cub."

She grumbled.

"Was the dragon a little-nibbler?" she asked.

_A Terrible Terror? That would be funny in a morbid way if it was..._

"You know, I don't remember what kind of dragon it supposedly was. It's probably just a story that makes him sound more impressive. Anyway, I'm nothing like him; I take more after my mother."

"What was she like?"

He sighed and closed his eyes.

"My father never talked about her, but I heard from others in the pack. She was more like me, wanting my pack to find another way instead of fighting and killing. She wanted peace with dragons, and then, one night, she was killed by one... carried away."

"That should not have happened," she whined.

"No, but it did. I don't think about that though. It doesn't change anything, and it's more important to make the world one she would have wanted to see."

Moonbeam stopped walking and briefly hung her head.

"True. My sire and dam would have wanted a world without fighting between our kin. I will help you make that world. It is better for both of us."

Then she started walking again while he gently scratched circles on her neck.

He closed his eyes and let his thoughts wander. What struck him the most about her was how far she had come from the scared and bitter person she had been. He had helped her to change and grow as a person by learning about and facing those uncomfortable parts of the past that had defined her, even though doing so had hurt at the time.

It seemed that problems with parents were the root cause of why so many people were messed up. His own desire to prove himself and his belief that he had to be like his father probably came from how he and Stoick had never really related well. Moonbeam's parents were killed by a grisly dragon hunter. Jumps-At-Fire's father apparently left her mother, and her mother in turn taught her not to trust anyone.

On the other hand, Breath-Of-Sky, Snowflame, and the Hobbits had loving parents or others in that role whenever they got in trouble. Even Toothless had others care for him when he was young.

Happy roaring got his attention as Breath-Of-Sky and Mystery bounded into view ahead. His younger brother was running at full speed ahead of Mystery. The Light Fury caught up to him, hopped on his back, and tackled him with her jaws around his neck.

"Help!" Breath-Of-Sky cried.

Mystery growled, refusing to let go. Toothless and Far-Flight bounded over to observe the play-fight.

"Get him, sister!" Moonbeam cried.

"Go, brother!" Toothless shouted.

Breath-Of-Sky suddenly bucked and jumped, slipping out from Mystery's grasp and spinning around to face her. He was slightly larger than her. Then he and she stared each other down, crouching down low and tails swaying.

He jumped at her, and she deftly hopped back, avoiding the strike.

"Too slow!" Mystery bellowed.

"I will catch you!" Breath-Of-Sky shouted back and jumped at her.

"You can try!"

They were again off, dashing among the trees.

Moonbeam then looked back at Hiccup while purring deeply.

"I hope that they like each other and will want to be more than friends," she whispered.

"How far away is that for them... if they do want that?"

She hummed in thought.

"A few winters still. He has good thinking and a warm soul-fire."

"So does she. You did very well with raising her. I... don't know how you did it..."

She sighed.

"It was not easy. I did my best, but I do not know if I did well as a... sister-dam."

"You did. You'll be a very good mom, no doubt about that."

"Still, I had help from others. She and I do not always... think as we should toward each other."

Toothless strolled over and stood beside them, rubbing against her shoulder.

"What are you both talking about?" he asked.

"I was telling Moonbeam that she's going to be a very good dam," Hiccup smiled.

Toothless nodded.

"Very true. She has a very warm soul-fire."

She snickered.

"And you will be a very warm sire," she hummed and bumped his shoulder.

"Now we need to get Hiccup to be a sire!" Toothless grinned.

"Really? Will you stop?" Hiccup groaned.

Toothless smirked while Moonbeam laughed freely.

* * *

Hiccup checked the map and got confirmation of where they were. The huge delta on the right, the new forest along the mountains southwest, the stream that flowed down through the forest and into the delta, and the fact that they had left the Anduin behind days ago were all the proof he needed.

_So this is the Mering Stream and the boundary of Rohan._

He put away the map and turned to the Furies at his side drinking from the stream.

"Yep, we will be in Rohan after we cross the stream!"

Toothless grumbled, stood tall, and looked around.

"The range does look more like Rohan. It is flatter and has fewer trees."

"How far now to Edoras?" Eyes-That-Shimmer asked.

He checked the map again and thought about their progress so far.

"We are over halfway there. Maybe five or six more days. We can follow the Entwash, this river up ahead, and then the Snowborne River. That will take us very close to Edoras while giving us fish and water."

"Good, we will do that," she answered.

Everyone settled down for an afternoon rest, though Snowflame and Windripper played some with Breath-Of-Sky and Mystery. Hiccup lay against Sky-Dancer's side under a wing and closed his eyes.

A pair of roars sounded and woke him from his nap.

_Wait, who was that?_

He flew to his foot as the other Furies did the same, though Sky-Dancer remained at his side to help him stand. They roared in greeting to the two Furies diving for them from the northwest.

Wind-Biter and Starlight touched down and immediately bounded over to Wing-Of-Ice and Eyes-That-Shimmer, who had their tails woven together. The newly-arrived pair stared in evident horror and shock at the visibly missing wing. Then, one at a time, they stepped over to Wing-Of-Ice and nudged his muzzle.

"Flame-In-The-Night told us, but it did not seem so... bad until now," Starlight whined.

"I have my kin with me. My soul-fire will be... warm," Wing-Of-Ice softly answered.

Nightfall stood up on his back and barked happily while flapping her little wings.

"Warm! Yay!"

Wind-Biter and Starlight hummed and then bounded over to Hiccup and Toothless. Both Furies whined softly when they saw his missing foot.

"You are hurt," Starlight sadly hummed.

"I'll be fine."

Wind-Biter stepped over to him, nudged his side, and then stepped back.

"Flame-In-The-Night asked us to fly here to our packmates. We will walk with them now so you and your kin can fly to Edoras," she said.

"Okay, we will. Is there any news for us?" Hiccup asked, relieved that they arrived to take over.

"Yes, there is. Flame-In-The-Night brought his... lost brother, Dark-Fire, back to the pack. He asked us to tell you that," Starlight grumbled.

_So he did convince him to follow..._

Hiccup frowned, remembering vividly how much Dark-Fire had expressed hate and bitterness. That Fury definitely had serious problems and a violent streak.

"I understand."

Toothless ruffled his wings and growled.

"Did Flame-In-The-Night bring him into Edoras?"

"No, he is making it stay in the mountains for now," Starlight answered.

"Good! If it tries to hurt us or our humans," Sky-Dancer snarled, not finishing her thought.

"What about the other dark wings: the two pairs, their children, and the other fledgling?" Hiccup asked, wanting to change the topic.

Starlight and Wind-Biter purred at that.

"We do not hate them. They are living more with the pack now, but they are still very afraid of the humans and stay out of Edoras," Wind-Biter explained.

"They just need time to get to know everyone," Hiccup nodded and mused.

Then he turned to his family.

"You all ready to go?"

"Yes, it will be good to see the rest of the pack," Far-Flight agreed.

Hiccup strolled over to Wing-Of-Ice and bowed to him, Eyes-That-Shimmer, Windripper, Snowflame, and Nightfall.

"Stay strong."

"You also, Hiccup," Wing-Of-Ice hummed.

Hiccup then went back over to his family. Toothless crouched down to let him climb on. Moonbeam, Mystery, Breath-Of-Sky, Far-Flight, and Sky-Dancer were shuffling in place, ruffling their wings.

They were eager to fly, and so was he.

"Let's fly."

They roared aloud in joy, leaped for the sky in a storm of wings, and turned for the north, flying in eager flight over fen and field toward home.

* * *

They agreed to keep flying into the night. The bright moon high above in the cloudless skies filled the land below with light. Over small streams, hills and plains of grass and rocks, and along the White Mountains.

Hiccup's thoughts kept drifting to what he knew would happen before too long; he would console two likely heartbroken Furies, face one possibly murderous Fury, and meet Adney again and finally decide what to do about her. Of course, he knew what he probably wanted, but it was the going about that which was hard.

He wasn't sure which of those would be the most difficult.

* * *

Edoras was aglow with the normal lights of torches high on the walls where the night guards were on duty. The simple, straw-thatched homes were mostly dark since so many people were away. Even so, the city faintly glowed on the hill that rose up from the plain.

Hiccup sighed and smiled, thankful that the fighting was all over now and that they were home. The small city with simple homes and simple people with simple lives and in which he had lived for nearly a month was dearer now than Berk had ever been.

_Well, we're back..._

They angled for the slope where the pack always slept. Surprisingly, a pair of the Furies were still awake and flew to their paws as soon as they returned and landed. He was able to tell them apart from everyone else from the color of their eyes.

Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall bounded over to them.

_Maybe they're awake because they were waiting for us._

"Alphas!" Toothless greeted them.

The Alpha pair settled down before them and purred in greeting.

"We are glad that you are back. Starlight and Wind-Biter found you, yes," Snowfall hummed.

"They did. They're walking back with everyone else."

"Good, we are watching Storm-Chaser for them," she said.

She stepped closer to inspect his leg; she warbled sadly, so he reassured her with a chuckle.

"I'll be fine. I only lost a foot. Others lost more..."

Even in the darkness, he could see everyone else hang their heads, humming softly.

He looked over to the sleeping Furies, wondering if he could distinguish them in the darkness, which he could not without seeing their eyes.

"How are they? How are Wing-Of-Ice, his family, and our daughter?" Flame-In-The-Night warily asked.

"They are doing much better. Well, Wing-Of-Ice is doing much better. His mate and daughter are with him, and Snowflame is walking with Windripper."

"Good. Having more warm packmates here would help much," Flame-In-The-Night sighed.

Hiccup idly nodded, thinking that there was probably something specific bothering the Alpha. There would be plenty of time to figure out what that was.

"We want to meet everyone in the pack when they wake up, but right now we must talk to you two Alphas alone," he then said.

"We will go to sleep. Come Breath-Of-Sky, Mystery," Sky-Dancer hummed.

The fledglings followed her and Far-Flight over to the rocks where the pack was resting. Toothless and Moonbeam walked at Hiccup's side with the Alpha pair following them a short distance away from the pack.

What he was about to tell them had the potential to change a lot. The Furies having an island all to themselves would change much about the Fury-human relationship. He knew that it was a good thing, everyone needed a place of their own where they could find safety when needed, but he also wondered how many of the Furies in the pack would be interested in the offer.

Then they all sat down in the peaceful darkness. Even in the dark, Hiccup could tell that Flame-In-The-Night looked troubled, his normally-proud head hung. It was not hard to think of a likely reason why. His discouragement probably had something to do with his lost brother.

"What did you want to talk about?" Snowfall asked.

"Did you see something strange in the sky a few days ago? Something like a very big shadow?" Hiccup began.

"Yes, we all did. Everyone, even the humans, saw it," Snowfall hissed.

"That was the... Enemy's soul-fire. He is gone now. The war is over, and the humans and Elves won the fighting. We are all free."

"The Alpha of the living shadows is gone?" Flame-In-The-Night warily asked.

"Yes, it is gone and dead."

"That is very good!" Snowfall purred.

Hiccup nodded.

"We met with Aragorn after the last battle. He will become the new Alpha of many human ranges in Gondor. He said that he wants to give the pack a gift: a big island."

"What?" Snowfall barked in surprise.

"It is far south and across the White Mountains. The waters have good fishing, and there are no humans who live on that island. He said that the island would belong to the pack only and that no humans would be allowed on it without the pack's approval."

The Alphas glanced at each other in eager surprise.

"What do you think about that offer?" Hiccup asked.

"It is a good idea. It might help much with a problem we have now. We might be too many for this range, and the newest in the pack might not want to be here always," Flame-In-The-Night whispered.

Toothless grunted in confusion after glancing at Hiccup and Moonbeam.

"The new dark wings that were in the Enemy's range. They do not trust humans as we do. There is also less food here now," Snowfall answered.

"Less food?" Hiccup asked.

"It started after the many humans went away with the horses. Food became more of a problem here, and more of us have been flying further or catching wild prey or fish. But there have been more days we went hungry. We do not think all of us can stay here," she explained.

Hiccup frowned in thought about the practical problem. Limitations on available food were unavoidable when the people being provided for were hungry dragons. Everything had been fine before most people rode away to Gondor and war. But, war inevitably brought shortages in resources. It was also possible that Rohan in its current condition could not provide for the needs of the entire pack, now even larger than it was before.

_Great, one more problem to follow up on tomorrow..._

"How far away is this island?" Snowfall asked.

"A couple days of flying."

The Alpha pair again conferred with each other, clearly very interested but also worried about something. Snowfall then stepped forward.

"Do you know where this island is?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Can you show me on a picture-map?"

"I can."

"Good. I will fly for that place tomorrow so that we know what it is like."

Flame-In-The-Night nuzzled her neck.

"And I will stay here with Free-Flight, the rest of the pack, and... Dark-Fire."

Several soft growls sounded after the mention of that name.

"Where is that one?" Toothless growled.

"He is staying in the White Mountains for now," Flame-In-The-Night answered.

"What if he... does something bad?" Moonbeam wondered.

Flame-In-The-Night clawed at the ground while snarling.

"I explained to him that we would hunt him down if he kills or hurts any humans. He must sleep in one place where we can find him every night. If he is not there..."

Hiccup did not ask about the consequences, nor was anything else said. What he had heard sounded very harsh and terribly understandable under the circumstances.

_I suppose that is a fair arrangement. It's necessary, but it probably doesn't make Dark-Fire want to be part of the pack._

"If I may ask, why did you think that he can be trusted at all?"

Flame-In-The-Night grumbled and avoided looking at him.

"Something feels different about him now. It happened just after the big shadow-thing went up in the sky. He is more quiet and sad now, almost like an angry fire was burning in his soul-fire but is not there anymore."

Hiccup thought about it and what that might mean. Perhaps it was possible that Sauron had been giving Dark-Fire more strength and anger. If so, then that anger would be gone. What was left in its place?

"He has one chance to show that he can change and not clutch hate in his claws and thinking. If he fails and shows that he is false... I will do what I must... for the pack and the peace," Flame-In-The-Night calmly said.

Toothless then yawned widely and pawed at the ground.

"We are very tired. We flew much to get here this night."

Moonbeam hummed and nodded in agreement.

"Yes, we should sleep now, and we can meet the rest of the pack in the morning."

Hiccup silently nodded, feeling very exhausted also and finding it difficult to remain on his foot. But there was another reason he wanted to delay meeting the rest of the pack.

There were two meetings that he was not looking forward to. Lightning certainly already knew what had happened to her older brother, but she would definitely have questions that deserved answers. That meeting would definitely hurt a little, but far worse was going to be the meeting with Dreamcatcher and Tail-Hunter.

He did not want to think about what would happen in that meeting.

Toothless, Hiccup, and Moonbeam bowed and hummed to the Alpha pair and then departed, walking in silence together.

"Can we stop at my house first? We should drop off the bags, and I can grab a blanket," Hiccup proposed.

They wordlessly turned together, and then Moonbeam hummed in curiosity after nosing at his shoulder.

"Where will you sleep? Will you sleep in your den or with the pack?" she asked.

"I'd rather stay with you all, if you don't mind. The leg can be... troublesome..."

She warbled and looked away from him.

"I will help you however you need."

He laughed softly and rested a hand on her neck.

"You've done so much for me already."

"And I will do more! That is what family and kin does for each other," she huffed.

He rolled his eyes as he kept walking.

"Well, I did kind of promise to help you with the cub when that happens, so... we can call it a fair trade."

"Yes, a trade."

They arrived at the simple house, and Hiccup stared at it. He felt a very strange fondness for something that was so plain. It had belonged to someone else before him. The wood in the walls and on the floor was old, and the roof was thatched with straw. It only had a couple small rooms, one for sleeping on a straw mattress and the other for storage.

The structure perfectly summed up the lives of the people of Rohan: simple, practical, and enduring. At least, it did so for those who resided in the more permanent structures. Most people were nomadic, following the various herds.

He started working on the saddlepacks and all the other ropes Toothless was wearing. The only man-made thing that stayed on was of course the automatic tailfin.

Everything was then taken off and stored just inside the house. His peg thudded on the wooden floor as he grabbed a blanket.

As fun as it had been to sleep on the ground on his adventures in the wild, there was nothing wrong with wanting the simple comfort of being able to sleep with a blanket.

He closed the door and stepped outside into the moonlight.

"Feel good, bro?" he asked.

"Yes, having all the carrying stuff off is good," Toothless answered while rolling his shoulders.

"Good, let's go. I can barely stay on my feet."

"Do I need to carry you?" Moonbeam worried.

"No, I was joking. I'll be fine."

* * *

Hiccup had wrapped himself in his furs-blanket and was already asleep under one of Sky-Dancer's wings. She had also curled up slightly around him, just to keep him a little warmer.

Toothless could not remember her ever doing so for him when he was a young cub, he could not remember much from that young age, but he knew that she must have done so. She was a very warm dam.

Satisfied that his human brother was asleep and well, he looked around at everyone else he could see among the pack. The Alpha pair and Free-Flight were together; Hunts-In-Deep-Waters, Lightning, and their new cub were curled up in a pile; his own sire, dam, little brother, and Mystery were on their usual rocks, the new family of Dances-In-Shadows, Sun-Spark, Dancing-Flame, and Hidden-Star were resting on rocks down below; and Bagronk was on his own on the ground not far from the Alpha pair.

His soul-fire was chilled though when he saw Dreamcatcher and Tail-Hunter. They looked at peace as they rested, but he was sure that their soul-fires had to be filled with a cold wind. How many days had it been since they were told the truth that their mate or sire was never coming back?

Lastly, he saw Jumps-At-Fire asleep on the edge of the pack's sleeping space. Despite the truth that they had both made mistakes with each other, he understood why so much of her life and her thoughts were twisted. He did not hate her, and he wanted her to be happy and free of the past.

_Has anything changed for her? I should ask tomorrow._

Then he turned to Moonbeam and nuzzled her, hearing her warm purring of peace and swaying their tails together.

One of her eyes flicked open and fixed on him.

"My dear toothless mate," she hummed.

He snorted softly and whispered to her.

"Did I tell you how warming it is to see you being kind to him?"

"He is my kin, and I want to help him since... I hurt him."

He nuzzled her nose.

"No, you did not hurt him. I do not blame him for my losing a tailfin, and that grounding happened when we were fighting. What you did is not even like that. He and I are alive because of you."

They said nothing more, closed their eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Hiccup walked at Snowfall's side up the slope and to his house just after dawn. She offered her shoulder to lean on as they went.

Life all around was quiet and still. Even the wind that normally swept down the golden plains was calm now.

He opened the door to the house, retrieved his map from the supplies, roughly sat down, and smoothed the map out on the ground for her to see.

"So, you will fly straight south over the White Mountains until you find the ocean. Follow the shore further south and past more mountains inland, but don't stop at any human cities; they don't know you dragons yet. You should see the island. Does that make sense?" he asked.

She purred and nodded once in understanding.

"Yes, I can see that flight from the picture. How long do you think the flight will be?"

"It's about the same distance in the sky from here to Minas Tirith, so maybe two days for you to get there and the same to get back."

"That is not bad. I can fly that for the pack."

He nodded.

"Before you go, did anything happen here that I should know about?"

She stared evenly at him, as if wondering how to answer that, until she huffed and stared off toward the sunrise.

"Other than the food problem, nothing bad has happened. The five new dark wings do not know what to think about humans and want to stay on their own more than we do. They do not want to do work for humans."  
"That's fair of them. It will take time," he agreed.

She grumbled and flicked an ear.

"Between us, I do not know if my mate is correct about Dark-Fire. My mate's thinking might be twisted by the want for his lost brother to be different."

"We'll find out eventually," he shrugged.

"Yes, we will. I will tell Dark-Fire to fly here today. You should be careful with Dreamcatcher. She is not well..."

"What do you mean, be careful and she is not well?"

Snowfall shuffled in place without meeting his gaze.

"She has not said much since we told her what happened. I do not know what she is thinking. If you talk to her, keep your brother with you."

With that warning, Snowfall stepped away from him, flung out her wings, and took flight straight off into the south. He watched her flying off until she was only a dark dot in the sky.

_Alright, that's one task down. Next... probably meeting Lightning, Dreamcatcher, and everyone else. Great._

The rest of the pack was starting to come awake when he returned. He noticed that Hunts-In-Deep-Waters and Lightning, Hunts-Golden-Light proudly sitting on her back, were standing before Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, Toothless, and Moonbeam, all of whom were awake.

"Hiccup! Come here!" Lightning cried.

He stumbled down the ridge as fast as he could, ignoring the slight pain in his stump. He shuffled up before her, and the first thing he noticed was that the cub looked like she had added a few inches in length over just a couple of months.

"Lightning, how are you?"

"Much better now that I heard more about my brother. Your parents were telling us how... Wing-Of-Ice," she sniffled, "is warmer now that his mate and young are with him."

"Yes, he's doing much better. They'll be here soon."

Her eyes narrowed as she grumbled and stepped closer, staring at his peg.

"You lost a paw."

"I could have lost much more. I'll be fine."

Hunts-Golden-Light suddenly had enough of peacefully sitting on her mother's back, and she hopped to her paws, trilling and gurgling happily.

He smiled and strode over to her, and she did not shy away from him. Rather, her tongue hung out from her jaws.

"May I?"

Lightning glanced back over her shoulder and hummed in consent. He scooped up Hunts-Golden-Light and then held her with a hand around her flanks, his other hand on her back, and her chin on his shoulder as she purred. She was clearly fond of him and remembered being held in the past.

"Oh, you remember me, don't you, you furious little cub," he chuckled.

She mewled and whipped his legs with her tail.

"Unholy offspring of lightning and... not death himself," he whispered in her ear.

Then she licked his chin, which made all the adults chuff in amusement.

"You are kin to her," Lightning hummed.

He held Hunts-Golden-Light for a while until she faced her mother and mewled softly. That was probably a sign she wanted to go back to her mom, so he stepped over to Lightning and carefully set her cub on her back. Hunts-Golden-Light mewled again in protest at being put down.

"She's really playful and friendly," he chuckled.

Lightning purred, gently bouncing her cub on her back.

"Yes, she remembers you from before. She does not do that with other humans."

"Would you let her?"

"Well, I trust you more."

_Fair enough. I was part of her coming into the world... still can't believe I was there for that._

While helping Lightning in the birth had been very, very awkward, even though Haerfara did most of the hands-on work, seeing Lightning with her healthy and happy cub, both back then and now on her back, made it more than worthwhile. He had no doubt that he was going to help others in the pack in that way.

He stood by, idly watching as Lightning kept asking Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer questions about her brother. She grew more relieved the more she heard.

He eventually noticed that Flame-In-The-Night and Jumps-At-Fire were standing together far away on the slope and speaking very animatedly. They finished when she visibly huffed and turned away from him, stalking down the slope on her own.

_What is that about? Hopefully she isn't causing trouble._

Toothless and Moonbeam then strode up to him.

"Do you need food now?" Toothless asked.

"Not right now. Maybe later. Why do you ask?"

Toothless nodded.

"We should meet Dreamcatcher and Tail-Hunter," he said.

Hiccup took a deep breath to steady himself for what was to come. This had to be done sooner rather than later.

"Yes, we should, together."


	67. The Threads

_**Author's Note – This chapter is not pleasant.**_

* * *

The Threads

* * *

Hiccup, Toothless, and Moonbeam walked together across the slope toward the conspicuous and apparently lone Fury staring out into the distance.

Hiccup recalled certain lessons his father had given him for that inevitable day when he took over as Chief. One of those lessons had to do with a necessary duty that followed the raids: that of meeting with the survivors, usually a mother and her children, to console them and reassure them about their place in the tribe. His father had said that it was sometimes necessary to let the grief-stricken survivors take out their pain however they needed to, even if that involved letting them hurl curses at him or even punch him. That was acceptable as long as no one would be permanently hurt by it, of course.

While the lesson was relevant when comforting human survivors, he doubted that the same principle would work with dragon survivors. He certainly couldn't allow them to do anything violent.

He had no idea what to expect.

They stopped behind Dreamcatcher and saw that Tail-Hunter was beside her. The cub was laying on her belly with her head under her tailfins, likely still asleep. Dreamcatcher stared into the distance without otherwise reacting.

"Dreamcatcher?" Toothless softly hummed.

Dreamcatcher slowly glanced back over her shoulder at them. Her eyes were almost narrowed but also empty of any overt anger, pain, or anything else. Her tail was still, and she looked weary as she stared at them. She also looked very thin, as though she had not been eating well.

"You are back," she evenly said, pointing out the obvious.

"We flew in last night, us and our kin. Wing-Of-Ice, Eyes-That-Shimmer, and their kin will be here in a pawful of days," he said.

"Good."

"Has the pack been here for you both?" Toothless gently asked.

"Why do you care?"

"Because you are my packmate. You and Tail-Hunter. And because we want to help you be warmer."

She looked away from them and stared out into the distance.

"There is nothing you can do. Do not bother."

Hiccup frowned and stepped toward her. He knew well that what he had to say sounded trite, but it was still true. It was what someone who had lost much had to hear and believe. Nothing else would help.

"That's not true. Everyone can eventually move on and be happy. You are no different. We are here for you."

She looked back at him, fixing him with an empty gaze.

"You... what do you know? Have you ever lost someone who is your kin?"

He started to reply with how his mother was taken when he was only a baby, but that was... not something he remembered. He had been too young when that happened. That event had not truly hurt him, except through his not having a mother as he grew up.

"I... no... I haven't."

"You cannot know what I feel."

"Just... try to tell us. We are here to listen."

"I feel nothing. Nothing. Do you know what the last thing he said to me was?"

"What did he say?" he whispered.

She stared at her paws.

"I told him that we did not need to fly to the fighting and that he should stay here with me and Tail-Hunter. He said that he needed to fly with the pack... and that he trusted in you."

He looked away, stricken. That oppressive responsibility and guilt, hidden in the shadows and which all his family had done so much to try to help with, was still there in his heart.

Growls-At-His-Shadow trusted him... and died because of it. That was the simple truth of what happened.

Moonbeam stepped toward her and lay down beside her, stretching a white wing over her back.

"Hiccup has not been hurt by life like you have, but I have been. We have talked about... what happened before. I know how it feels to lose someone, two people you love."

He briefly wondered what Moonbeam was referring to when he remembered that Dreamcatcher had also lost a brother to humans.

It was not the best time to be asking such questions, but learning more about the truth of what had happened might help. That was his hope, at least. It was the best that anyone could do, even if it hurt some. The realization that she was not responsible was what helped Moonbeam move on from her problems stemming from her parents' deaths.

Something similar might be necessary for Dreamcatcher, and that meant confronting the painful past.

"What happened to your brother? What went wrong? Only if you want to talk about it," he asked.

Dreamcatcher did not whine or shy away from the question, which was very encouraging. She just stared into the distance across the plain.

"We had flown the nest together to search for other dark wings. We found... Growls-At-His-Shadow... and we all became friends who hunted and ranged together. I was older and knew more about the world. My brother had the most twisted ideas about humans. He thought that you were not prey and that we could try to share a range, so he tried to get humans to trust him. I saw him trying to bond with a human even after I told him about the danger. One day he did not come back. I went to find him, and I saw what they had done to him. His head was hanging from one of their dens."

"I'm... so sorry about that," he whispered.

She blinked and stared at him.

"Do not say what you do not mean."

Toothless and Moonbeam grumbled at that.

"And you should not blame him for what he did not do. He did not hurt your mate or any of us in the pack," Moonbeam explained.

"He has always wanted a better life for us all: a life where we and the humans can live in peace. Life will be better for Tail-Hunter and all our young," Toothless added with a gentle purr.

A long silence followed before Dreamcatcher weakly spoke, her voice trembling.

"You think that. I do not. Two times now those I loved have been killed because they trusted humans. What is next? Who else do I have to lose?"

Hiccup wiped away the tears with his sleeve. He had not known until that moment that he had been weeping.

"Nothing and no one. You won't lose any more. The war is over."

Dreamcatcher looked away from him and to Tail-Hunter, who was still apparently asleep. It was odd that she was still asleep. Cubs usually had a lot of energy and were up and about by this time in the day. Tail-Hunter was an especially lively and playful cub, but she might just be grieving by sleeping a lot.

"We were not in the fighting until you brought us into it! You killed him! You... did this! I blame you!" Dreamcatcher suddenly shouted after spinning on him.

Toothless stared at her in open shock while Moonbeam similarly was frozen at her side.

Hiccup looked away from Dreamcatcher, too hurt to properly answer her in that instant. She was just angry, in pain, distraught, and wanting to lash out at someone she could blame. That someone was him.

And, in a way, she was not completely wrong. He had played a significant part in getting the pack to come down out of hiding and safety. There had been a risk in what he had done.

Her shout woke up Tail-Hunter, who then flew to her paws and looked around in alarm.

"Dam! What is..."

Tail-Hunter saw everyone gathered nearby and then went silent, staring at her paws. Her now being awake changed the entire confrontation.

"Dam, what is happening?" Tail-Hunter whined.

Deathcatcher said nothing, whether because she was unable to think or unsure what to say. Someone had to say or do something.

However, he had no time to do anything before Flame-In-The-Night glided down the slope. Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer similarly approached behind him. They had probably all heard Dreamcatcher's shout a few seconds ago.

"What is the problem?" Flame-In-The-Night asked after landing before them.

"We do not agree on where the blame falls... for what happened," Toothless grumbled.

Flame-In-The-Night huffed and looked to Dreamcatcher.

"It is on the Alphas... on me and Snowfall. We are responsible for all in the pack. This is not your fault. Do not blame yourself."

Dreamcatcher closed her eyes and hung her head, going completely still. When she looked up again, she appeared far more composed and calm than she had been before.

"True. I do blame myself. This is my fault."

Sky-Dancer, looking rather worried, calmly approached and nuzzled Tail-Hunter.

Far Flight softly growled.

"Maybe you all should talk about this... away from here."

Flame-In-The-Night purred in agreement.

"Tail-Hunter, I will talk to your dam now. She will be right back."

"Okay..."

"Dreamcatcher..."

Dreamcatcher glanced at Tail-Hunter and then reluctantly got up. She followed Flame-In-The-Night down the slope, her tail dragging behind her.

"We should go with them," Toothless whispered.

Hiccup agreed without needing to say anything, leaving Tail-Hunter with Sky-Dancer and Far-Flight for the moment. The cub was fine with their parents, but Dreamcatcher needed reassurance, help, or... something. Moonbeam followed him and Toothless the short distance down the slope.

"... being twisted. You could not know!" Flame-In-The-Night hissed.

Dreamcatcher weakly sighed, "If I had protested... more against the fight... if I had not let him fly... humans killed him too!"

"No! Humans did not kill him! False-empty shadow-life killed him! That shadow-life was fighting the humans! It would have fought us there or here!"

The Alpha paused and noticed him, Toothless, and Moonbeam. Flame-In-The-Night looked very weary and discouraged.

"Hiccup, Burning-Star, Moonbeam, maybe you can help us..."

Hiccup stepped forward while also keeping his distance from her. He had no idea what to say that she might accept. It was possible that her grief was too much right now, but she needed to hear some reassurance.

"I know this might be hard for you to believe, but I promised that I would help you both... however I can."

She looked away from him, slightly shaking.

"You... you cannot help... me. All you care for lived. You do not... understand, cannot feel, will not... or care! You think this is funny, yes? You are happy this happened! You... you wanted him dead!"

He slumped and stepped closer to her while Toothless stayed at his side.

"No, of course not. I cared for him as I do for the whole pack. I'm so sorry you don't see that. I want to help and..."

It happened so fast.

She spun, raised a paw, and swatted at him. A blur jumped and knocked into him, pushing him over onto his side and sending him tumbling several lengths down the slope until he crashed against a boulder. His stump burned with pain and his shoulder was surely bruised, but he doubted that was why the tears flowed freely. That she had just tried to attack him didn't matter.

What was the chaotic noise downing out everything else? It was difficult to tell over the shock of the moment.

Toothless's muzzle found him seconds or minutes later.

"Brother, are you well?"

"I'm fine. Didn't break anything. What just happened?"

Toothless helped him get up so he could see the terrible sight. Flame-In-The-Night, Far-Flight, and Moonbeam were holding Dreamcatcher down while Sky-Dancer was with Tail-Hunter, trying to keep her from seeing it all happening. She could not stop her from hearing her mother's frantic, incoherent shouting and bellowing as she struggled.

He and Toothless wordlessly agreed to go to Tail-Hunter, slipping around Sky-Dancer's extended wings. Tail-Hunter was staring at her paws while shaking.

"What is... wrong... with dam?"

Sky-Dancer licked her neck and nuzzled her.

"Little one, your dam's thinking is twisted by sadness and chill."

"I... want dam warm," Tail-Hunter whined.

"We all do," Hiccup whispered, kneeling at her side.

No one moved until Far-Flight eventually bounded over to them. Flame-In-The-Night and Moonbeam didn't move from Dreamcatcher's side. The shouting had stopped, leaving silence instead.

"Father, how is she?" Hiccup asked.

"She is asleep now. We forced her into sleep for her own good. We must stay here to watch her and keep her safe from the... anything worse than sleep."

That did not sound good at all, but he knew it was not a good time to ask any questions, not while Tail-Hunter was right there with them.

"How about you take Tail-Hunter and have some food. She must be hungry, right... little one?" Far-Flight forced a purr.

"A little... where is dam?" Tail-Hunter warbled.

"Sleeping. We will stay with her and help her be warm. You go with our kin to get food."

Moonbeam got to her paws and gently nudged Tail-Hunter.

"Come little one, we should hunt for food up at the golden-hall-den!"

"Okay..."

Hiccup and Toothless followed after her, though with a few glances back down the slope. More of their packmates were assembling around their parents, Flame-In-The-Night, and Dreamcatcher.

"That happened. Do you want to talk about it?" Toothless sighed.

Hiccup wiped his cheek dry.

"No. Not really. There's nothing to say."

Toothless huffed, "Yes, there is. She was wrong... what she said about you. You believe me, right?"

Hiccup stopped walking, finding it difficult to keep up with Moonbeam, given his peg.

"I... don't know," he mumbled.

"About what?"

"Did we do that to her... to them? Tail-Hunter would still have her father, and her mother would not be... so heartbroken if not for us."

Toothless sat down before beside him and very gently hit his head with a paw.

"I knew it. We did not mean for that to happen."

"But it did. We knew someone could get hurt. We are... a little responsible."

"No. Say that we did not bring the pack to the fight. Sauron wins the battle, uses his Night Furies, and finds the Ring. Then it would be our fault for not bringing the pack to the fighting. We all fought to defend ourselves."

"True, but still..."

"How we got here does not matter. All we have to decide is what we will do next. At least, that is what we must say and think."

Hiccup did not smile at that echo of Gandalf's words. He knew that Toothless's advice was fair and was probably the best that anyone could do in such a terrible situation. But none of that made it hurt any less.

He noticed that Moonbeam and Tail-Hunter had paused up ahead, so he started after them. One awkward step at a time.

"Do you need me to help you walk?" Toothless asked.

"Let me try this without any help. I've got to learn how to walk on my own."

Toothless huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Cub-brother..."

* * *

The Golden Hall was almost as Hiccup remembered it on the outside. The major difference on the inside was how it was much emptier with most of the people of Edoras and almost all the leadership away. Further, there were no guards standing around on duty, and there was no smoke rising from the chimney.

However, it was not completely empty. There were a couple people standing beside the main table near the head of the Hall.

Also, two of the cubs, Free-Flight and Storm-Chaser, were sitting on their haunches while staring up at the tapestries. They looked like they were lazing about after a meal. He was very pleased that they felt comfortable enough being left alone in the Hall, and that their parents were comfortable leaving them there alone.

"There you are!" he shouted.

Their ears lifted as the two cubs spun around and dashed for him.

"Hiccup, you are..." Free-Flight stopped in place, staring at his peg.

"Your leg-paw!" Storm-Chaser shouted as she ran up next to him and sniffed at the peg.

"What happened?" Free-Flight whined.

Hiccup lay a palm on their foreheads.

"I lost it in fighting. I will be fine though."

"Can you still walk?" Free-Flight warbled.

Storm-Chaser whipped Free-Flight with her tail.

"Silly! He walked to us!"

Hiccup noticed one of the elderly men walking toward him from the head of the Hall. He recognized the man as Eogar, one of Theoden's attendants who usually managed supplies in Edoras.

The cubs kept nudging his side, which made him wonder what to do about them. They didn't know what had just happened with Dreamcatcher and Tail-Hunter or how close that had come to grief. Toothless, Moonbeam, and Tail-Hunter were settling down near one of the burning fireplaces.

"Free-Flight, Storm-Chaser, how about you go to Burning-Star, Moonbeam, and Tail-Hunter. You could make a sleeping-pile with them or maybe play."

"Okay, we can play with them!" Free-Flight hummed.

"After a food-nap!" Storm-Chaser added.

They nodded in agreement and turned tail, bounding over to Toothless, Moonbeam, and Tail-Hunter. Satisfied that they were occupied, he went over to Eogar. The elderly man had a long white beard and a very wrinkled face.

"Master Haddock, are you well?" Eogar asked with a gesture to his leg.

"I'll be fine. Just have to learn how to walk again."

"Have you news from the war?"

"Yes, it is over, and we won. King Theoden will be away for a while, maybe a few months. Most of the Rohirrim should be coming back soon though."

Eogar stroked his white beard and nodded.

"Very good. We had feared after not having news for many days. Is Lady Eowyn well?"

"Well enough. She killed one of the Nazgul, one of the black riders."

Eogar's eyes went very wide.

"She rode to war also, in defiance of her King's wish. She gave secret orders that I would maintain the Halls in her stead. On that account I must speak to you about the dragons."

"What is going on? Is there a problem?"

Eogar nodded toward the table and bid him follow him over there, so he did. Eogar helped himself into a chair, and he did so as well.

"It started after almost everyone else rode off to war. We had to keep enough people here to watch and protect the flocks, but some of the herds were attacked by wolves or rogues. The dragons who stayed here were very helpful. However, even before we rode to war, we were wondering about how much food the dragons must eat. The pack is now even larger with the new families that are living here. I do not see how we can provision for all of them. Not unless they start eating grass or the common human foods."

So the problem was one he had already been told about: the practical limitations of available food.

Dragons definitely did not eat grass. As for human foods, such as breads, grains, fruits, and vegetables, he did not know if the Furies could eat those. It was unlikely that they would though. Creatures that lived primarily on fish, blubber, and meats probably couldn't live on grains or other diets.

Fortunately, there was an easy solution that was already being worked towards.

"You'll be glad to hear that the pack will be given an entire island to be theirs. Some of them might fly to live there. That should help a lot since their natural food is fish."

"When will you know if any of them will depart?" Eogar asked.

"Probably a week. That is when Snowfall should get back and be able to tell us about the place."

Eogar nodded.

"Very well. We can make do until then. They've been doing more fishing and hunting in the wild anyway. They might have needed to take a few wild horses too, which we were none too happy about."

Hiccup glanced toward the nearest table.

"Speaking of food. Do we have any I could help myself to?"

"I've got hardtack and porridge."

"Those are my favorites."

"And some soup. I learned Eowyn's secret recipe," Eogar added.

"I can't wait! Oh, do we have anything for one of the cubs? She should get something to eat while she's here with us."

Eogar nodded.

"We have some jerky I could have brought."

"That should work. Anything would be great right now."

* * *

Hiccup left the Golden Hall after eating a bland but filling breakfast and spending some time keeping the cubs busy. The soup had tasted a little off, but after many years of eating the gruel on Berk, he was not sure if he was the best judge of taste. At least the variety beat having nothing except dried fruit and flamed fish for every meal.

_Okay, what's next on the list? Probably get supplies for a new prosthetic. Gotta visit Adney soon, definitely not putting that off for long._

He started in surprise when Flame-In-The-Night dashed up the slope toward him. Far down below he could see several packmates gathered together precisely where Dreamcatcher was probably asleep.

A sneaking suspicion whispered that this was bad news.

"Flame-In-The-Night?"

The Fury settled down before him and gazed with heavy grief in his blue eyes. He also looked very weary, even more so than he had been before.

"This is bad."

"What happened?" he warily whispered.

"She is awake again, but she is not well or herself."

"I don't understand."

"Nor do we. She does not know us anymore. Her thinking is very rotted."

He just stared in shock, unsure how that was even possible. Could grief make someone lose their mind, whatever that meant?

Maybe it could.

"What?" he gasped.

"Come see but stay behind me."

Flame-In-The-Night gestured down the slope, and he reluctantly followed him as fast as he could. He saw nothing except the figure of a prone Night Fury surrounded by her packmates who stepped aside for him.

Flame-In-The-Night walked in front of her, and he stopped beside the Fury's shoulder.

Dreamcatcher was mumbling indistinctly and didn't seem to see anything clearly.

"Lost... fault... gone flying... trust him... pack best... mine... lost lost..."

"Dreamcatcher..." Hiccup whispered.

She did not react at all to him. She just kept mumbling, staring at the ground before her paws.

He couldn't stand to see or hear any more of that. He stumbled over to the nearest boulder, sat down in the long grass, leaned back against the rock, stared up at the sky, and felt numb.

It was not the first time he had heard of such a terrible thing happening. The occasional Viking on Berk would go crazy or very strange after losing family in a raid or an accident.

There was so much blame that could be thrown around. He and Toothless had argued for the pack to involve itself, the Alphas had agreed with the plan, individuals in the pack volunteered to fight, and Mordor obviously had been the aggressors who had to be fought against.

That grief should follow now, after the war was over, and back at home in the place where everyone felt safe and secure was like a knife in the heart. Was no place safe anymore?

And Tail-Hunter... to lose both of her parents, though in different ways. What was going to happen with her?

He heard someone pad over to his side and saw that it was Flame-In-The-Night. The Alpha collapsed at his side without initially saying anything.

"I, uh, don't know what to say."

"There is nothing to say."

"What will happen with Tail-Hunter?" he whispered.

"We will wait until the rest of the pack is here. Then a pair will... adopt her as theirs."

"Any idea who will do that?"

"Not me and Snowfall. Free-Flight is almost her age, and raising them like brother and sister could be a problem much later. Probably not your sire and dam, or Burning-Star and Moonbeam, since those pairs might have new cubs of their own soon. Any other pair could raise her. She might want to be with one pair more than others."

Flame-In-The-Night gently nudged his shoulder.

"I will talk with her about why she cannot be Dreamcatcher's cub anymore. That is not a talk for you to have. It is not your responsibility."

Hiccup nodded, seeing the sense in that. Still, he had made a promise.

"Fine, but I will be there for her however I can help."

"I would expect nothing less from you."

"Can I and my family take care of her until the pack decides who will adopt her? I'm sure that Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, Burning-Star, and Moonbeam would offer that."

Flame-In-The-Night thought about it and then purred in approval.

"Yes, she knows Moonbeam as a cub-watcher. I allow it."

"Is... can Dreamcatcher get better?"

Flame-In-The-Night stared at his paws.

"I do not know. She is well in body, but it is not... her. Is her soul-fire dead? Maybe yes, maybe no. Only time will let us know."

"Is there anything we can do for her?"

"Probably just see to her needs... food, water, a clean den, and packmates around her. One of the barn-dens might help if you could have one given to her. I do not know what else we can do."

He nodded, not knowing what else could be done in such a terrible situation. But her condition was a problem he had to consider from another perspective. A crazy dragon could be a danger to everyone at Edoras.

"Is she a danger to anyone... like me or other humans here?"

Flame-In-The-Night looked very wary of that question.

"Maybe, but I can help with that."

"What?"

"Do not speak of this to anyone else, but I and Snowfall can help her as Alphas. Being Alphas and having our power-light can help us keep peace in a way I cannot explain well. We can help her not become... violent to any of the humans. We will also make sure she is watched."

He wasn't sure what to make of that, but it was reassuring that they could help Dreamcatcher not become a serious problem to anyone else.

"Good. When will you tell Tail-Hunter?"

"Soon. She deserves to know. Is she in the Golden-Hall-den?"

"With Burning-Star, Moonbeam, Storm-Chaser, and Free-Flight, yes."

Flame-In-The-Night then sat down on his haunches and stared across the plain. His ears fell as he hung his head. He appeared understandably discouraged.

"My and Snowfall's time as Alphas has not been good. We lost many of the pack to the shadow-life who took them away, we lived long in the cold wild with not enough prey, we have now lost a pair, and Wing-Of-Ice is grounded. Maybe the pack would have been better without us as Alphas."

Hiccup stared out with him toward the horizon. It was surprising that the brave, confident Alpha suddenly sounded so frail and uncertain.

He understood that feeling of inadequacy.

"I doubt it. Would you... tell me the truth? Do you blame me at all for any of this?"

Flame-In-The-Night grumbled.

"No, not at all. Blaming others does not help hurts to heal, even if the blame is correct, which it is not here."

"How do you stay strong?"

"By holding close those who are kin. By telling yourself that you did the best you could with what you knew then. By learning from past mistakes and changing your behavior. Mostly... by helping others who were hurt more than you were."

Hiccup idly nodded and wiped another tear from his cheek.

"Yeah, I guess so. How can anyone do more than that?"

* * *

All the Furies, not including the new families, present in Edoras gathered together on the slope after Flame-In-The-Night summoned them. The cubs sat with their present parents or with those they knew the best.

Hiccup steadied himself against Sky-Dancer's shoulder as they watched the terrible news being delivered. Tail-Hunter sat motionless throughout, listening as Flame-In-The-Night told her that her mother was not well enough now to be her caregiver. He assured her that someone else, another pair, would take her under their wings if that was needed, and that the pack would be there for her.

Dreamcatcher lay nearby all throughout, glancing around and indistinctly mumbling. She did not appear aware of what was happening around her.

Not even when Tail-Hunter bounded to her and called for her while furiously nudging her shoulder. Dreamcatcher just stared without showing any sign of recognizing her own cub.

Flame-In-The-Night and Moonbeam had to drag Tail-Hunter, whining and trembling, away from Dreamcatcher. Hiccup immediately went to the distraught cub and knelt before her.

"Tail-Hunter, do you want a hug?" Hiccup whispered.

She wordlessly stepped toward him and lay her chin on his shoulder while softly whining. He held her neck and head and let her quietly mourn until she stilled.

"Did I... do something... bad?" she whined.

"No, no. Why do you think that?" he whispered.

"Because sire... went away... and dam is... so sad..." she gasped.

He held her again, holding her head to his chest. It did not matter that she was a dragon. All that mattered was that she was a hurt child who desperately needed reassurance that she was wanted and that others cared for her.

He knew so well how terrible it was to feel unwanted.

"No, you did nothing wrong. Your sire was so brave and strong, just... as he wants you to be. Be strong."

He gently held her muzzle.

"Tail-Hunter, look at me."

She did. Her eyes, a mix of deep blue and grey, were wide and filled with sorrow and tears.

"We will never turn tail on you. Do you want to stay with us for now?"

Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, Toothless, and Moonbeam stepped closer and nuzzled her, purring with reassurance and comfort.

Tail-Hunter's ears lifted slightly as she barely purred.

"Okay..."

"Good. Thanks."

Other present packmates similarly nuzzled or licked her in comfort.

He glanced again at Dreamcatcher and saw that she was still staring aimlessly, listlessly, at nothing in particular. Then he looked away.

The scars from this day wouldn't fade immediately or, what was more likely, ever. But this was a start.

* * *

Hiccup was stuck, idly pacing back and forth in the Edoras square to kill time and distract himself from everything else that happened, when he noticed a Fury approaching him on paw.

It was Jumps-At-Fire.

"Hiccup!" she bounded toward him.

Surprisingly, she gave him a gentle headbutt and nuzzle before hopping back from him.

"Hey, Jumps-At-Fire, how are you?"

"Better than you. You lost a leg-paw."

She glanced at his peg.

He sighed in exasperation. While her concern for him was thoughtful, it was also getting frustrating that his wound was the first thing that people wanted to talk about.

"I'll be fine. Other people lost far more."

She winced and looked down the slope toward where those of the pack who were here were resting.

"I heard what happened with Dreamcatcher and that she... has problems now."

He nodded.

"She wasn't thinking well at all before, and she lost two people she loved. All we can do is try to help her, and be there for Tail-Hunter in her place."

"I agree. What is the pack doing for Dreamcatcher?"

"I said I would find a barn she could stay in... almost like how Lightning had one for a few months. Other than that, we will provide for her however we can."

He neglected to add that he didn't know of anything that could help improve her condition. Maybe time would do that.

"And Tail-Hunter?"

"A pair will adopt her, but she's staying with me and my family for now."

Jumps-At-Fire sighed and stared at her paws after glancing around. Her ears and tail twitched, which was a giveaway that she was nervous.

"What is it?"

"You and Burning-Star are family. You probably talk about much. Did he tell you about the past... me and him?"

He crossed his arms on his chest after checking that there was no one else who could overhear them.

"Yes, he told me about everything you were doing. Why do you ask?"

She looked up at him and met his even gaze.

"Because I have had much time to think about why I was with him. Burning-Star told me after we stopped... that I should trust the pack more or try to know a human as kin to me."  
He didn't feel awkward talking to her. She was opening up to him, sharing something she must have thought was important.

"Did you? Did you make a friend?" he asked.

"Not a friend like you and Burning-Star are or Snowflame and Eowyn are, but there is one I feel some warmth for. She has a cub of her own, but she is still... free in her soul-fire. More important, I understand why I was using Burning-Star."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He was sure that she did, since she would not have brought this up otherwise.

She took a breath.

"I wanted to pretend that my dead mate was still with me but not have any responsibility. I also blamed myself for... a very bad mistake I made long ago to... someone who did nothing wrong."

He wasn't entirely sure what she meant by that, but she had clearly given this a lot of thought, so it must make sense to her.

"Why are you telling me this?" he softly asked.

"Because I... do not truly want to live in the past. I want more."

He frowned, realizing something that she was implying.

"You do know that Burning-Star will not have you. He is with Moonbeam. They love each other."

She barked in alarm and shook her head.

"I was not saying I would try to break them apart. No, that would be wrong and twisted of me. I have been outside the pack much, and I understand what that feels like. How alone that is."

He wasn't sure what she meant by that, and she was not adding anything else. At least it was reassuring that she openly said that she had no hidden desire to break apart Toothless and Moonbeam. Despite her having many issues that he knew of, being an outright liar was not one of them.

"Well, that's good to hear that you won't try anything with them. I'm not sure if you know, but they've been trying to get a cub. Obviously they would want that since they are mates."

She blinked and hummed.

"I hope they do. They will be a good sire and... dam."

"Is being a dam something you truly want? Be honest."

She blinked and exhaled.

"I see no bad in it... not anymore. Yes, I want that, but I do not know if it can happen."

"What do you mean? You aren't hurt or anything, are you?"

Her ears fell.

"No, it is not that. I do not know if I can be wanted by any male in the pack after all the mistakes I made and the reputation I must have with them."

He felt sympathetic toward her problem. At the least he understood how frustrating having a bad reputation must be. Once others thought about someone in a given way, it was almost impossible to change that reputation.

"Well, if you try... the right way. Dark-Fire has no mate, and the new fledgling will be grown in a few years."

_Hmm, wouldn't that be ironic if she and Dark-Fire got together... if he can change._

She hummed and stared out into the distance toward the mountains.

"Yes, I have been talking with Dark-Fire. He has problems with anger still, though I do not know what he is angry about. He does not want to talk much about anything very important."

Hiccup frowned, remembering the cruel things that Dark-Fire had said when in captivity.

"Yeah, I know why he is so angry."

She blinked in surprise and imploringly stared at him.

"Why?"

He wasn't sure whether to tell her. It was possible that she would try to use this information against Dark-Fire, or maybe she would not.

"His sire was killed by humans, and his dam might have been abused by another male, but I'm not sure about that part."

She looked away from him and stared at the mountains, as if she was shocked or had just realized something.

"That explains much, truly. Thank you, Hiccup."

"You are welcome, Jumps-At-Fire."

"I will be in the mountains if anyone needs to find me."

She then flew off, leaving him alone with his fraying nerves and questions about what she intended. She must have some type of interest in Dark-Fire.

But there was no putting this off forever. He had to talk to Adney, even if for no other reason than to assure her that he was alive and that her father was safe, so he started for her house.

Beyond giving her that good news, he had no idea what would happen.

* * *

Toothless flew out over the golden fields in search of the new families: Dances-In-Shadows, Sun-Spark, their two young, Dancing-Flame and Hidden-Star; and also Ashen-Whisper, Tempest-Cloud, and Cloud-Whisper. The lone fledgling, Bagronk, was bonding with Breath-Of-Sky and Mystery. He was willing to be in Edoras and around humans.

But these families stayed more on their own and did not look interested in being around the pack or humans. They had even asked for a packmate to bring them the food which Rohan was willing to provide.

He eventually saw the families resting together in a valley with a creek they had probably been drinking from. He flew toward them, announced himself with a roar, and touched down on the slope. Then he calmly strode up to them.

"Do you remember me? I am Burning-Star."

Dances-In-Shadows grunted once.

"Yes, we remember you as the dark wing with the human brother."

He purred, pleased that they knew that.

"True. Hiccup is my kin. My sire and dam have named him as their cub. Why are you all not with the pack?"

The two pairs of adults glanced at each other and then looked away from him.

"The pack is... living much with humans here. We do not know if we can trust the humans as the pack does," Dances-In-Shadows said.

Sun-Spark hesitantly spoke, as if she was unsure if she should speak at all.

"We flew to be with our kin. Not to be around the humans."

"Why do you think that these humans should not have our trust? They have only been good to us."

Dances-In-Shadows huffed and stared off toward Edoras.

"To you and the pack, yes, but not to us. We were flying for their enemy."

"Only because you did not know better. You stopped flying for their enemy because you wanted to be free. You can live in peace with us and them now."

Dances-In-Shadows stepped over to Sun-Spark's side and nuzzled her neck.

"We only want to be alone with our cubs."

Ashen-Whisper and Tempest-Cloud purred in agreement.

He thought about their situation. Forcing together those who did not want it would not help. It was enough for him that they wanted to be on their own and in peace.

"There might be a place that you could go where there are no humans. One of the human Alphas who won the fighting will give the pack an island to be ours only, no humans can go there. The place should have good fishing."

"We would like that," Sun-Spark hummed.

"When will we know if we can go there?" Ashen-Whisper eagerly asked.

"Snowfall is flying there now. She will see the island and let us know if it is good. We should know in a pawful of days."

He stepped back from them and stretched his wings.

"There will be more humans coming back to this range soon. None of them will mean to do you any bad, but you might stay closer to the pack once they get here. Or you can stay up in the mountains."

Dances-In-Shadows grunted in acknowledgment.

"We will do that."

Toothless then bent down and hummed with encouragement to Hidden-Star.

"Little one, we both have star in our names."

"Bright star!" she hummed.

"Yes, very bright. If only you got to see my precious," he chuckled.

Then he jumped for the sky and turned his flight back towards Edoras.

He did not fault them at all for wanting to be on their own. They had lived in Mordor and been something like thought-thralls, if he understood correctly. While he would prefer that they want to stay in peace with the humans here, that peaceful life could not be forced into being. Nothing was bad with wanting to be on their own.

His flight was calm and peaceful as he stretched his wings. It was relieving to fly freely again without any great urgency or need to fly anywhere.

But then he was surprised by someone else rising from the ground to fly toward him.

It was Jumps-At-Fire.

She calmly flew toward him and settled into a glide at his side.

"Can we talk?" she asked.

He was not sure what she would want to talk about. Hopefully she was not trying to make problems. He had already made his intentions very clear to her, even apart from the unchanging truth that he and Moonbeam were life-mates.

No, Jumps-At-Fire was not going to talk to him about that or their past. Somehow, he was sure that she was not going to try to tempt him. This had to be about something else.

"Yes," he answered and dove for the ground.

They touched down together on a grassy hill outside of Edoras. She pranced over and sat down a length from him, curling her tail around her front paws.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I am well enough. Life has been quiet here, even though we had to hunt more for food. I heard that you got hurt?"

He turned to show off the hurt on his neck. There were new scales growing in already, but he would always have a hurt-mark there.

"I will be fine. Others were hurt worse."

Oddly, she chuffed and rolled her eyes. Then she softly warbled, as if she was ashamed of something.

"Sorry, Hiccup said the same thing about his lost leg-paw. You and him are very much like each other."

"Yes, we are."

She paused and hesitated before continuing.

"I wanted to talk to you about life."

"What about it?"

"First, I will not come between you and Moonbeam. There is another dark wing now, Dark-Fire. He lives in the mountains."

He blinked in surprise at her apparent intention.

"Yes, he was a fighter for the Enemy before I stopped him. Dark-Fire killed humans in the fighting."

She stared off toward the mountains.

"But he is not so filled with fighting-wanting now. I have been talking with him. He is still angry, but much of that anger is at himself," she said.

He had to wonder about her true intentions there. He and she had started with talking also, even though that talking had only been for a small part of the day before they had eagerly rushed into doing far more.

"Talking only, or have you been doing more with him?"

"Only talking. He is still lost in his thinking, and I want to know him more... much more. He needs to not be alone in his life-flight. But he might not want to be my mate or have a cub with me."

He blinked, startled by that implied admission that she might want such a life for herself. This was a very big change from how she had been before.

For a moment, he wondered if she might have changed like this if he had not stopped being with her. If he had kept being with her, she might have come to want him as more than only something to use. But thinking about such possible flights that never happened had no lift at all and would not change anything now. His choice to leave her and stop being with her had been the best one under the circumstances, and he had no regrets about that.

"That is a very big change from how you thought before," he observed.

She hummed.

"Yes, it is. Playing and cub-watching for the pack, seeing the humans with their cubs, seeing all the mate-pairs in the pack and of the humans, and all that you told me... opened my eyes more to what I was not seeing. I want to think that Dark-Fire can cool his anger and be happy with a peaceful life of flying far with me. He is also outside the pack now, and I know how hard that life is."

While true, he still felt very little sympathy for Dark-Fire. It would take a lot for that Night Fury to get any trust from him.

"Do you know that he killed many humans and tried to kill me? One of his flight-mates tried to force-mate Moonbeam!" he snarled and scratched the dirt underpaw.

She gasped and recoiled slightly, visibly stunned as if he had hit her in the face with a paw.

"I... did not know that last part. He said that he fought against humans because the whispering told him to and because he wanted to kill to avenge someone."

He snarled.

"I killed its flight-mate when it was climbing on her and... trying to force her!"

"It did not though, true? You killed it first."

"I did."

She growled and nodded.

"Good. Moonbeam was never angry with me or bad to me, and I would not want her to be hurt. I want to give Dark-Fire a chance to change, but he might not want to. I do not know yet."

Then she stared back at him with a hesitant look in her eyes.

"There is something else I wanted to ask you about," she warily asked.

"Speak."

"If he does not want that with me... would you make a cub with me? Only if you and Moonbeam agree to it."

"What? Why?" he softly growled.

Her tail tapped on the ground, but she did nothing tempting or meant to twist his thinking.

"Because we dark wings are very few. For me to not make a cub when others are helping to grow the pack, I do not think that would be good of me. I would not ask about this if we dark wings were many and filled the ranges of this world."

He turned aside to stare out over the plain while thinking about the question. He had learned the importance of not leaping to conclusions, and she did not seem to be trying to tempt him. She did not display, nudge him, lick him, or do anything to show wanting. Rather, she openly told him what she was thinking and gave him a believable reason why she thought as she did.

True, raising a cub without a single sire-father was not ideal, but it was also true that the pack was smaller than it should be. Having a healthy adult female who never added a cub to the pack was almost a waste or a lost opportunity. The cub could be raised by a group, and this would be an exception only done in special circumstances.

On the other paw, would doing this once create an expectation that it should be done more in the future? Would the pack expect that all females not only can have a cub but instead must contribute a cub? Would the importance of mate-pairs fade away or be seen as greedy and hoarding by those who want a life-mate?

It was a difficult question to pin an answer to.

"I will tell Moonbeam that you asked me about this," he said.

She hummed.

"Please do. I do not want her to think that I am secretly breaking you two apart. It would be cub-making only, no bonding or sharing life-flights."

He grumbled and rolled his eyes.

"That is very twisted, with what we were doing before."

She chuffed, apparently appreciating the irony of the situation.

"Yes, this would not be a problem if I had made a mistake and you gave me a cub back then."

"And you would not have gotten rid of it?" he growled.

"There are none of those plants here. And you would know if we had made a cub. I would have told you," she whispered.

"Have you talked to any others about this plan?"

"I spoke with Flame-In-The-Night. He did not object to my making a cub for the pack, if I could find a male who would do that for me. He also said that he would not do it, and it would not become a pack-custom. I would want you to do that for me... if there is need and if you will do it."

He got to his paws and started pacing back and forth, lost to his thoughts. She patiently sat there, waiting to hear whatever he had to say on the offer.

His soul-fire would always fly with Moonbeam's. There was no need or pull to go to Jumps-At-Fire for anything.

Purely for the good of the pack and for their kind to be more in number was another matter that flew somewhere between right and wrong, good and bad. He could see himself maybe doing that, if Moonbeam did not object. Her approval would be absolutely needed, if this was to happen.

Then he went back to sit before Jumps-At-Fire.

"I will speak only truth, and I will trust that you will only speak truth. You do not need to make a cub to be part of the pack or have a place with us. Do you know that?"

"I do."

His tail tapped on the ground at his side.

"Why do you want to make a cub? Have you truly thought this through?"

She sighed.

"As I said, I want a cub because it would help the pack and because I... I want to be a dam. I want that good in my life. Best would be if I have a life-mate with me, but I am strong enough that I can live without one if I must."

She did not look like she was being false. And he knew her well enough that he could probably see her signs of deception or hiding, which there were none of right now.

"Are you sure that you would be a good dam? Being one needs much patience with the cub."

"I think I can be a good dam. My dam was not always cold; she only became a twisted dam after... you know. I would not be like other females in the pack, since I have much I still need to unlearn, but I do think I can be a good dam. Best would be if the sire is there with me, if possible."

He grumbled.

"I will talk with Moonbeam about it. But I do not like it. She saved my life and Hiccup's life in the fighting. To do this with another even after I promised my life to her... I would be false."

"That is why I ask if Moonbeam would let you do this for the pack and for me. I will not speak of this again unless Dark-Fire and I cannot be. Hopefully he can see me and want to be with me."

He paused, wondering what her motivation was with Dark-Fire.

"Are you being desperate for a mate now? He probably will not like you trying to change him by using him."

She growled softly and snorted.

"I will not do that. I will not use him for mating and pleasure. He is more like me than you were, and I... see my mistakes I was making with you. You talked to me and said things that no others in the pack did. I want to be there for him and help him feel wanted. We will fly together, hunt together, talk about life, and if we do more... I will only do that for good reasons."

He huffed after thinking about her words. It was possible that she still would not understand what counts as good reasons for that, but that was not for him to be concerned by.

"Your life is yours to live. I will not judge you, but I will say that you should be careful with this flight."

"I will be."

She purred to him and then jumped, flying over Edoras and toward the distant mountains where Dark-Fire probably was in hiding.

He slumped in place as he watched her fly. She definitely seemed to be acting differently now, mostly by being open and honest with her intentions, which also appeared to have changed in important ways. At the same time, there were similarities between who she is and who she was back when they were still together.

Her offer to let him make a cub with her was proof of that. But even that offered twisting of what mating should be for was not truly bad, or at least it did not seem that way to him. She said that she would not pursue that if he or Moonbeam objected. Moonbeam's previous direct threat to kill her if she tried to break them apart probably contributed to that.

But was giving Jumps-At-Fire a cub something he would be willing to do even if Moonbeam did not object?

He wasted no more time and flew in search of Moonbeam to tell her what had happened. Unsurprisingly, he found her resting on the pack's slope along with Storm-Chaser, Tail-Hunter, and Free-Flight, all of whom were resting under her wings.

He landed and pranced over to her, nuzzling her nose once he got to her.

"My dear mate, can we talk now?"

"Yes," she hummed.

"Away from the cubs," he added.

That got her interested, and she followed him a few pounces away so they could speak while still overseeing the cubs.

"What is twisting your tail?" she asked.

He sat down on his rear next to her, wove their tails together, and lay a wing over her.

"I want to tell you something. Please listen until I am finished talking."

She grunted once in acknowledgment.

"Jumps-At-Fire told me that she is trying to know Dark-Fire better. Do you know that one?"

"He is the fighter?"

"Yes, the one that lived. He might not be as rotted as we thought, but I do not know. She said that she wants a mate and a cub."

Moonbeam chuffed in amusement.

"That is a very big change for her. Do you believe her?"

"I do. I believe she truly wants a mate and cub. She said something else."

He clenched her tail.

"She said that if Dark-Fire does not want her and if you do not object, she wants me to give her a cub, to make one with her."

She blinked and silently stared at him, so he continued.

"I would only give her a cub, no bonding or sharing of life. I did not like the idea, but I said I would talk with you about it. I do not think that she is asking for this for... pleasure. She said that she wants to be a dam and that the pack should be made bigger, both of which are good on their own."

"What do you truly think? Would you do it?" she softly asked.

He hummed, laying his chin on her neck.

"If I had to do it for the pack and if you wanted me to do it, I might do it. But a cub not having its sire in its life is not good. I also worry that doing this once would mean that others might do it or think it should be normal. I would not want to make the pack have a twisted ceremony."

He sighed and closed his eyes.

"I am yours as you are mine, my dear Moonbeam. What do you say?"

She grumbled and faintly growled.

"Part of me wants to tear off her wings, bite off her tailfins, and shove her nose into a pile of hot waste! She does not understand how hard it is to be a dam, alone. I do almost."

She stared long into his eyes until her ears fell.

"I would not like to think about you and her doing that, but I could allow it... only for cub-making and for the pack. But it would hurt us, you and me, in a way that no words would ever change after."

He knew beyond doubt. Even if she were to allow it, his joining with Jumps-At-Fire would mean that promises between him and Moonbeam do not mean anything since either of them could turn tail on the promises already made.

Doing it, even for the good of the pack, would hurt his dear Moonbeam's soul-fire. Maybe it was a little greedy of her, but that was not bad of her. She had a right to be a little greedy of him.

The pack was not in so desperate a situation that he could justify to himself hurting her, even unintentionally, in that way. That was all he needed to know to make his decision.

He chuffed and leaned against her shoulder.

"True, it would hurt our pair-trust. Even if you would allow that joining, I will not do it."

She hummed and leaned against him, stroking his tail and saying nothing for a long time.

"I should sit with the cubs," she whispered.

"And I will sit with you."

They walked the short distance over to the sleeping cubs, and she lay down between them, covering them again with her wings. Then she lay her head on her paws. He rested before her so he could stare with warmth at her wings, curled tail, and wide eyes that gazed into his.

It had been over a month since they had been together as mates, but there was no desperation or deep neediness. This was not the time for that part of life. Now was the time for peace, healing, and settling down into normal life.


End file.
